9 @documentencoding ISO-8859-1
12 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
13 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
16 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
17 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or
18 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
19 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
20 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
21 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
22 License'' in the Emacs manual.
24 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
25 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
26 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
28 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
29 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
30 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
31 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
37 \documentclass[twoside,a4paper,openright,11pt]{book}
38 \usepackage[latin1]{inputenc}
39 \usepackage{pagestyle}
42 \input{gnusconfig.tex}
44 \ifx\pdfoutput\undefined
46 \usepackage[pdftex,bookmarks,colorlinks=true]{hyperref}
54 % Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
55 \newcommand{\gnusversionname}{No Gnus v0.4}
56 \newcommand{\gnuschaptername}{}
57 \newcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
59 \newcommand{\gnusbackslash}{/}
61 \newcommand{\gnusref}[1]{``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
62 \ifx\pdfoutput\undefined
63 \newcommand{\gnusuref}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
65 \newcommand{\gnusuref}[1]{\href{#1}{\gnustt{#1}}}
67 \newcommand{\gnusxref}[1]{See ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
68 \newcommand{\gnuspxref}[1]{see ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
70 \newcommand{\gnuskindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
71 \newcommand{\gnusindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
73 \newcommand{\gnustt}[1]{{\gnusselectttfont{}#1}}
74 \newcommand{\gnuscode}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
75 \newcommand{\gnusasis}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
76 \newcommand{\gnusurl}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
77 \newcommand{\gnuscommand}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
78 \newcommand{\gnusenv}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
79 \newcommand{\gnussamp}[1]{``{\fontencoding{OT1}\gnusselectttfont{}#1}''}
80 \newcommand{\gnuslisp}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
81 \newcommand{\gnuskbd}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
82 \newcommand{\gnuskey}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
83 \newcommand{\gnusfile}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
84 \newcommand{\gnusdfn}[1]{\textit{#1}}
85 \newcommand{\gnusi}[1]{\textit{#1}}
86 \newcommand{\gnusr}[1]{\textrm{#1}}
87 \newcommand{\gnusstrong}[1]{\textbf{#1}}
88 \newcommand{\gnusemph}[1]{\textit{#1}}
89 \newcommand{\gnusvar}[1]{{\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont\textsl{\textsf{#1}}}}
90 \newcommand{\gnussc}[1]{\textsc{#1}}
91 \newcommand{\gnustitle}[1]{{\huge\textbf{#1}}}
92 \newcommand{\gnusversion}[1]{{\small\textit{#1}}}
93 \newcommand{\gnusauthor}[1]{{\large\textbf{#1}}}
94 \newcommand{\gnusresult}[1]{\gnustt{=> #1}}
95 \newcommand{\gnusacronym}[1]{\textsc{#1}}
96 \newcommand{\gnusemail}[1]{\textit{#1}}
98 \newcommand{\gnusbullet}{{${\bullet}$}}
99 \newcommand{\gnusdollar}{\$}
100 \newcommand{\gnusampersand}{\&}
101 \newcommand{\gnuspercent}{\%}
102 \newcommand{\gnushash}{\#}
103 \newcommand{\gnushat}{\symbol{"5E}}
104 \newcommand{\gnusunderline}{\symbol{"5F}}
105 \newcommand{\gnusnot}{$\neg$}
106 \newcommand{\gnustilde}{\symbol{"7E}}
107 \newcommand{\gnusless}{{$<$}}
108 \newcommand{\gnusgreater}{{$>$}}
109 \newcommand{\gnusbraceleft}{{$>$}}
110 \newcommand{\gnusbraceright}{{$>$}}
112 \newcommand{\gnushead}{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-head,height=1cm}}}
113 \newcommand{\gnusinteresting}{
114 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\gnushead]{\gnushead}
117 \newcommand{\gnuscleardoublepage}{\ifodd\count0\mbox{}\clearpage\thispagestyle{empty}\mbox{}\clearpage\else\clearpage\fi}
119 \newcommand{\gnuspagechapter}[1]{
123 \newdimen{\gnusdimen}
126 \newcommand{\gnuschapter}[2]{
128 \ifdim \gnusdimen = 0pt\setcounter{page}{1}\pagestyle{gnus}\pagenumbering{arabic} \gnusdimen 1pt\fi
130 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
131 \renewcommand{\gnuschaptername}{#2}
132 \thispagestyle{empty}
134 \begin{picture}(500,500)(0,0)
135 \put(480,350){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{#1}}
136 \put(40,300){\makebox(500,50)[bl]{{\Huge\bf{#2}}}}
141 \newcommand{\gnusfigure}[3]{
143 \mbox{}\ifodd\count0\hspace*{-0.8cm}\else\hspace*{-3cm}\fi\begin{picture}(440,#2)
150 \newcommand{\gnusicon}[1]{
151 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\raisebox{-1.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/#1-up,height=1.5cm}}]{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/#1-up,height=1cm}}}
154 \newcommand{\gnuspicon}[1]{
155 \margindex{\epsfig{figure=#1,width=2cm}}
158 \newcommand{\gnusxface}[2]{
159 \margindex{\epsfig{figure=#1,width=1cm}\epsfig{figure=#2,width=1cm}}
162 \newcommand{\gnussmiley}[2]{
163 \margindex{\makebox[2cm]{\hfill\epsfig{figure=#1,width=0.5cm}\hfill\epsfig{figure=#2,width=0.5cm}\hfill}}
166 \newcommand{\gnusitemx}[1]{\mbox{}\vspace*{-\itemsep}\vspace*{-\parsep}\item#1}
168 \newcommand{\gnussection}[1]{
169 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{#1}
173 \newenvironment{codelist}%
178 \newenvironment{asislist}%
183 \newenvironment{kbdlist}%
189 \newenvironment{dfnlist}%
194 \newenvironment{stronglist}%
199 \newenvironment{samplist}%
204 \newenvironment{varlist}%
209 \newenvironment{emphlist}%
214 \newlength\gnusheadtextwidth
215 \setlength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{\headtextwidth}
216 \addtolength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{1cm}
218 \newpagestyle{gnuspreamble}%
223 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\mbox{}}\textbf{\hfill\roman{page}}}
227 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\roman{page}\hfill\mbox{}}}
236 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
238 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
243 \newpagestyle{gnusindex}%
248 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\gnuschaptername\hfill\arabic{page}}}}
252 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}
260 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
262 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
272 \makebox[12cm]{\hspace*{3.1cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{chapter}.\arabic{section}} \textbf{\gnussectionname\hfill\arabic{page}}}}}
276 \makebox[12cm]{\hspace*{-2.95cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}}
284 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
286 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
291 \pagenumbering{roman}
292 \pagestyle{gnuspreamble}
303 %\addtolength{\oddsidemargin}{-5cm}
304 %\addtolength{\evensidemargin}{-5cm}
306 \addtolength{\textheight}{2cm}
308 \gnustitle{\gnustitlename}\hfill\gnusversion{\gnusversionname}\\
311 \hspace*{0cm}\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=15cm}
314 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
321 \thispagestyle{empty}
335 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
340 @setchapternewpage odd
347 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
349 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
355 @top The Gnus Newsreader
359 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
360 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
361 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
364 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
365 This manual corresponds to No Gnus v0.4.
376 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
377 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
379 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
380 being accused of plagiarism:
382 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
383 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
384 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
385 can even read news with it!
387 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
388 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
389 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
390 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
391 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
397 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
398 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
399 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
400 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
401 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
402 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
403 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
404 * Various:: General purpose settings.
405 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
406 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
407 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
408 * Key Index:: Key Index.
410 Other related manuals
412 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
413 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
414 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
415 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
416 * SASL:(sasl). @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
419 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
423 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
424 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
425 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
426 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
427 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
428 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
429 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
430 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
431 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
432 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
433 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
437 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
438 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
439 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
443 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
444 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
445 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
446 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
447 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
448 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
449 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
450 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
451 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
452 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
453 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
454 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
455 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
456 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
457 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
458 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
459 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
463 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
464 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
465 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
469 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
470 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
471 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
472 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
473 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
477 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
478 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
479 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
480 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
481 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
485 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
486 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
487 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
488 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
489 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
490 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
491 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
492 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
493 * Threading:: How threads are made.
494 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
495 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
496 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
497 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
498 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
499 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
500 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
501 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
502 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
503 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
504 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
505 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
506 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
507 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
508 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
509 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
510 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
511 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
512 or reselecting the current group.
513 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
514 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
515 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
516 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
518 Summary Buffer Format
520 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
521 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
522 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
523 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
527 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
528 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
530 Reply, Followup and Post
532 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
533 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
534 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
535 * Canceling and Superseding::
539 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
540 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
541 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
542 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
543 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
544 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
548 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
549 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
551 Customizing Threading
553 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
554 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
555 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
556 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
560 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
561 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
562 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
563 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
564 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
565 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
569 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
570 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
571 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
575 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
576 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
577 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
578 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
579 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
580 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
581 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
582 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
583 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
584 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
585 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
587 Alternative Approaches
589 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
590 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
592 Various Summary Stuff
594 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
595 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
596 * Summary Generation Commands::
597 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
601 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
602 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
603 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
604 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
605 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
609 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
610 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
611 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
612 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
613 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
614 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
615 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
616 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
617 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
621 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
622 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
623 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
624 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
625 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
626 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
627 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
628 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
629 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
633 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
634 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
635 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
636 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
637 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
638 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
639 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
643 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
644 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
648 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
649 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
650 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
651 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
655 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
656 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
657 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
658 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
659 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
660 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
661 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
662 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
663 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
664 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
665 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
666 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
667 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
671 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
672 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
673 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
675 Choosing a Mail Back End
677 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
678 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
679 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
680 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
681 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
682 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
683 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
688 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
689 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
690 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
691 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
692 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
693 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
697 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
698 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
699 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
700 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
701 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
702 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
706 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
707 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
708 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
709 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
710 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
714 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
718 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
719 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
720 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
724 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
725 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
729 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
730 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
731 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
735 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
736 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
737 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
739 The Gnus Diary Library
741 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
742 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
743 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
744 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
748 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
749 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
750 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
751 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
752 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
753 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
754 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
755 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
756 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
757 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
758 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
759 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
760 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
761 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
765 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
766 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
767 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
771 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
772 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
773 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
777 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
778 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
779 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
780 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
781 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
782 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
783 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
784 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
785 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
786 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
787 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
788 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
789 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
790 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
791 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
792 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
796 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
797 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
798 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
802 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
803 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
804 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
805 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
806 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
807 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
808 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
809 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
810 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
811 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
812 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
813 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
814 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
815 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
816 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
817 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
818 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
819 * Thwarting Email Spam:: Simple ways to avoid unsolicited commercial email.
820 * Spam Package:: A package for filtering and processing spam.
821 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
822 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
826 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
827 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
828 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
829 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
830 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
831 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
832 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
833 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
837 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
838 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
839 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were
841 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
842 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
846 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
847 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
848 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
849 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
853 * Spam Package Introduction::
854 * Filtering Incoming Mail::
855 * Detecting Spam in Groups::
856 * Spam and Ham Processors::
857 * Spam Package Configuration Examples::
859 * Extending the Spam package::
860 * Spam Statistics Package::
862 Spam Statistics Package
864 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
865 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
866 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
870 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
871 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
872 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
873 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
874 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
875 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
876 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
877 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
878 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
882 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
883 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
884 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
885 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
886 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
887 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
888 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
889 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
890 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
894 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
895 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
896 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
897 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
898 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
899 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
900 * No Gnus:: Very punny.
904 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
905 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
906 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
907 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
911 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
912 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
913 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
914 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
915 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
916 * Group Info:: The group info format.
917 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
918 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
919 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
923 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
924 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
925 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
926 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
927 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
928 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
932 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
933 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
937 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
938 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
944 @chapter Starting Gnus
947 If you are haven't used Emacs much before using Gnus, read @ref{Emacs
952 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
953 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
954 your Emacs. If not, you should customize the variable
955 @code{gnus-select-method} as described in @ref{Finding the News}. For a
956 minimal setup for posting should also customize the variables
957 @code{user-full-name} and @code{user-mail-address}.
959 @findex gnus-other-frame
960 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
961 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
962 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
964 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
965 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
966 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
968 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
969 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
972 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
973 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
974 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
975 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
976 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
977 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
978 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
979 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
980 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
981 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
985 @node Finding the News
986 @section Finding the News
989 @vindex gnus-select-method
991 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
992 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
993 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
994 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
997 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
998 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
1001 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1004 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1007 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1010 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1011 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1012 server is running Leafnode (which is a simple, standalone private news
1013 server); in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1015 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1017 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1018 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
1019 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1020 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1021 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1022 If that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1023 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1025 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1026 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1027 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1028 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1030 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1031 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1032 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1033 @acronym{NNTP} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1034 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1035 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1036 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1037 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1038 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1041 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1043 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1044 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1045 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1046 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1047 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1048 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1050 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1052 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1053 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1054 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1055 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1056 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1057 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1060 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1061 you would typically set this variable to
1064 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1067 Note: the @acronym{NNTP} back end stores marks in marks files
1068 (@pxref{NNTP marks}). This feature makes it easy to share marks between
1069 several Gnus installations, but may slow down things a bit when fetching
1070 new articles. @xref{NNTP marks}, for more information.
1073 @node The First Time
1074 @section The First Time
1075 @cindex first time usage
1077 If no startup files exist (@pxref{Startup Files}), Gnus will try to
1078 determine what groups should be subscribed by default.
1080 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1081 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1082 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1083 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1086 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1087 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1088 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1090 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1091 help you with most common problems.
1093 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1094 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1098 @node The Server is Down
1099 @section The Server is Down
1100 @cindex server errors
1102 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1103 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1104 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1106 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1107 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1108 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1109 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1110 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1111 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1112 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1114 @findex gnus-no-server
1115 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1117 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1118 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1119 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1120 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1121 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1122 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1123 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1127 @section Slave Gnusae
1130 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1131 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1132 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1133 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1135 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1136 @file{.newsrc} file.
1138 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1139 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1140 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1141 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1142 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1143 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1144 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1147 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1148 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1149 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1150 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1151 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1152 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1153 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1154 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1156 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1157 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1159 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1160 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1161 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1162 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1163 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1170 @cindex subscription
1172 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1173 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1174 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1175 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1176 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1177 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1178 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1179 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1180 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1183 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1184 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1185 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1189 @node Checking New Groups
1190 @subsection Checking New Groups
1192 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1193 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1194 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1195 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1196 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1197 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1198 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1199 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1200 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1201 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1203 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1204 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1205 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1206 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1207 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1208 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1209 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1210 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1211 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1212 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1213 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1215 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1216 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1217 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1218 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1219 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1220 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1223 @node Subscription Methods
1224 @subsection Subscription Methods
1226 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1227 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1228 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1230 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1231 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1233 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1237 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1238 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1239 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1240 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1241 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1243 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1244 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1245 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1246 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1248 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1249 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1250 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1252 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1253 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1254 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1255 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1256 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1257 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1258 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1259 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1260 up. Or something like that.
1262 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1263 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1264 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1265 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1266 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1268 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1269 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1270 Kill all new groups.
1272 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1273 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1274 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1275 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1276 topic parameter that looks like
1282 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1285 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1290 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1291 A closely related variable is
1292 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1293 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1294 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1295 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1298 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1299 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1300 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1301 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1304 @node Filtering New Groups
1305 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1307 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1308 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1309 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1312 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1315 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1316 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1317 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1318 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1319 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1320 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1321 subscribing these groups.
1322 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1323 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1325 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1326 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1327 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1328 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1329 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1330 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1331 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1332 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1334 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1335 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1336 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1337 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous,
1338 but I thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is
1339 more meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is
1340 used more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new
1341 groups that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1342 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1343 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1346 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1347 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1350 @node Changing Servers
1351 @section Changing Servers
1352 @cindex changing servers
1354 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1355 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1356 very flaky and you want to use another.
1358 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1359 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1363 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1364 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1365 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1366 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1369 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1370 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1371 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1372 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1374 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1375 @findex gnus-change-server
1376 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1377 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1378 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1379 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1380 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1382 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1383 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1384 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1385 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1386 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1388 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1389 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1390 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1391 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1392 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1393 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1395 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1396 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1397 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1398 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1400 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1401 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1402 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1403 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1404 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1405 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1406 cache for all groups).
1410 @section Startup Files
1411 @cindex startup files
1416 Most common Unix news readers use a shared startup file called
1417 @file{.newsrc}. This file contains all the information about what
1418 groups are subscribed, and which articles in these groups have been
1421 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1422 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1423 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1424 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1425 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1426 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1427 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1429 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1430 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1431 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1432 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1433 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1434 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1436 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1437 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1438 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1439 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1440 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1441 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1442 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1443 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1444 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which can be
1445 convenient if you use a different news reader occasionally, and you
1446 want to read a different subset of the available groups with that
1449 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1450 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1451 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1452 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1453 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1454 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1455 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1456 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1457 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1458 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1459 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1460 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1462 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1463 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1464 @vindex version-control
1465 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1466 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1467 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1468 If you want version control for this file, set
1469 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1470 @code{version-control} variable.
1472 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1473 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1474 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1475 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1476 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1477 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1478 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1479 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1480 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1481 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1484 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1485 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1487 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1488 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1491 @vindex gnus-init-file
1492 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1493 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1494 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus-init} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1495 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1496 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1497 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1498 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1499 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1500 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1501 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order). If Emacs was invoked with
1502 the @option{-q} or @option{--no-init-file} options (@pxref{Initial
1503 Options, ,Initial Options, emacs, The Emacs Manual}), Gnus doesn't read
1504 @code{gnus-init-file}.
1509 @cindex dribble file
1512 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1513 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1514 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1515 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1516 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1519 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1520 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1523 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1524 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1525 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1527 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1528 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1529 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1530 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1531 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1532 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1534 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1535 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1536 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1539 @node The Active File
1540 @section The Active File
1542 @cindex ignored groups
1544 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1545 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1546 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1548 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1549 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1550 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1551 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1552 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1553 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1554 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1557 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1558 @c if you set it to anything else.
1560 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1562 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1563 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1564 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1566 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1567 you actually subscribe to.
1569 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1570 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1571 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1572 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1574 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1575 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1576 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1577 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1578 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1579 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1581 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1582 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1583 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1586 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1587 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1588 @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1589 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1590 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1591 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1593 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1594 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1596 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1597 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1599 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1600 secondary select methods.
1603 @node Startup Variables
1604 @section Startup Variables
1608 @item gnus-load-hook
1609 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1610 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1611 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1612 times you start Gnus.
1614 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1615 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1616 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1618 @item gnus-startup-hook
1619 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1620 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1622 @item gnus-started-hook
1623 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1624 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1627 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1628 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1629 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1630 generating the group buffer.
1632 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1633 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1634 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1635 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1636 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1637 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1638 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1639 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1641 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1642 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1643 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1644 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1645 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1646 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1648 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1649 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1650 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1652 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1653 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1654 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1656 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1657 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1658 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1659 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1665 @chapter Group Buffer
1666 @cindex group buffer
1668 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1670 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1671 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1672 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1673 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1674 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1675 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1676 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1677 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1678 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1679 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1680 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1681 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1682 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1683 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1684 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1685 @c human rights at 9...
1688 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1689 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1690 long as Gnus is active.
1694 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1695 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1696 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1697 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1698 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1699 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1700 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1701 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1707 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1708 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1709 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1710 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1711 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1712 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1713 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1714 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1715 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1716 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1717 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1718 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1719 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1720 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1721 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1722 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1723 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1727 @node Group Buffer Format
1728 @section Group Buffer Format
1731 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1732 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1733 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1736 You can customize the Group Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
1737 customize-apropos RET gnus-group-tool-bar}. This feature is only
1740 The tool bar icons are now (de)activated correctly depending on the
1741 cursor position. Therefore, moving around in the Group Buffer is
1742 slower. You can disable this via the variable
1743 @code{gnus-group-update-tool-bar}. Its default value depends on your
1746 @node Group Line Specification
1747 @subsection Group Line Specification
1748 @cindex group buffer format
1750 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1751 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1753 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1756 25: news.announce.newusers
1757 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1762 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1763 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1764 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1765 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1767 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1768 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1769 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1770 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1771 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1772 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1774 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1776 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1777 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1778 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1779 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1780 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1782 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1783 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1784 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1786 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1791 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1794 Whether the group is subscribed.
1797 Level of subscribedness.
1800 Number of unread articles.
1803 Number of dormant articles.
1806 Number of ticked articles.
1809 Number of read articles.
1812 Number of unseen articles.
1815 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1816 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1818 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1819 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1820 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1821 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1822 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1823 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1824 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1825 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1828 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1831 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1840 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1841 comment element in the group parameters.
1844 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1845 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1846 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1850 @samp{m} if moderated.
1853 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1859 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1865 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1869 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1872 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1873 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1874 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1875 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1876 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1879 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1881 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1885 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1888 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1892 The disk space used by the articles fetched by both the cache and
1893 agent. The value is automatically scaled to bytes(B), kilobytes(K),
1894 megabytes(M), or gigabytes(G) to minimize the column width. A format
1895 of %7F is sufficient for a fixed-width column.
1898 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1899 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1900 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1901 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1902 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1903 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1908 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1909 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1910 group, or a bogus native group.
1913 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1914 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1915 @cindex group mode line
1917 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1918 The mode line can be changed by setting
1919 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1920 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1924 The native news server.
1926 The native select method.
1930 @node Group Highlighting
1931 @subsection Group Highlighting
1932 @cindex highlighting
1933 @cindex group highlighting
1935 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1936 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1937 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1938 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1939 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1941 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1945 (cond (window-system
1946 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1947 (defface my-group-face-1
1948 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1949 (defface my-group-face-2
1950 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1951 "Second group face")
1952 (defface my-group-face-3
1953 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1954 (defface my-group-face-4
1955 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1956 (defface my-group-face-5
1957 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1959 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1960 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1961 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1962 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1963 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1964 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1967 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1969 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1976 The number of unread articles in the group.
1980 Whether the group is a mail group.
1982 The level of the group.
1984 The score of the group.
1986 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1988 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1989 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1991 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1992 topic being inserted.
1995 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1996 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1997 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1999 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
2000 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
2001 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
2002 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
2003 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
2006 @node Group Maneuvering
2007 @section Group Maneuvering
2008 @cindex group movement
2010 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
2011 expected, hopefully.
2017 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
2018 Go to the next group that has unread articles
2019 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
2025 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
2026 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
2027 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2031 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2032 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2036 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2037 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2041 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2042 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2043 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2047 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2048 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2049 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2052 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2058 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2059 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2060 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2065 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2066 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2067 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2071 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2072 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2073 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2076 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2077 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2078 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2079 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2083 @node Selecting a Group
2084 @section Selecting a Group
2085 @cindex group selection
2090 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2091 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2092 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2093 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2094 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2095 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2096 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2097 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2098 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2099 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2101 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2102 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2103 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2105 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2106 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2111 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2112 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2113 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2114 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2115 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2119 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2120 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2121 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2122 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2123 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2124 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2125 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2126 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2127 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2128 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2131 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2132 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2133 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2134 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2135 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2138 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2139 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2140 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2141 doing any processing of its contents
2142 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2143 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2144 manner will have no permanent effects.
2148 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2149 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2150 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2151 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2152 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2153 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2154 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2155 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2156 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2157 most recently will be fetched.
2159 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2160 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2161 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2164 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2165 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2166 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2167 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2168 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2169 Which article this is is controlled by the
2170 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2176 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2179 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2182 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2184 @item unseen-or-unread
2185 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2186 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2190 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2194 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2195 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2197 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2198 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2199 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2200 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2204 @node Subscription Commands
2205 @section Subscription Commands
2206 @cindex subscription
2214 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2215 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2216 Toggle subscription to the current group
2217 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2223 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2224 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2225 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2226 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2232 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2233 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2234 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2240 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2241 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2244 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2245 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2246 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2247 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2248 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2254 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2255 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2259 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2260 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2263 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2264 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2265 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2266 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2267 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2268 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2269 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2270 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2271 @file{.newsrc} file.
2275 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2285 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2286 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2287 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2288 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2289 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2290 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2295 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2296 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2297 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2301 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2302 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2303 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2305 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2306 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2307 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2308 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2309 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2310 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2317 @section Group Levels
2321 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2322 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2323 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2324 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2325 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2327 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2333 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2334 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2335 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2336 prompted for a level.
2339 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2340 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2341 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2342 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2343 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2344 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2345 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2346 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2347 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2348 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2349 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2350 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2351 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2352 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2353 reasons of efficiency.
2355 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2356 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2358 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2359 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2360 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2361 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2362 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2363 groups are hidden, in a way.
2365 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2366 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2367 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2368 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2369 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2370 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2372 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2373 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2374 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2375 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2376 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2377 list of killed groups.)
2379 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2380 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2381 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2383 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2384 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2385 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2386 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2387 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2388 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2389 relevant valid ranges.
2391 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2392 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2393 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2394 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2395 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2396 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2399 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2400 one with the best level.
2402 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2403 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2404 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2407 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2408 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2409 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2410 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2413 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2414 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2415 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2416 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2418 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2419 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2420 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2421 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2422 to 5. The default is 6.
2426 @section Group Score
2431 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2432 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2433 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2436 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2437 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2438 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2439 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2440 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2441 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2442 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2443 least significant part.))
2445 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2446 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2447 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2448 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2449 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2450 action after each summary exit, you can add
2451 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2452 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2453 slow things down somewhat.
2456 @node Marking Groups
2457 @section Marking Groups
2458 @cindex marking groups
2460 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2461 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2462 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2463 bidding on those groups.
2465 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2466 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2467 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2475 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2476 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2482 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2483 Remove the mark from the current group
2484 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2488 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2489 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2493 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2494 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2498 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2499 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2503 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2504 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2505 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2508 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2510 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2511 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2512 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2513 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2514 the command to be executed.
2517 @node Foreign Groups
2518 @section Foreign Groups
2519 @cindex foreign groups
2521 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2522 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2523 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2524 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2527 Changes from the group editing commands are stored in
2528 @file{~/.newsrc.eld} (@code{gnus-startup-file}). An alternative is the
2529 variable @code{gnus-parameters}, @xref{Group Parameters}.
2535 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2536 @cindex making groups
2537 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2538 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2539 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2543 @findex gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group
2544 Make an ephemeral group (@code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group}). Gnus
2545 will prompt you for a name, a method and an @dfn{address}.
2549 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2550 @cindex renaming groups
2551 Rename the current group to something else
2552 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2553 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2559 @findex gnus-group-customize
2560 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2564 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2565 @cindex renaming groups
2566 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2567 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2571 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2572 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2573 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2577 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2578 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2579 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2583 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2585 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2586 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2591 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2592 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2596 @cindex (ding) archive
2597 @cindex archive group
2598 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2599 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2600 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2601 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2602 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2603 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2604 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2608 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2610 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2611 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2612 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2613 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2617 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2619 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2620 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2621 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2625 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2626 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2628 Make a group based on some file or other
2629 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2630 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2631 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2632 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2633 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2634 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2635 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2636 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2637 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2641 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2642 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2643 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2644 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2648 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2652 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2653 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2654 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2655 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2656 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2657 @xref{Web Searches}.
2659 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2660 to a particular group by using a match string like
2661 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2665 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2666 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2667 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL.
2671 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2672 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2673 This function will delete the current group
2674 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2675 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2676 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2677 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2678 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2682 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2683 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2684 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2688 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2689 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2690 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2693 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2696 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2697 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2698 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2699 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2700 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2701 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2705 @node Group Parameters
2706 @section Group Parameters
2707 @cindex group parameters
2709 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2710 Here's an example group parameter list:
2713 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2717 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2718 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2719 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2720 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2722 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2723 is an alist of regexps and values.
2725 The following group parameters can be used:
2730 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2733 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2736 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2737 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2738 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2739 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2740 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2742 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2743 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2744 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2745 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2746 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2747 list address instead.
2749 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2753 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2756 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2759 It is totally ignored
2760 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2761 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2763 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2764 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2765 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2766 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2767 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2769 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2770 @cindex mail list groups
2771 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2772 entering summary buffer.
2774 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2779 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2780 @findex gnus-find-subscribed-addresses
2781 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2782 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2783 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2784 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2785 headers for your posts to these lists. The second step is to put the
2786 following in your @file{.gnus.el}
2789 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
2790 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
2793 @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for
2794 a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2798 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2799 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2800 of whether it has any unread articles.
2802 This parameter cannot be set via @code{gnus-parameters}. See
2803 @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} as an alternative.
2805 @item broken-reply-to
2806 @cindex broken-reply-to
2807 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2808 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2809 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2810 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2811 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2812 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2816 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2817 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2821 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2822 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2823 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2828 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2829 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2830 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2831 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2832 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2833 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2834 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2836 @strong{Caveat}: Adding @code{(gcc-self . t)} to the parameter list of
2837 @code{nntp} groups (or the like) isn't valid. An @code{nntp} server
2838 doesn't accept articles.
2842 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2843 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2844 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2846 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2849 @cindex total-expire
2850 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2851 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2852 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2853 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2856 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2860 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2861 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2862 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2863 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2864 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2865 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2866 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2869 @cindex expiry-target
2870 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2871 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2874 @cindex score file group parameter
2875 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2876 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2877 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2880 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2881 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2882 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2883 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2886 @cindex admin-address
2887 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2888 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2889 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2890 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2894 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2895 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2899 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2902 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2903 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2906 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2910 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2912 Here are some examples:
2916 Display only unread articles.
2919 Display everything except expirable articles.
2921 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2922 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2926 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2927 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2928 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2929 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2930 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2934 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2935 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2936 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2940 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2941 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2942 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2946 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2947 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2948 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2950 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2952 @item ignored-charsets
2953 @cindex ignored-charset
2954 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2955 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2956 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2958 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2961 @cindex posting-style
2962 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2963 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2964 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2965 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2966 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2968 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2969 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2970 like this in the group parameters:
2975 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2976 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2981 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2982 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2986 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
2987 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
2988 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2989 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2990 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2994 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2995 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2996 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2997 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2999 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
3000 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
3001 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
3002 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
3005 if address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com" @{
3006 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3010 To generate tests for multiple email-addresses use a group parameter
3011 like @code{(sieve address "sender" ("name@@one.org" else@@two.org"))}.
3012 When generating a sieve script (@pxref{Sieve Commands}) Sieve code
3013 like the following is generated:
3016 if address "sender" ["name@@one.org", "else@@two.org"] @{
3017 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3021 See @pxref{Sieve Commands} for commands and variables that might be of
3022 interest in relation to the sieve parameter.
3024 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
3025 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
3027 @item (agent parameters)
3028 If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of the its parameters
3029 to control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
3030 Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
3031 agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
3032 minimize the configuration effort.
3034 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
3035 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
3036 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
3037 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
3038 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
3039 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
3040 @code{eval}ed there.
3042 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer.
3043 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
3044 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
3045 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3046 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3047 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3048 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3049 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3052 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3055 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3056 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3057 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3060 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3063 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3064 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3065 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3066 into the group parameters for the group.
3068 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function. If you want to
3069 hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put something like
3070 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group.
3071 @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the (meaningless) result of the
3074 Alternatively, since the VARIABLE becomes local to the group, this
3075 pattern can be used to temporarily change a hook. For example, if the
3076 following is added to a group parameter
3079 (gnus-summary-prepared-hook
3080 '(lambda nil (local-set-key "d" (local-key-binding "n"))))
3083 when the group is entered, the 'd' key will not mark the article as
3088 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
3089 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
3090 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
3091 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
3092 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
3094 @vindex gnus-parameters
3095 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3096 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect (For this
3097 case see @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} as an alternative.).
3101 (setq gnus-parameters
3103 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3104 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3105 (gnus-summary-line-format
3106 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3110 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3114 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3118 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3121 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3122 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3124 @vindex gnus-parameters-case-fold-search
3125 By default, whether comparing the group name and one of those regexps
3126 specified in @code{gnus-parameters} is done in a case-sensitive manner
3127 or a case-insensitive manner depends on the value of
3128 @code{case-fold-search} at the time when the comparison is done. The
3129 value of @code{case-fold-search} is typically @code{t}; it means, for
3130 example, the element @code{("INBOX\\.FOO" (total-expire . t))} might be
3131 applied to both the @samp{INBOX.FOO} group and the @samp{INBOX.foo}
3132 group. If you want to make those regexps always case-sensitive, set the
3133 value of the @code{gnus-parameters-case-fold-search} variable to
3134 @code{nil}. Otherwise, set it to @code{t} if you want to compare them
3135 always in a case-insensitive manner.
3137 You can define different sorting to different groups via
3138 @code{gnus-parameters}. Here is an example to sort an @acronym{NNTP}
3139 group by reverse date to see the latest news at the top and an
3140 @acronym{RSS} group by subject. In this example, the first group is the
3141 Debian daily news group @code{gmane.linux.debian.user.news} from
3142 news.gmane.org. The @acronym{RSS} group corresponds to the Debian
3143 weekly news RSS feed
3144 @url{http://packages.debian.org/unstable/newpkg_main.en.rdf},
3150 '(("nntp.*gmane\\.debian\\.user\\.news"
3151 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3152 (gnus-article-sort-functions '((not gnus-article-sort-by-date)))
3153 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3154 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
3156 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3157 (gnus-article-sort-functions 'gnus-article-sort-by-subject)
3158 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3159 (gnus-use-scoring t)
3160 (gnus-score-find-score-files-function 'gnus-score-find-single)
3161 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%d %I%(%[ %s %]%)\n"))))
3165 @node Listing Groups
3166 @section Listing Groups
3167 @cindex group listing
3169 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3177 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3178 List all groups that have unread articles
3179 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3180 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3181 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3182 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3189 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3190 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3191 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3192 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3193 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3194 unsubscribed groups).
3198 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3199 List all unread groups on a specific level
3200 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3201 with no unread articles.
3205 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3206 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3207 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3208 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3213 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3214 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3218 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3219 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3220 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3224 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3225 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3229 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3230 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3231 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3232 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3233 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3234 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3235 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3236 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3240 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3241 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3242 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3246 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3247 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3248 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3252 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3253 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3257 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3258 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3262 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3263 List groups limited within the current selection
3264 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3268 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3269 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3273 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3274 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3278 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3279 @cindex visible group parameter
3280 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3281 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3282 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3283 get the same effect.
3285 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3286 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3287 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3288 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3289 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3292 @node Sorting Groups
3293 @section Sorting Groups
3294 @cindex sorting groups
3296 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3297 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3298 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3299 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3300 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3301 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3306 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3307 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3308 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3310 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3311 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3312 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3314 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3315 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3316 Sort by group level.
3318 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3319 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3320 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3322 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3323 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3324 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3325 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3327 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3328 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3329 Sort by number of unread articles.
3331 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3332 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3333 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3335 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3336 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3337 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3342 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3343 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3347 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3348 some sorting criteria:
3352 @kindex G S a (Group)
3353 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3354 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3355 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3358 @kindex G S u (Group)
3359 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3360 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3361 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3364 @kindex G S l (Group)
3365 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3366 Sort the group buffer by group level
3367 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3370 @kindex G S v (Group)
3371 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3372 Sort the group buffer by group score
3373 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3376 @kindex G S r (Group)
3377 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3378 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3379 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3382 @kindex G S m (Group)
3383 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3384 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3385 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3388 @kindex G S n (Group)
3389 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3390 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3391 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3395 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3396 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3398 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3399 commands will sort in reverse order.
3401 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3405 @kindex G P a (Group)
3406 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3407 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3408 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3411 @kindex G P u (Group)
3412 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3413 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3414 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3417 @kindex G P l (Group)
3418 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3419 Sort the groups by group level
3420 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3423 @kindex G P v (Group)
3424 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3425 Sort the groups by group score
3426 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3429 @kindex G P r (Group)
3430 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3431 Sort the groups by group rank
3432 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3435 @kindex G P m (Group)
3436 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3437 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3438 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3441 @kindex G P n (Group)
3442 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3443 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3444 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3447 @kindex G P s (Group)
3448 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3449 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3453 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3457 @node Group Maintenance
3458 @section Group Maintenance
3459 @cindex bogus groups
3464 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3465 Find bogus groups and delete them
3466 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3470 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3471 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3472 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3473 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3474 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3478 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3479 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3480 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3481 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3482 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3483 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3486 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3487 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3488 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3489 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3494 @node Browse Foreign Server
3495 @section Browse Foreign Server
3496 @cindex foreign servers
3497 @cindex browsing servers
3502 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3503 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3504 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3505 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3508 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3509 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3510 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3511 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3513 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3518 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3519 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3523 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3524 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3527 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3528 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3529 Enter the current group and display the first article
3530 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3533 @kindex RET (Browse)
3534 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3535 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3539 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3540 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3541 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3547 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3548 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3552 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3553 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3557 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3558 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3559 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3564 @section Exiting Gnus
3565 @cindex exiting Gnus
3567 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3572 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3573 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3574 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3575 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3579 @findex gnus-group-exit
3580 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3581 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3585 @findex gnus-group-quit
3586 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3587 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3590 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3591 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3592 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3593 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3594 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3595 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3601 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3602 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3603 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3609 @section Group Topics
3612 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3613 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3614 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3615 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3616 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3617 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3621 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3622 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3633 2: alt.religion.emacs
3636 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3638 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3639 13: comp.sources.unix
3642 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3644 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3645 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3646 is a toggling command.)
3648 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3649 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3650 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3651 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3654 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3655 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3656 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3659 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3663 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3664 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3665 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3666 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3667 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3671 @node Topic Commands
3672 @subsection Topic Commands
3673 @cindex topic commands
3675 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3676 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3677 definitions slightly.
3679 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3680 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3681 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3682 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3683 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3684 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3686 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3693 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3694 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3695 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3699 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3701 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3702 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3703 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3704 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3707 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3708 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3709 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3710 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3714 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3715 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3716 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3717 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3723 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3724 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3725 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3729 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3730 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3731 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3734 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3735 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3736 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3737 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3738 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3740 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3741 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3745 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3746 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3753 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3755 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3756 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3757 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3758 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3759 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3760 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3764 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3770 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3771 Move the current group to some other topic
3772 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3773 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3777 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3778 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3782 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3783 Copy the current group to some other topic
3784 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3785 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3789 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3790 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3791 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3795 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3796 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3797 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3801 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3802 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3803 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3804 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3805 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3806 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3807 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3810 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3811 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3815 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3816 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3817 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3821 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3822 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3823 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3827 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3828 Toggle hiding empty topics
3829 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3833 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3834 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3835 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3836 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3839 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3840 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3841 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3842 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3843 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3846 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3847 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3848 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3849 expiry process (if any)
3850 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3854 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3855 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3858 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3859 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3860 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3864 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3865 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3866 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3869 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3870 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3871 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3874 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3875 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3876 Go to the previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3880 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3881 @cindex group parameters
3882 @cindex topic parameters
3884 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3885 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3890 @node Topic Variables
3891 @subsection Topic Variables
3892 @cindex topic variables
3894 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3895 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3897 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3898 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3899 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3912 Number of groups in the topic.
3914 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3916 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3919 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3920 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3921 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3924 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3925 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3927 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3928 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3929 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3933 @subsection Topic Sorting
3934 @cindex topic sorting
3936 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3942 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3943 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3944 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3945 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3948 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3949 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3950 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3951 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3954 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3955 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3956 Sort the current topic by group level
3957 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3960 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3961 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3962 Sort the current topic by group score
3963 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3966 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3967 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3968 Sort the current topic by group rank
3969 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3972 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3973 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3974 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3975 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3978 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3979 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3980 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3981 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3984 @kindex T S s (Topic)
3985 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3986 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3987 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3988 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3992 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3993 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3997 @node Topic Topology
3998 @subsection Topic Topology
3999 @cindex topic topology
4002 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
4009 2: alt.religion.emacs
4012 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4014 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4015 13: comp.sources.unix
4019 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
4020 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
4021 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
4026 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
4027 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
4031 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
4032 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
4033 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
4034 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
4035 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
4036 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
4038 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
4039 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
4040 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
4043 @node Topic Parameters
4044 @subsection Topic Parameters
4045 @cindex topic parameters
4047 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent
4048 (and ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid
4049 topic parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}). When the agent is
4050 enabled, all agent parameters (See Agent Parameters in @ref{Category
4051 Syntax}) are also valid topic parameters.
4053 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
4058 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
4059 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
4060 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
4063 @item subscribe-level
4064 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
4065 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
4066 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
4070 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
4071 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
4072 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
4073 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
4080 2: alt.religion.emacs
4084 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4086 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4087 13: comp.sources.unix
4092 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4093 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4094 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4095 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4096 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4097 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4099 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4100 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4101 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4102 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4103 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4105 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4106 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4107 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4108 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4109 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4110 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4111 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4112 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4115 @node Misc Group Stuff
4116 @section Misc Group Stuff
4119 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
4120 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
4121 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
4122 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
4123 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
4130 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Group)
4131 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it key to some
4132 function or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
4135 (define-key gnus-group-mode-map (kbd "v j d")
4138 (gnus-group-jump-to-group "nndraft:drafts")))
4141 On keys reserved for users in Emacs and on keybindings in general
4142 @xref{Keymaps, Keymaps, , emacs, The Emacs Editor}.
4146 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
4147 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
4148 @xref{Server Buffer}.
4152 @findex gnus-group-post-news
4153 Start composing a message (a news by default)
4154 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
4155 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
4156 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
4157 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
4158 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4162 @findex gnus-group-mail
4163 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
4164 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
4165 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4166 @xref{Composing Messages}.
4170 @findex gnus-group-news
4171 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
4172 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
4173 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4175 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4176 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4177 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4178 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4179 for this to work though.
4183 Variables for the group buffer:
4187 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4188 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4189 is called after the group buffer has been
4192 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4193 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4194 is called after the group buffer is
4195 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4198 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4199 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4200 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4201 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4203 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4204 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4205 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4206 whether they are empty or not.
4208 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4209 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4210 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4211 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4215 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4216 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4219 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4220 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4221 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4222 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4223 is used to show non-@acronym{ASCII} group names. @code{((".*"
4224 utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the
4225 default is @code{nil}.
4229 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4230 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4235 @node Scanning New Messages
4236 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4237 @cindex new messages
4238 @cindex scanning new news
4244 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4245 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4246 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4247 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4248 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4249 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4254 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4255 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4256 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4257 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4258 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4259 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4260 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4262 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4263 @cindex activating groups
4265 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4266 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4271 @findex gnus-group-restart
4272 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4273 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4274 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
4278 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4279 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4281 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4282 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4286 @node Group Information
4287 @subsection Group Information
4288 @cindex group information
4289 @cindex information on groups
4296 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4297 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4300 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
4301 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
4302 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
4303 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
4304 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4305 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
4306 used for fetching the file.
4308 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
4309 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4313 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4314 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4316 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4317 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4320 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4321 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4322 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4326 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4327 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4328 @cindex control message
4329 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4330 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4331 group if given a prefix argument.
4333 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4334 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4335 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4336 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4338 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4339 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
4340 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
4344 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4346 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4347 @cindex describing groups
4348 @cindex group description
4349 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4350 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4351 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4355 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4356 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4357 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4364 @findex gnus-version
4365 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4369 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4370 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4373 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4376 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4377 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4381 @node Group Timestamp
4382 @subsection Group Timestamp
4384 @cindex group timestamps
4386 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4387 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4388 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4391 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4394 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4396 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4397 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4400 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4401 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4404 This will result in lines looking like:
4407 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4408 0: custom 19961002T012713
4411 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4412 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4416 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4417 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4420 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4421 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4425 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4426 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4427 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4428 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4430 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4436 @subsection File Commands
4437 @cindex file commands
4443 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4444 @vindex gnus-init-file
4445 @cindex reading init file
4446 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4447 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4451 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4452 @cindex saving .newsrc
4453 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4454 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4455 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4458 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4459 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4460 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4465 @node Sieve Commands
4466 @subsection Sieve Commands
4467 @cindex group sieve commands
4469 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4470 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4471 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4472 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4473 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4475 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4476 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4477 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4478 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4479 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4480 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4481 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4482 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4483 regenerate the Sieve script.
4485 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4486 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4487 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4488 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4489 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4490 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4491 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4492 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4493 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4494 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4497 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4498 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4503 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4509 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4510 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4511 @cindex generating sieve script
4512 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4513 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4517 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4518 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4519 @cindex updating sieve script
4520 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4521 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4522 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4527 @node Summary Buffer
4528 @chapter Summary Buffer
4529 @cindex summary buffer
4531 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4532 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4534 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4535 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4537 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4539 You can customize the Summary Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
4540 customize-apropos RET gnus-summary-tool-bar}. This feature is only
4544 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Summary)
4545 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it key to some
4546 function or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
4548 (define-key gnus-summary-mode-map (kbd "v -") "LrS") ;; lower subthread
4552 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4553 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4554 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4555 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4556 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4557 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4558 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4559 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4560 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4561 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4562 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4563 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4564 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4565 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4566 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4567 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4568 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4569 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4570 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4571 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4572 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4573 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4574 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4575 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4576 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4577 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4578 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4579 or reselecting the current group.
4580 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4581 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4582 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4583 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4587 @node Summary Buffer Format
4588 @section Summary Buffer Format
4589 @cindex summary buffer format
4593 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4594 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4595 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4601 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4602 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4603 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4604 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4607 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4608 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4609 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4610 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4611 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4612 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4613 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4614 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4615 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4616 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4617 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4620 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4621 'mail-extract-address-components)
4624 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4625 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4626 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4627 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4630 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4631 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4633 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4634 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4635 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4636 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4637 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4639 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4640 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4641 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4642 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4643 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4644 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4646 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4648 The following format specification characters and extended format
4649 specification(s) are understood:
4655 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4656 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4658 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4659 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4660 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4662 Full @code{From} header.
4664 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4666 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4669 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4670 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4671 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4672 may be more thorough.
4674 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4677 Number of lines in the article.
4679 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4680 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4682 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4683 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4685 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4687 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4688 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4701 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4702 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4703 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
4704 line-drawing glyphs.
4706 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4707 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4708 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4709 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4711 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4712 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4713 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
4714 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4716 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4717 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4718 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4719 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4721 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4722 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4723 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4725 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4726 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4727 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4729 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4730 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4731 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4733 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4734 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4735 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4740 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4741 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4743 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4744 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4746 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4747 for adopted articles.
4749 One space for each thread level.
4751 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4753 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4756 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4757 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4758 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4761 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4763 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4764 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4765 default level. If the difference between
4766 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4767 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4775 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4777 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4783 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4784 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4786 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4787 article has any children.
4793 Desired cursor position (instead of after first colon).
4795 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4796 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4798 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4799 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4800 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
4801 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4802 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4803 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4806 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4807 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4808 There can only be one such area.
4810 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4811 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4812 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4813 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4814 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4815 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4817 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4818 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4820 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4823 @node To From Newsgroups
4824 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4828 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4829 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4830 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4831 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4832 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4836 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4837 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4838 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4842 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4843 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4846 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4847 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4850 @findex gnus-extra-header
4851 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4852 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4853 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4856 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4860 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4861 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4862 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4863 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4864 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4865 headers are used instead.
4867 To distinguish regular articles from those where the @code{From} field
4868 has been swapped, a string is prefixed to the @code{To} or
4869 @code{Newsgroups} header in the summary line. By default the string is
4870 @samp{-> } for @code{To} and @samp{=> } for @code{Newsgroups}, you can
4871 customize these strings with @code{gnus-summary-to-prefix} and
4872 @code{gnus-summary-newsgroup-prefix}.
4876 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4877 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4878 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
4879 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
4880 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
4881 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
4884 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4885 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4886 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4887 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4889 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4893 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4895 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4896 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4897 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4898 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4902 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4905 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4906 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4909 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4910 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4911 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4917 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4918 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4921 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4922 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4924 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4925 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4926 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4927 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4929 Here are the elements you can play with:
4935 Unprefixed group name.
4937 Current article number.
4939 Current article score.
4943 Number of unread articles in this group.
4945 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4948 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4949 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4950 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4951 and no unselected ones.
4953 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4954 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4956 Subject of the current article.
4958 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4960 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4962 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4964 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4966 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4968 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4972 @node Summary Highlighting
4973 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4977 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4978 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4979 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4980 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4981 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4983 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4984 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4985 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4986 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4988 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4989 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4990 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4991 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4993 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4994 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4995 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4996 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4997 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4998 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
5001 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
5002 ((> score default) . bold))
5004 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
5005 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
5009 @node Summary Maneuvering
5010 @section Summary Maneuvering
5011 @cindex summary movement
5013 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
5014 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
5016 None of these commands select articles.
5021 @kindex M-n (Summary)
5022 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
5023 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
5024 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
5025 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
5029 @kindex M-p (Summary)
5030 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
5031 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
5032 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
5033 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
5036 @kindex G g (Summary)
5037 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
5038 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
5039 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
5042 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
5043 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
5044 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
5045 to the group buffer.
5047 Variables related to summary movement:
5051 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
5052 @item gnus-auto-select-next
5053 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
5054 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
5055 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
5056 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
5057 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
5058 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
5059 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
5060 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
5061 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
5062 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
5063 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
5064 @pxref{Group Levels}.
5066 @item gnus-auto-select-same
5067 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
5068 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
5069 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
5070 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
5071 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
5072 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
5074 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
5076 @item gnus-summary-check-current
5077 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
5078 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
5079 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
5080 Instead, they will choose the current article.
5082 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
5083 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
5084 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
5085 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
5086 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
5087 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
5088 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
5089 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
5092 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
5093 the given number of lines from the top.
5098 @node Choosing Articles
5099 @section Choosing Articles
5100 @cindex selecting articles
5103 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
5104 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
5108 @node Choosing Commands
5109 @subsection Choosing Commands
5111 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
5112 and they all select and display an article.
5114 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
5115 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
5119 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5120 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5121 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
5122 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5124 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
5125 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
5126 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
5131 @kindex G n (Summary)
5132 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
5133 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
5134 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
5139 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
5140 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
5141 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
5146 @kindex G N (Summary)
5147 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
5148 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
5153 @kindex G P (Summary)
5154 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
5155 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
5158 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
5159 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
5160 Go to the next article with the same subject
5161 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
5164 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
5165 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
5166 Go to the previous article with the same subject
5167 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
5171 @kindex G f (Summary)
5173 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
5174 Go to the first unread article
5175 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
5179 @kindex G b (Summary)
5181 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
5182 Go to the unread article with the highest score
5183 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
5184 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
5189 @kindex G l (Summary)
5190 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
5191 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
5194 @kindex G o (Summary)
5195 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
5197 @cindex article history
5198 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
5199 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
5200 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5201 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5202 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5203 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5208 @kindex G j (Summary)
5209 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5210 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5211 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5216 @node Choosing Variables
5217 @subsection Choosing Variables
5219 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5222 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5223 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5224 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5225 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5226 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5227 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5229 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5230 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5231 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. The default is
5232 @code{nil}. If you would like each article to be saved in the Agent as
5233 you read it, putting @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this
5236 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5237 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5238 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5239 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5240 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5241 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5242 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5243 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5244 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-read-mark}. The only
5245 articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5246 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5247 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5248 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5249 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5254 @node Paging the Article
5255 @section Scrolling the Article
5256 @cindex article scrolling
5261 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5262 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5263 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5264 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5265 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5267 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5268 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5269 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5270 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5271 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5272 what is considered uninteresting with
5273 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5274 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5277 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5278 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5279 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5282 @kindex RET (Summary)
5283 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5284 Scroll the current article one line forward
5285 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5288 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5289 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5290 Scroll the current article one line backward
5291 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5295 @kindex A g (Summary)
5297 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5298 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5299 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5300 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5301 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5302 the way it came from the server.
5304 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5305 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5306 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5309 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5314 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5319 @kindex A < (Summary)
5320 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5321 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5322 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5327 @kindex A > (Summary)
5328 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5329 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5333 @kindex A s (Summary)
5335 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5336 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5337 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5341 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5342 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5347 @node Reply Followup and Post
5348 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5351 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5352 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5353 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5354 * Canceling and Superseding::
5358 @node Summary Mail Commands
5359 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5361 @cindex composing mail
5363 Commands for composing a mail message:
5369 @kindex S r (Summary)
5371 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5372 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5373 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5374 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5375 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5380 @kindex S R (Summary)
5381 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5382 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5383 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5384 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5385 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5388 @kindex S w (Summary)
5389 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5390 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5391 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5392 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5393 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
5394 present, that's used instead.
5397 @kindex S W (Summary)
5398 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5399 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5400 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5401 the process/prefix convention.
5404 @kindex S v (Summary)
5405 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5406 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5407 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5408 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5409 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5410 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5413 @kindex S V (Summary)
5414 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5415 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5416 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5417 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5420 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5421 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5422 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5423 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5424 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
5425 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
5426 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
5427 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
5430 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5431 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5432 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5433 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5434 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5438 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5439 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5440 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5441 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5442 Forward the current article to some other person
5443 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
5444 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
5445 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5446 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5447 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5448 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5449 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5450 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5451 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME}
5457 @kindex S m (Summary)
5458 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5459 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5460 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5461 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5462 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5467 @kindex S i (Summary)
5468 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5469 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5470 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5471 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5473 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5474 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5475 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5476 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5477 for this to work though.
5480 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5481 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5482 @cindex bouncing mail
5483 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5484 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5485 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5486 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5487 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5488 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5489 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5490 very well fail, though.
5493 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5494 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5495 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5496 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5497 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5498 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5499 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5500 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5501 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5502 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5504 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5505 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5506 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5507 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5508 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5510 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5511 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5514 @kindex S D e (Summary)
5515 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message-edit
5517 Like the previous command, but will allow you to edit the message as
5518 if it were a new message before resending.
5521 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5522 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5523 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5524 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5525 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5528 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5529 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5530 @cindex crossposting
5531 @cindex excessive crossposting
5532 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5533 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5535 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5536 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5537 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5538 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5539 command understands the process/prefix convention
5540 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5544 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5545 Manual}, for more information.
5548 @node Summary Post Commands
5549 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5551 @cindex composing news
5553 Commands for posting a news article:
5559 @kindex S p (Summary)
5560 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5561 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5562 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5563 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5564 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5569 @kindex S f (Summary)
5570 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5571 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5572 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5576 @kindex S F (Summary)
5578 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5579 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5580 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5581 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5582 process/prefix convention.
5585 @kindex S n (Summary)
5586 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5587 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5588 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5591 @kindex S N (Summary)
5592 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5593 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5594 message through mail and include the original message
5595 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5596 the process/prefix convention.
5599 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5600 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5601 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5602 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5603 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5604 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5605 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5606 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5607 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5608 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5609 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5610 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5611 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section.
5614 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5615 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5617 @cindex making digests
5618 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5619 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5620 process/prefix convention.
5623 @kindex S u (Summary)
5624 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5625 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5626 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5627 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5630 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5631 Manual}, for more information.
5634 @node Summary Message Commands
5635 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5639 @kindex S y (Summary)
5640 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5641 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5642 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5643 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5644 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5649 @node Canceling and Superseding
5650 @subsection Canceling Articles
5651 @cindex canceling articles
5652 @cindex superseding articles
5654 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5655 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5657 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5659 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5661 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5662 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5663 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5664 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5665 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5666 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5668 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5669 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5672 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5673 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5674 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5676 Gnus ensures that only you can cancel your own messages using a
5677 @code{Cancel-Lock} header (@pxref{Canceling News, Canceling News, ,
5678 message, Message Manual}).
5680 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5681 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5682 your original article.
5684 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5686 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5687 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5688 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5691 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5692 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5693 have posted almost the same article twice.
5695 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5696 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5697 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5698 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5699 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5700 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5701 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5702 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5703 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5704 canceled/superseded.
5706 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5708 @node Delayed Articles
5709 @section Delayed Articles
5710 @cindex delayed sending
5711 @cindex send delayed
5713 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5714 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5715 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5716 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5719 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5722 @findex gnus-delay-article
5723 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5724 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5725 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5726 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5730 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5731 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5732 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5733 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5736 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5737 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5738 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5741 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5742 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5743 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5744 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5745 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5746 that means a time tomorrow.
5749 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5750 couple of variables:
5753 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5754 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5755 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5756 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5758 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5759 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5760 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5761 formats described above.
5763 @item gnus-delay-group
5764 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5765 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5766 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5767 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5769 @item gnus-delay-header
5770 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5771 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5772 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5773 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5776 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5777 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5778 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5779 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5780 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5782 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5783 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5784 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5785 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5786 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5787 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5788 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5791 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5792 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5793 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5794 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5795 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5796 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5797 argument is ignored.
5799 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5800 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5801 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5805 @node Marking Articles
5806 @section Marking Articles
5807 @cindex article marking
5808 @cindex article ticking
5811 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5813 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5814 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5815 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5817 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5820 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks.
5824 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5825 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5826 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5827 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5828 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5829 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5833 @node Unread Articles
5834 @subsection Unread Articles
5836 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5841 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5842 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5844 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5845 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5846 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5847 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5848 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5849 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5850 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5853 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5854 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5856 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5857 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5858 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5859 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5863 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5864 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5866 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5871 @subsection Read Articles
5872 @cindex expirable mark
5874 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5879 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5880 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5881 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5884 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5885 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5888 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5889 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5890 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5893 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5894 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5897 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5898 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5901 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5902 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5905 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5906 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5909 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5910 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5913 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5914 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5917 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5918 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5922 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5923 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5924 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5928 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5929 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5931 One more special mark, though:
5935 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5936 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5938 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5939 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5940 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5941 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5947 @subsection Other Marks
5948 @cindex process mark
5951 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5957 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5958 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5959 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5960 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5961 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5964 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5965 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5966 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5967 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5970 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5971 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5972 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5975 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5976 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5977 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5980 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5981 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5982 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5983 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5986 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5987 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5988 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5989 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5990 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5991 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5994 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5995 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5996 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5997 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
6000 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
6001 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
6002 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
6003 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
6004 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
6008 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
6009 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
6010 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
6011 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
6012 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
6013 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
6016 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
6017 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
6018 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
6019 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
6020 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
6021 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
6025 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
6026 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
6027 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
6028 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
6029 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
6032 @vindex gnus-process-mark
6033 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
6034 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
6035 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
6036 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
6037 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
6041 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
6042 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
6043 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
6045 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
6046 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
6047 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
6051 @subsection Setting Marks
6052 @cindex setting marks
6054 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
6059 @kindex M c (Summary)
6060 @kindex M-u (Summary)
6061 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
6062 @cindex mark as unread
6063 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
6064 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
6070 @kindex M t (Summary)
6071 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
6072 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
6073 @xref{Article Caching}.
6078 @kindex M ? (Summary)
6079 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
6080 Mark the current article as dormant
6081 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
6085 @kindex M d (Summary)
6087 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
6088 Mark the current article as read
6089 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
6093 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
6094 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
6095 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
6100 @kindex M k (Summary)
6101 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
6102 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
6103 and then select the next unread article
6104 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
6108 @kindex M K (Summary)
6109 @kindex C-k (Summary)
6110 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
6111 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
6112 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
6115 @kindex M C (Summary)
6116 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
6117 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
6118 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
6121 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
6122 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
6123 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
6124 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
6127 @kindex M H (Summary)
6128 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
6129 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
6130 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
6133 @kindex M h (Summary)
6134 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
6135 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
6136 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
6139 @kindex C-w (Summary)
6140 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
6141 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
6142 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
6145 @kindex M V k (Summary)
6146 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
6147 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
6148 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
6152 @kindex M e (Summary)
6154 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
6155 Mark the current article as expirable
6156 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
6159 @kindex M b (Summary)
6160 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
6161 Set a bookmark in the current article
6162 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
6165 @kindex M B (Summary)
6166 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
6167 Remove the bookmark from the current article
6168 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
6171 @kindex M V c (Summary)
6172 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
6173 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
6174 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6177 @kindex M V u (Summary)
6178 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
6179 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
6180 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
6183 @kindex M V m (Summary)
6184 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
6185 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
6186 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
6187 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6190 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
6191 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
6192 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
6193 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
6194 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
6195 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
6196 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
6197 The default is @code{t}.
6200 @node Generic Marking Commands
6201 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
6203 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
6204 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
6205 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
6206 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
6207 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
6210 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
6211 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
6214 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
6215 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
6216 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
6217 to list in this manual.
6219 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6220 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6221 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6222 article, you could say something like:
6226 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6227 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6228 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6236 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6237 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6241 @node Setting Process Marks
6242 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6243 @cindex setting process marks
6245 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6246 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6247 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6248 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6249 commands into the cache. For more information,
6250 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6257 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6258 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6259 Mark the current article with the process mark
6260 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6261 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6265 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6266 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6267 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6268 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6271 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6272 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6273 Remove the process mark from all articles
6274 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6277 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6278 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6279 Invert the list of process marked articles
6280 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6283 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6284 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6285 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6286 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6289 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6290 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6291 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6292 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6295 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6296 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6297 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6300 @kindex M P g (Summary)
6301 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6302 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6305 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6306 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6307 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6308 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6311 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6312 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6313 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6314 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6317 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6318 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6319 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6320 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6323 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6324 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6325 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6328 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6329 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6330 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6331 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6334 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6335 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6336 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}).
6339 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6340 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6341 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6342 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6345 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6346 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6347 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6348 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6351 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6352 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6353 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6354 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6357 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6358 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6359 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6360 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6364 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
6365 set process marks based on article body contents.
6372 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6373 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6374 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6377 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6378 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6379 additional articles.
6385 @kindex / / (Summary)
6386 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6387 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6388 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6392 @kindex / a (Summary)
6393 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6394 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6395 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6399 @kindex / R (Summary)
6400 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient
6401 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some recipient
6402 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient}). If given a prefix, exclude
6406 @kindex / x (Summary)
6407 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6408 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6409 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6410 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6415 @kindex / u (Summary)
6417 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6418 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6419 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6420 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6421 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6424 @kindex / m (Summary)
6425 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6426 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6427 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6430 @kindex / t (Summary)
6431 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6432 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6433 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6434 articles younger than that number of days.
6437 @kindex / n (Summary)
6438 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6439 With prefix @samp{n}, limit the summary buffer to the next @samp{n}
6440 articles. If not given a prefix, use the process marked articles
6441 instead. (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}).
6444 @kindex / w (Summary)
6445 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6446 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6447 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6451 @kindex / . (Summary)
6452 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6453 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6454 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6457 @kindex / v (Summary)
6458 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6459 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6460 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6463 @kindex / p (Summary)
6464 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6465 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6466 group parameter predicate
6467 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
6468 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
6471 @kindex / r (Summary)
6472 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-replied
6473 Limit the summary buffer to replied articles
6474 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-replied}). If given a prefix, exclude
6479 @kindex M S (Summary)
6480 @kindex / E (Summary)
6481 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6482 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6483 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6486 @kindex / D (Summary)
6487 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6488 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6489 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6492 @kindex / * (Summary)
6493 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6494 Include all cached articles in the limit
6495 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6498 @kindex / d (Summary)
6499 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6500 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6501 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6504 @kindex / M (Summary)
6505 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6506 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6509 @kindex / T (Summary)
6510 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6511 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6514 @kindex / c (Summary)
6515 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6516 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
6517 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6520 @kindex / C (Summary)
6521 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6522 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6523 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6524 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6527 @kindex / N (Summary)
6528 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6529 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6530 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6533 @kindex / o (Summary)
6534 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6535 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6536 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6539 @kindex / b (Summary)
6540 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-bodies
6541 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have bodies that match a
6542 certain regexp (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-bodies}). If given a
6543 prefix, reverse the limit. This command is quite slow since it
6544 requires selecting each article to find the matches.
6547 @kindex / h (Summary)
6548 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-headers
6549 Like the previous command, only limit to headers instead
6550 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-headers}).
6558 @cindex article threading
6560 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6561 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6562 hierarchical fashion.
6564 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6565 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6566 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6567 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6568 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6569 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6570 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
6572 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6576 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6579 A tree-like article structure.
6582 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6585 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6586 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6587 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6588 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6589 called loose threads.
6591 @item thread gathering
6592 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6594 @item sparse threads
6595 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6596 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6602 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6603 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6607 @node Customizing Threading
6608 @subsection Customizing Threading
6609 @cindex customizing threading
6612 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6613 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6614 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6615 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6620 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6623 @cindex loose threads
6626 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6627 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6628 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6629 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6630 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6631 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6633 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6634 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6635 There are four possible values:
6639 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6640 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6641 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6642 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6643 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6648 @cindex adopting articles
6653 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6654 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6655 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6656 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6659 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6660 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6661 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6662 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6663 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6664 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6665 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6666 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6667 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6668 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6671 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6672 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6673 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6677 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6678 display them after one another.
6681 Don't gather loose threads.
6684 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6685 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6686 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6687 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6688 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6689 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6690 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6691 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6692 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6693 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6694 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6696 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6697 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6698 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6701 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6702 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6703 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6704 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6705 simplification is used.
6707 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6708 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6709 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6710 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6712 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6714 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6720 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6721 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6722 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6723 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6728 (mapconcat 'identity
6729 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6731 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6734 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6737 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6738 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6739 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6740 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6741 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6742 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6744 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6747 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6748 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6749 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6751 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6752 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6755 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6756 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6757 Remove excessive whitespace.
6759 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6760 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6761 Remove all whitespace.
6764 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6767 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6768 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6769 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6770 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6771 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6772 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6773 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6774 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6776 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6777 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6778 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6779 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6780 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6781 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6782 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6783 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6784 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6788 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6789 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6790 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6791 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6793 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6794 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6795 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6798 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6802 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6803 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6809 @node Filling In Threads
6810 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6813 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6814 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6815 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6816 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
6817 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
6818 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
6819 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
6820 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
6821 old headers only works if the back end you are using carries overview
6822 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6823 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6824 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can
6827 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6828 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6829 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6831 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6832 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6833 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
6836 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6837 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6838 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6839 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6840 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6841 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6842 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6843 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6844 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6845 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6846 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6847 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6848 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6849 @code{nil} by default.
6851 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6852 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6853 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6854 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6855 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6856 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6857 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6859 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6860 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6861 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6866 @node More Threading
6867 @subsubsection More Threading
6870 @item gnus-show-threads
6871 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6872 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6873 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6874 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6875 slower and more awkward.
6877 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6878 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6879 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6882 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6883 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6884 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
6889 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6890 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6891 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6894 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6895 unread, but you get my drift.)
6898 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6899 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6900 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6901 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6902 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6903 threads are expunged.
6905 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6906 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6907 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6910 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6911 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6912 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6913 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6914 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6915 result in a new thread.
6917 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6918 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6919 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6922 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6923 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6924 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6925 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6926 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6927 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6928 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6929 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6930 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6931 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6932 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6937 @node Low-Level Threading
6938 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6942 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6943 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6944 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6946 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6947 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6948 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6949 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6950 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6951 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6952 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6953 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6954 meaningful. Here's one example:
6957 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6959 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6960 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6962 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6964 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6971 @node Thread Commands
6972 @subsection Thread Commands
6973 @cindex thread commands
6979 @kindex T k (Summary)
6980 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6981 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6982 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6983 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6984 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6989 @kindex T l (Summary)
6990 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6991 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6992 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6993 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6996 @kindex T i (Summary)
6997 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6998 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6999 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
7002 @kindex T # (Summary)
7003 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
7004 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
7005 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
7008 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
7009 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
7010 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
7011 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
7014 @kindex T T (Summary)
7015 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
7016 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
7019 @kindex T s (Summary)
7020 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
7021 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
7022 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
7025 @kindex T h (Summary)
7026 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
7027 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
7030 @kindex T S (Summary)
7031 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
7032 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
7035 @kindex T H (Summary)
7036 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
7037 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
7040 @kindex T t (Summary)
7041 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
7042 Re-thread the current article's thread
7043 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
7044 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
7047 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
7048 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
7049 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
7050 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
7053 @kindex T M-^ (Summary)
7054 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-children
7055 Make the current article the parent of the marked articles
7056 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-children}).
7060 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
7061 understand the numeric prefix.
7066 @kindex T n (Summary)
7068 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
7070 @kindex M-down (Summary)
7071 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
7072 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
7075 @kindex T p (Summary)
7077 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
7079 @kindex M-up (Summary)
7080 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
7081 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
7084 @kindex T d (Summary)
7085 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
7086 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
7089 @kindex T u (Summary)
7090 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
7091 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
7094 @kindex T o (Summary)
7095 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
7096 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
7099 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
7100 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
7101 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
7102 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
7103 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
7104 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
7105 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
7106 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
7107 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
7108 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
7109 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
7110 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
7114 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
7115 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
7117 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
7118 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
7119 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date-reverse
7120 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
7121 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7122 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
7123 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient
7124 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7125 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
7126 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
7127 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
7128 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
7129 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
7130 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
7131 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
7132 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
7134 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
7135 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
7136 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient},
7137 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
7138 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date-reverse},
7139 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
7140 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
7141 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
7142 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
7143 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
7145 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
7146 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
7147 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
7149 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
7150 last function in the list. You should probably always include
7151 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
7152 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
7153 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
7154 ascending article order.
7156 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
7157 by number, you could do something like:
7160 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7161 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7162 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7163 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
7166 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
7167 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
7168 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
7169 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
7170 which the articles arrived.
7172 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
7176 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7177 '((not gnus-thread-sort-by-number)
7178 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
7181 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
7182 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
7183 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
7184 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
7187 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
7188 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
7189 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
7190 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
7191 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
7192 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
7193 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
7194 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
7195 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
7196 variable. It is very similar to the
7197 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
7198 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
7199 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
7200 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
7201 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
7202 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
7203 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
7205 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
7209 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
7210 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
7211 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
7214 You can define group specific sorting via @code{gnus-parameters},
7215 @xref{Group Parameters}.
7218 @node Asynchronous Fetching
7219 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
7220 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
7221 @cindex article pre-fetch
7224 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
7225 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
7226 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
7227 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
7228 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
7230 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
7231 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
7233 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
7234 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
7235 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
7236 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
7237 connection is blocked.
7239 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
7240 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
7241 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
7242 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
7244 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
7245 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
7246 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
7247 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
7250 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
7253 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
7254 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
7255 happen automatically.
7257 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
7258 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
7259 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
7260 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
7261 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
7262 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
7263 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
7265 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
7266 @findex gnus-async-read-p
7267 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7268 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7269 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7270 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7271 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which
7272 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7273 article data structure as the only parameter.
7275 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7276 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7279 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7280 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7281 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7282 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7285 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7288 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7289 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
7290 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7292 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7293 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7294 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7295 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7299 Remove articles when they are read.
7302 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7305 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7307 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7308 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7309 @c from the next group.
7312 @node Article Caching
7313 @section Article Caching
7314 @cindex article caching
7317 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
7318 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7319 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7320 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7321 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7323 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7325 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7326 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7327 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7328 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7329 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7330 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7331 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7332 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7334 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7335 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7336 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7337 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7338 as dormant, and don't worry.
7340 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7342 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7343 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7344 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7345 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7346 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7347 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7348 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7349 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7350 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7351 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7353 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7354 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7355 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7356 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7357 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7358 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
7359 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7360 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7361 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7362 not then be downloaded by this command.
7364 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7365 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7366 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7367 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7368 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7369 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7371 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7372 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7373 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7374 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7375 variables, the group is not cached.
7377 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7378 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7379 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7380 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7381 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7382 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
7383 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7384 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
7385 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7388 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7389 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7390 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7391 where, isn't that cool?
7393 @node Persistent Articles
7394 @section Persistent Articles
7395 @cindex persistent articles
7397 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7398 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7399 useful in my opinion.
7401 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7402 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7403 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7404 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7405 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7406 the expiry going on at the news server.
7408 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7409 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7410 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7416 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7417 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7420 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7421 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7422 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7423 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7427 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7429 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7430 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7431 interested in persistent articles:
7434 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7438 @node Article Backlog
7439 @section Article Backlog
7441 @cindex article backlog
7443 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7444 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7445 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
7446 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7447 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7448 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7449 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
7450 increase memory usage some.
7452 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7453 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
7454 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7455 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
7456 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7457 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7458 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7460 The default value is 20.
7463 @node Saving Articles
7464 @section Saving Articles
7465 @cindex saving articles
7467 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7468 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7469 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7470 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7471 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7473 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7474 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7475 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7477 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7478 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
7479 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7481 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7482 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7483 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7484 deleted before saving.
7490 @kindex O o (Summary)
7492 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7493 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7494 Save the current article using the default article saver
7495 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7498 @kindex O m (Summary)
7499 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7500 Save the current article in a Unix mail box (mbox) file
7501 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7504 @kindex O r (Summary)
7505 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7506 Save the current article in Rmail format
7507 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7510 @kindex O f (Summary)
7511 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7512 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7513 Save the current article in plain file format
7514 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7517 @kindex O F (Summary)
7518 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7519 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7520 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7523 @kindex O b (Summary)
7524 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7525 Save the current article body in plain file format
7526 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7529 @kindex O h (Summary)
7530 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7531 Save the current article in mh folder format
7532 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7535 @kindex O v (Summary)
7536 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7537 Save the current article in a VM folder
7538 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7542 @kindex O p (Summary)
7544 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7545 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7546 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7547 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7548 complete headers in the piped output.
7551 @kindex O P (Summary)
7552 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7553 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7554 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7555 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
7556 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
7557 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
7558 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7562 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7563 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7564 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7565 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7566 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7567 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7568 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7569 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7570 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7571 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7572 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7573 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7577 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7578 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7579 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the eight ready-made
7580 functions below, or you can create your own.
7584 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7585 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7586 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7587 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7588 This is the default format, @dfn{Babyl}. Uses the function in the
7589 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7590 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7592 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7593 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7594 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7595 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7596 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7597 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7599 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7600 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7601 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7602 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7603 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7604 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7605 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7607 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7608 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7609 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7610 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7611 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7612 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7614 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7615 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7616 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7617 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7618 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7620 @item gnus-summary-write-body-to-file
7621 @findex gnus-summary-write-body-to-file
7622 Write the article body straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7623 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7624 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7625 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7627 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7628 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7629 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7630 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7631 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7634 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7635 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7636 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7637 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7638 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7640 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7641 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7642 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7643 reader to use this setting.
7646 The symbol of each function may have the following properties:
7650 The value non-@code{nil} means save decoded articles. This is
7651 meaningful only with @code{gnus-summary-save-in-file},
7652 @code{gnus-summary-save-body-in-file},
7653 @code{gnus-summary-write-to-file}, and
7654 @code{gnus-summary-write-body-to-file}.
7657 The value specifies an alternative function which appends, not
7658 overwrites, articles to a file. This implies that when saving many
7659 articles at a time, @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} is bound to
7660 @code{t} and all articles are saved in a single file. This is
7661 meaningful only with @code{gnus-summary-write-to-file} and
7662 @code{gnus-summary-write-body-to-file}.
7665 The value specifies the symbol of a variable of which the value
7666 specifies headers to be saved. If it is omitted,
7667 @code{gnus-save-all-headers} and @code{gnus-saved-headers} control what
7668 headers should be saved.
7671 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7672 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7673 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7674 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7677 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7678 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7679 available functions that generate names:
7683 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7684 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7685 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7687 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7688 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7689 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7691 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7692 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7693 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7695 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7696 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7697 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7699 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7700 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7701 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7704 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7705 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7706 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7707 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7708 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7712 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7713 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7714 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7715 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7718 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7719 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7720 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7721 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7722 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7723 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7724 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7725 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7726 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7728 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7729 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7730 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7731 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7733 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7734 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7735 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7738 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7739 lots of mail groups called things like
7740 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7741 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7742 following will do just that:
7745 (defun my-save-name (group)
7746 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7747 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7749 (setq gnus-split-methods
7750 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7755 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7756 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7757 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7758 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7759 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7760 all the files in the top level directory
7761 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7762 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7763 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7764 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7766 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7767 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7768 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7769 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7770 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7773 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7777 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
7778 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7779 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
7782 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7783 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7784 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7785 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7788 @node Decoding Articles
7789 @section Decoding Articles
7790 @cindex decoding articles
7792 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7793 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7796 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7797 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7798 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7799 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7800 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7801 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7805 @cindex article series
7806 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7807 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7808 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7809 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7810 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7812 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7813 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7814 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7816 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7817 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7818 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7820 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7821 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7822 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7825 @node Uuencoded Articles
7826 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7828 @cindex uuencoded articles
7833 @kindex X u (Summary)
7834 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7835 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7836 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7839 @kindex X U (Summary)
7840 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7841 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7842 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7845 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7846 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7847 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7850 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7851 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7852 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7853 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7857 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7858 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7859 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7860 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7861 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7863 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7864 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7865 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7866 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7869 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7870 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7871 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7872 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7873 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7874 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7878 @node Shell Archives
7879 @subsection Shell Archives
7881 @cindex shell archives
7882 @cindex shared articles
7884 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7885 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7886 some commands to deal with these:
7891 @kindex X s (Summary)
7892 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7893 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7896 @kindex X S (Summary)
7897 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7898 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7901 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7902 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7903 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7906 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7907 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7908 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7909 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7913 @node PostScript Files
7914 @subsection PostScript Files
7920 @kindex X p (Summary)
7921 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7922 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7925 @kindex X P (Summary)
7926 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7927 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7928 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7931 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7932 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7933 View the current PostScript series
7934 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7937 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7938 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7939 View and save the current PostScript series
7940 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7945 @subsection Other Files
7949 @kindex X o (Summary)
7950 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7951 Save the current series
7952 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7955 @kindex X b (Summary)
7956 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7957 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7958 doesn't really work yet.
7962 @node Decoding Variables
7963 @subsection Decoding Variables
7965 Adjective, not verb.
7968 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7969 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7970 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7974 @node Rule Variables
7975 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7976 @cindex rule variables
7978 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7979 variables are of the form
7982 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7989 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7990 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7992 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7993 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
7996 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7997 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
8000 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
8001 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
8002 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
8003 user and default view rules.
8005 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
8006 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
8007 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
8012 @node Other Decode Variables
8013 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
8016 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
8018 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
8019 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
8020 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
8021 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
8022 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
8026 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
8027 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
8030 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
8031 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
8032 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
8035 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
8036 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
8037 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
8038 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
8039 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
8042 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
8043 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
8044 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
8046 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
8047 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
8048 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
8049 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
8050 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
8053 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
8054 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
8055 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
8057 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
8058 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
8059 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
8060 looking for files to display.
8062 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
8063 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
8064 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
8067 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
8068 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
8069 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
8072 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
8073 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
8074 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
8077 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
8078 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
8079 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
8082 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
8083 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
8084 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
8085 decoded articles as unread.
8087 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
8088 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
8089 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
8090 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
8092 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
8093 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
8094 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
8096 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
8097 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
8099 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
8100 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
8101 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
8102 @code{metamail} for viewing.
8104 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
8105 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
8106 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
8107 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
8108 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
8109 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
8110 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
8111 simply dropped them.
8116 @node Uuencoding and Posting
8117 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
8121 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
8122 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
8123 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
8124 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
8125 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
8126 for you when you post the article.
8128 @item gnus-uu-post-length
8129 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
8130 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
8131 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
8133 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
8134 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
8135 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
8136 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
8137 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
8138 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
8139 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
8141 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
8142 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
8143 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
8144 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
8145 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
8146 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
8147 Default is @code{t}.
8153 @subsection Viewing Files
8154 @cindex viewing files
8155 @cindex pseudo-articles
8157 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
8158 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
8159 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
8160 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
8161 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
8162 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
8163 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
8165 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
8166 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
8167 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
8168 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
8170 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
8171 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
8172 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
8174 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
8175 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
8176 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
8177 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
8178 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
8180 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
8181 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
8182 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
8183 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
8184 a list of parameters to that command.
8186 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
8187 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
8188 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
8190 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
8191 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
8192 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
8195 @node Article Treatment
8196 @section Article Treatment
8198 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
8199 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
8200 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
8201 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
8202 these articles easier.
8205 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
8206 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
8207 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
8208 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
8209 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
8210 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
8211 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
8212 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
8213 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
8214 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
8215 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
8219 @node Article Highlighting
8220 @subsection Article Highlighting
8221 @cindex highlighting
8223 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
8224 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
8229 @kindex W H a (Summary)
8230 @findex gnus-article-highlight
8231 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
8232 Do much highlighting of the current article
8233 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
8234 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
8237 @kindex W H h (Summary)
8238 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
8239 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
8240 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
8241 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
8242 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
8243 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
8244 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
8245 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
8246 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
8247 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
8248 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
8251 @kindex W H c (Summary)
8252 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
8253 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
8255 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
8258 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8260 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8261 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
8262 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
8264 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
8265 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
8266 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
8268 @item gnus-cite-face-list
8269 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
8270 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
8271 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
8272 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
8273 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
8275 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
8276 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
8277 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
8279 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8280 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8281 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
8283 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8284 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8285 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
8286 that it's a citation.
8288 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8289 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8290 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
8292 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8293 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8294 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
8296 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
8297 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
8298 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
8299 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8301 @item gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8302 @vindex gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8303 If non-@code{nil}, no citation highlighting will be performed on lines
8304 beginning with @samp{>From }. Those lines may have been quoted by MTAs
8305 in order not to mix up with the envelope From line. The default value
8312 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8313 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8314 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8315 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8316 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8317 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8318 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8319 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8324 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8327 @node Article Fontisizing
8328 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8330 @cindex article emphasis
8332 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8333 @kindex W e (Summary)
8334 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8335 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8336 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8337 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8339 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8340 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8341 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8342 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8343 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8344 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8345 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8346 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8350 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8351 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8352 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8361 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8362 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8363 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8364 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8365 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8366 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8367 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8368 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8369 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8370 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8371 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8372 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8373 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8375 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8376 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8377 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8381 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8384 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8386 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8387 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8388 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8389 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8391 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8394 @node Article Hiding
8395 @subsection Article Hiding
8396 @cindex article hiding
8398 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8399 too much cruft in most articles.
8404 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8405 @findex gnus-article-hide
8406 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8407 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8408 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
8411 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8412 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8413 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8417 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8418 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8419 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8420 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8423 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8424 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8425 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8429 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8430 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8431 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8432 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8433 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8434 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8435 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8436 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8440 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8441 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8442 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8443 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8448 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8449 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8450 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8451 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8454 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8455 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8456 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8457 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8460 @cindex stripping advertisements
8461 @cindex advertisements
8462 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8463 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8464 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8465 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8466 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8467 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8468 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8469 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8470 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8471 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8474 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8475 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8476 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8480 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8481 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8482 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8483 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8484 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8485 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8486 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8487 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8488 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8489 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8490 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8493 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
8494 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8500 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8501 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8502 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8503 customizing the hiding:
8507 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8508 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8509 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8510 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8511 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8512 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8513 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8518 Starting point of the hidden text.
8520 Ending point of the hidden text.
8522 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8524 Number of lines of hidden text.
8527 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8528 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8529 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8530 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8531 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8536 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8537 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8539 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8540 following two variables:
8543 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8544 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8545 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8546 50), hide the cited text.
8548 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8549 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8550 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8555 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8556 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8557 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8558 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8559 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8560 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8564 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8565 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8566 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8568 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8569 citation customization.
8571 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8575 @node Article Washing
8576 @subsection Article Washing
8578 @cindex article washing
8580 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8581 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8583 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8584 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8587 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8588 articles by default.
8593 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8594 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8598 Force redisplaying of the current article
8599 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8600 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8601 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8602 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8605 @kindex W l (Summary)
8606 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8607 Remove page breaks from the current article
8608 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8612 @kindex W r (Summary)
8613 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8614 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8615 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8616 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8617 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8618 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8620 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8621 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8622 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8623 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8626 @kindex W m (Summary)
8627 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8628 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8631 @kindex W i (Summary)
8632 @findex gnus-summary-idna-message
8633 Decode IDNA encoded domain names in the current articles. IDNA
8634 encoded domain names looks like @samp{xn--bar}. If a string remain
8635 unencoded after running invoking this, it is likely an invalid IDNA
8636 string (@samp{xn--bar} is invalid). You must have GNU Libidn
8637 (@url{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/}) installed for this command
8642 @kindex W t (Summary)
8644 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8645 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8646 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8649 @kindex W v (Summary)
8650 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8651 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8652 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8655 @kindex W o (Summary)
8656 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8657 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8660 @kindex W d (Summary)
8661 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8662 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8664 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8666 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8667 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8668 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8669 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8672 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8673 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8674 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8675 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8678 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8679 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8680 @cindex Outlook Express
8681 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8682 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8683 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8686 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8687 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8688 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8689 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8690 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8691 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8692 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8693 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
8694 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8695 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8698 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8699 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8700 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
8701 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8704 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8705 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8706 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8707 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8710 @kindex W w (Summary)
8711 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8712 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8714 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8718 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8719 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8720 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8723 @kindex W C (Summary)
8724 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8725 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8726 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8729 @kindex W c (Summary)
8730 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8731 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8732 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8733 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8734 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8737 @kindex W q (Summary)
8738 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8739 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8740 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
8741 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
8742 makes strings like @samp{d@'ej@`a vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu},
8743 which doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually
8744 done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8745 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8746 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8749 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8750 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8751 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
8752 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
8753 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
8754 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8755 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8756 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8759 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8760 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8761 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8762 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8763 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8766 @kindex W A (Summary)
8767 @findex gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences
8768 @cindex @acronym{ANSI} control sequences
8769 Translate @acronym{ANSI} SGR control sequences into overlays or
8770 extents (@code{gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences}). @acronym{ANSI}
8771 sequences are used in some Chinese hierarchies for highlighting.
8774 @kindex W u (Summary)
8775 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8776 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8777 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8778 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8779 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8782 @kindex W h (Summary)
8783 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8784 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8785 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8786 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
8788 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for. If it is a number,
8789 the charset defined in @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist}
8790 (@pxref{Paging the Article}) will be used.
8792 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8793 The default is to use the function specified by
8794 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
8795 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
8796 @acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
8797 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8805 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
8807 @item w3m-standalone
8808 Use @uref{http://w3m.sourceforge.net/, w3m}.
8811 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
8814 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
8817 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
8822 @kindex W b (Summary)
8823 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8824 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8825 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8828 @kindex W B (Summary)
8829 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8830 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8831 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8834 @kindex W p (Summary)
8835 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8836 Verify a signed control message
8837 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
8838 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
8839 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
8840 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8841 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
8842 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8845 @kindex W s (Summary)
8846 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8847 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
8848 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
8849 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8852 @kindex W a (Summary)
8853 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8854 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8855 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8858 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8859 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8860 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8861 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8864 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8865 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8866 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8867 lines with a single empty line.
8868 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8871 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8872 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8873 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8874 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8877 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8878 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8879 Do all the three commands above
8880 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8883 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8884 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8885 Remove all blank lines
8886 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8889 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8890 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8891 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8892 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8895 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8896 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8897 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8898 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8902 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8905 @node Article Header
8906 @subsection Article Header
8908 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8913 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8914 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8915 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8918 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8919 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8920 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8921 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8924 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8925 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8926 Fold all the message headers
8927 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8930 @kindex W E w (Summary)
8931 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8932 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8933 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8938 @node Article Buttons
8939 @subsection Article Buttons
8942 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8943 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8944 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8945 button on these references.
8947 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8948 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8949 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
8950 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
8951 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
8955 @item gnus-button-alist
8956 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8957 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8960 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8966 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8967 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8968 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8969 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8970 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
8973 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8974 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8975 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8978 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8979 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8980 avoid false matches. Often variables named
8981 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
8982 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
8984 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
8987 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8990 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8991 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8995 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8998 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
9001 @item gnus-header-button-alist
9002 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
9003 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
9004 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
9005 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
9008 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
9011 @var{header} is a regular expression.
9014 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
9017 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
9018 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
9020 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
9022 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
9023 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
9024 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
9025 default values of the variables above.
9027 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
9029 @item gnus-button-man-handler
9030 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
9031 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
9032 argument with a string naming the man page.
9034 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
9036 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
9037 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
9038 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
9040 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
9041 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
9042 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
9043 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
9044 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
9045 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
9046 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
9047 @code{ask}, always query the user what do do. If it is a function, this
9048 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
9049 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
9050 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
9051 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
9053 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
9054 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
9055 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
9056 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
9057 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
9060 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
9061 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
9062 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
9063 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
9065 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-tex-level
9067 @item gnus-button-ctan-handler
9068 @findex gnus-button-ctan-handler
9069 The function to use for displaying CTAN links. It must take one
9070 argument, the string naming the URL.
9073 @vindex gnus-ctan-url
9074 Top directory of a CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) archive used
9075 by @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler}.
9079 @item gnus-article-button-face
9080 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
9081 Face used on buttons.
9083 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
9084 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
9085 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
9089 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
9092 @node Article Button Levels
9093 @subsection Article button levels
9094 @cindex button levels
9095 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
9096 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
9097 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
9098 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
9099 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
9100 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
9101 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
9102 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
9105 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
9106 (setq gnus-parameters
9107 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
9108 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
9109 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
9114 @item gnus-button-browse-level
9115 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
9116 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
9117 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
9118 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
9119 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
9121 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
9122 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
9123 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
9124 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
9125 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
9126 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
9127 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
9128 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
9129 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
9130 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
9131 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
9132 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
9133 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
9135 @item gnus-button-man-level
9136 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
9137 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
9138 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
9140 @item gnus-button-message-level
9141 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
9142 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
9143 Related variables and functions include
9144 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
9145 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
9146 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
9147 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
9149 @item gnus-button-tex-level
9150 @vindex gnus-button-tex-level
9151 Controls the display of references to @TeX{} or LaTeX stuff, e.g. for CTAN
9152 URLs. See the variables @code{gnus-ctan-url},
9153 @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler},
9154 @code{gnus-button-ctan-directory-regexp}, and
9155 @code{gnus-button-handle-ctan-bogus-regexp}.
9161 @subsection Article Date
9163 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
9164 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
9165 when the article was sent.
9170 @kindex W T u (Summary)
9171 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
9172 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
9173 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
9176 @kindex W T i (Summary)
9177 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
9179 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
9180 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
9183 @kindex W T l (Summary)
9184 @findex gnus-article-date-local
9185 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
9188 @kindex W T p (Summary)
9189 @findex gnus-article-date-english
9190 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
9191 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
9194 @kindex W T s (Summary)
9195 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
9196 @findex gnus-article-date-user
9197 @findex format-time-string
9198 Display the date using a user-defined format
9199 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
9200 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
9201 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
9202 for a list of possible format specs.
9205 @kindex W T e (Summary)
9206 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
9207 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
9208 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
9209 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
9210 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
9213 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
9216 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
9217 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
9218 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
9221 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
9222 into wonderful absurdities.
9224 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
9227 (gnus-start-date-timer)
9230 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
9231 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
9235 @kindex W T o (Summary)
9236 @findex gnus-article-date-original
9237 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
9238 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
9239 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
9240 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
9241 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
9245 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
9246 preferred format automatically.
9249 @node Article Display
9250 @subsection Article Display
9255 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
9256 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
9258 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
9259 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
9261 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
9262 headers (@pxref{Face}).
9264 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
9265 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
9267 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
9268 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
9270 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
9275 @kindex W D x (Summary)
9276 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
9277 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
9278 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
9281 @kindex W D d (Summary)
9282 @findex gnus-article-display-face
9283 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
9284 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
9287 @kindex W D s (Summary)
9288 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
9289 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
9292 @kindex W D f (Summary)
9293 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
9294 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
9297 @kindex W D m (Summary)
9298 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
9299 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9300 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
9303 @kindex W D n (Summary)
9304 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
9305 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
9306 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
9309 @kindex W D D (Summary)
9310 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
9311 Remove all images from the article buffer
9312 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
9318 @node Article Signature
9319 @subsection Article Signature
9321 @cindex article signature
9323 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9324 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
9325 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
9326 that says what is to be considered a signature is
9327 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
9328 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
9329 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
9330 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
9331 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
9334 (setq gnus-signature-separator
9335 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
9336 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
9337 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
9338 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
9339 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
9340 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
9341 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
9344 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
9347 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
9348 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
9349 signature when displaying articles.
9353 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
9356 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
9359 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
9360 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
9362 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
9363 in question is not a signature.
9366 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
9367 listed above. Here's an example:
9370 (setq gnus-signature-limit
9371 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
9374 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
9375 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
9376 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
9377 signature after all.
9380 @node Article Miscellanea
9381 @subsection Article Miscellanea
9385 @kindex A t (Summary)
9386 @findex gnus-article-babel
9387 Translate the article from one language to another
9388 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
9394 @section MIME Commands
9395 @cindex MIME decoding
9397 @cindex viewing attachments
9399 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
9400 instance, @kbd{3 K v} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
9406 @kindex K v (Summary)
9407 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
9410 @kindex K o (Summary)
9411 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
9414 @kindex K O (Summary)
9415 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} part and strip it
9416 from the article. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred
9417 via the message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
9420 @kindex K r (Summary)
9421 Replace the @acronym{MIME} part with an external body.
9424 @kindex K d (Summary)
9425 Delete the @acronym{MIME} part and add some information about the
9429 @kindex K c (Summary)
9430 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
9433 @kindex K e (Summary)
9434 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
9437 @kindex K i (Summary)
9438 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
9441 @kindex K | (Summary)
9442 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
9445 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
9450 @kindex K b (Summary)
9451 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
9452 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
9456 @kindex K m (Summary)
9457 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
9458 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
9459 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
9460 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
9461 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
9464 @kindex X m (Summary)
9465 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
9466 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
9467 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
9468 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9471 @kindex M-t (Summary)
9472 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
9473 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
9474 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
9477 @kindex W M w (Summary)
9478 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
9479 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
9480 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
9483 @kindex W M c (Summary)
9484 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
9485 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9486 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9488 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9489 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9490 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9491 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9492 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9493 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9496 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9497 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9498 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
9499 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9506 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9507 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9508 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9509 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9512 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9515 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9519 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9520 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9521 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9522 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
9523 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9524 default is @code{nil}.
9526 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9527 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9530 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
9531 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9532 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9533 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9534 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}. Only
9535 single-part yEnc encoded attachments can be decoded. There's no support
9536 for encoding in Gnus.
9538 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9539 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9540 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9541 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9542 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9543 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9544 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9545 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
9547 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9548 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9549 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9550 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9551 displayed. This variable overrides
9552 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9553 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9556 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9557 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9558 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9560 You could also add @code{"multipart/alternative"} to this list to
9561 display radio buttons that allow you to choose one of two media types
9562 those mails include. See also @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}
9563 (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The
9564 Emacs MIME Manual}).
9566 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9567 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9568 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
9569 default value is @code{nil}.
9571 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9572 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9573 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
9574 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9575 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9576 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9577 save all jpegs into some directory).
9579 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9582 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9583 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9585 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9586 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9587 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9588 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9589 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9592 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9593 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9594 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9596 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9597 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9598 Display "multipart/alternative" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9600 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9601 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9602 Display "multipart/related" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9604 If displaying "text/html" is discouraged, see
9605 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}, images or other material inside a
9606 "multipart/related" part might be overlooked when this variable is
9607 @code{nil}. @ref{Display Customization, Display Customization, ,
9608 emacs-mime, Emacs-Mime Manual}.
9610 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9611 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9612 Display "multipart" parts as "multipart/mixed". If @code{t}, it
9613 overrides @code{nil} values of
9614 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed} and
9615 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed}.
9617 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9618 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9619 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
9620 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9622 Ready-made functions include@*
9623 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9624 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9625 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9626 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9627 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9628 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9629 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9630 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9631 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9632 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9633 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9634 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9636 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9637 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9639 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9640 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9641 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9644 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9645 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9646 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9647 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9651 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
9660 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
9661 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9662 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
9663 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9664 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9665 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9666 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp}.
9668 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9669 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9670 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9671 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9673 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9674 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
9675 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9676 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9677 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9678 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9679 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9680 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9681 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9683 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9684 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9685 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
9686 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9687 quoted-printable header encoding.
9689 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9690 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9691 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9695 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9698 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9699 means encode all charsets),
9701 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9702 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9703 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9710 @cindex coding system aliases
9711 @cindex preferred charset
9713 @xref{Encoding Customization, , Encoding Customization, emacs-mime,
9714 The Emacs MIME Manual}, for additional variables that control which
9715 MIME charsets are used when sending messages.
9717 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9719 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9720 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9723 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9724 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9727 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9728 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
9730 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9733 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9736 This will almost do the right thing.
9738 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9742 (codepage-setup 1251)
9743 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9747 @node Article Commands
9748 @section Article Commands
9755 @kindex A P (Summary)
9756 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9757 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9758 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9759 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9760 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9761 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9766 @node Summary Sorting
9767 @section Summary Sorting
9768 @cindex summary sorting
9770 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9771 can't really see why you'd want that.
9776 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9777 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9778 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9781 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9782 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9783 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9786 @kindex C-c C-s C-t (Summary)
9787 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient
9788 Sort by recipient (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient}).
9791 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9792 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9793 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9796 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9797 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9798 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9801 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9802 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9803 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9806 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9807 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9808 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9811 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9812 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9813 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9816 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9817 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9818 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9821 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9822 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9823 Sort using the default sorting method
9824 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9827 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9828 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9829 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9830 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9831 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9835 @node Finding the Parent
9836 @section Finding the Parent
9837 @cindex parent articles
9838 @cindex referring articles
9843 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9844 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9845 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9846 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
9847 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9848 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9849 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9850 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9851 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9853 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9854 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9855 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
9856 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9857 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9861 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9862 @kindex A R (Summary)
9863 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9864 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9867 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9868 @kindex A T (Summary)
9869 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9870 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9871 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9872 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9873 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9874 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9875 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9877 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9878 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9879 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9880 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9881 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9882 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9885 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9886 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9888 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9889 You can also ask Gnus for an arbitrary article, no matter what group it
9890 belongs to. @kbd{M-^} (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you
9891 for a @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read
9892 thingies that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}.
9893 You have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9895 Gnus looks for the @code{Message-ID} in the headers that have already
9896 been fetched, but also tries all the select methods specified by
9897 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} if it is not found.
9900 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9901 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9902 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9903 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
9904 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
9905 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9908 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9909 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9910 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9913 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9914 then ask Google if that fails:
9917 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9919 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9922 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9923 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9924 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
9925 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9926 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current
9927 group. (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does
9928 not support this at all.
9931 @node Alternative Approaches
9932 @section Alternative Approaches
9934 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9935 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9938 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9939 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9944 @subsection Pick and Read
9945 @cindex pick and read
9947 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9948 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9949 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9950 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9952 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9953 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9954 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9955 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9956 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9957 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9959 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9964 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9965 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9966 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9967 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9968 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9969 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9970 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9971 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9974 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9975 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9976 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9977 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9981 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9982 Unpick the thread or article
9983 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9984 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9985 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9986 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9987 the thread or article at that line.
9991 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9992 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9993 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9994 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9995 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9996 will still be visible when you are reading.
10000 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
10001 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
10002 which is mapped to the same function
10003 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
10005 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
10008 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
10011 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
10012 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
10014 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
10015 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
10016 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
10018 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
10019 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
10020 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
10021 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
10022 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
10023 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
10024 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
10027 @node Binary Groups
10028 @subsection Binary Groups
10029 @cindex binary groups
10031 @findex gnus-binary-mode
10032 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
10033 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
10034 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
10035 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
10036 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
10037 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
10040 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
10041 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
10042 command, when you have turned on this mode
10043 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
10045 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
10046 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
10050 @section Tree Display
10053 @vindex gnus-use-trees
10054 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
10055 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
10056 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
10057 in the tree buffer.
10059 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
10062 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
10063 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
10064 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
10066 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
10067 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
10068 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
10069 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
10070 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
10072 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
10073 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
10074 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
10075 default is @code{modeline}.
10077 @item gnus-tree-line-format
10078 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
10079 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
10080 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
10081 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
10082 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
10083 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
10089 The name of the poster.
10091 The @code{From} header.
10093 The number of the article.
10095 The opening bracket.
10097 The closing bracket.
10102 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
10104 Variables related to the display are:
10107 @item gnus-tree-brackets
10108 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
10109 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
10110 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
10112 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
10113 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
10114 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
10116 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
10118 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
10119 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
10120 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
10121 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
10125 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
10126 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
10127 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
10128 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
10129 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
10130 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
10131 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
10132 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
10133 other windows displayed next to it.
10135 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
10139 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
10140 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
10143 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
10144 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
10145 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
10146 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
10147 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
10148 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
10149 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
10153 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
10156 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
10166 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
10171 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
10172 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
10174 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
10176 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
10182 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
10183 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
10184 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
10187 (setq gnus-use-trees t
10188 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
10189 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
10190 (gnus-add-configuration
10194 (summary 0.75 point)
10199 @xref{Window Layout}.
10202 @node Mail Group Commands
10203 @section Mail Group Commands
10204 @cindex mail group commands
10206 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
10207 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
10209 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
10210 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10215 @kindex B e (Summary)
10216 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
10217 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
10218 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
10219 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
10220 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
10223 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
10224 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
10225 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
10226 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
10227 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
10228 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
10231 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
10232 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
10233 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
10234 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
10235 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
10236 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
10239 @kindex B m (Summary)
10241 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
10242 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
10243 Move the article from one mail group to another
10244 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10245 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10248 @kindex B c (Summary)
10250 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
10251 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
10252 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
10253 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10254 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10257 @kindex B B (Summary)
10258 @cindex crosspost mail
10259 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
10260 Crosspost the current article to some other group
10261 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
10262 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
10263 be properly updated.
10266 @kindex B i (Summary)
10267 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
10268 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
10269 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
10270 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10273 @kindex B I (Summary)
10274 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
10275 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
10276 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
10277 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10280 @kindex B r (Summary)
10281 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
10282 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
10283 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
10284 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
10285 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
10286 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
10287 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
10288 (which is the default).
10292 @kindex B w (Summary)
10293 @kindex e (Summary)
10294 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
10295 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
10296 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
10297 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
10298 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
10299 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
10300 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
10303 @kindex B q (Summary)
10304 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
10305 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
10306 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
10307 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
10310 @kindex B t (Summary)
10311 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
10312 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
10313 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
10316 @kindex B p (Summary)
10317 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
10318 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
10319 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
10320 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
10321 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
10322 article from your news server (or rather, from
10323 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
10324 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
10325 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
10326 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
10327 just not have arrived yet.
10330 @kindex K E (Summary)
10331 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
10332 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
10333 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
10334 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
10335 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
10339 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
10340 @cindex moving articles
10341 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
10342 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
10343 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
10344 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
10345 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
10346 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
10347 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
10350 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
10351 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
10352 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
10353 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
10357 @node Various Summary Stuff
10358 @section Various Summary Stuff
10361 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
10362 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
10363 * Summary Generation Commands::
10364 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
10368 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
10369 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
10370 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
10371 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
10372 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
10373 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
10375 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
10376 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
10377 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
10380 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
10381 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
10382 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
10384 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
10385 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
10386 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
10387 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
10388 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
10389 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
10392 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10393 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10394 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
10395 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
10396 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
10398 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10399 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10400 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
10403 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10404 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10405 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
10406 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
10407 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
10408 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
10409 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
10410 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
10411 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
10412 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
10414 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10415 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10416 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
10417 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
10418 list of articles to be selected.
10420 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
10421 the list in one particular group:
10424 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
10425 (if (string= group "some.group")
10426 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
10430 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
10431 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
10432 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
10433 variables and their default expressions to be evalled (when the default
10434 values are not @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary
10437 Note: The default expressions will be evaluated (using function
10438 @code{eval}) before assignment to the local variable rather than just
10439 assigned to it. If the default expression is the symbol @code{global},
10440 that symbol will not be evaluated but the global value of the local
10441 variable will be used instead.
10443 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
10444 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
10445 buffers. For example:
10448 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
10449 '(message-use-followup-to
10450 (gnus-visible-headers .
10451 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
10454 Also @pxref{Group Parameters}.
10458 @node Summary Group Information
10459 @subsection Summary Group Information
10464 @kindex H f (Summary)
10465 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
10466 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
10467 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} (list of frequently asked questions)
10468 for the current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try
10469 to get the @acronym{FAQ} from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which
10470 is usually a directory on a remote machine. This variable can also be
10471 a list of directories. In that case, giving a prefix to this command
10472 will allow you to choose between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp}
10473 or @code{efs} will probably be used for fetching the file.
10476 @kindex H d (Summary)
10477 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
10478 Give a brief description of the current group
10479 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
10480 rereading the description from the server.
10483 @kindex H h (Summary)
10484 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
10485 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
10486 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
10489 @kindex H i (Summary)
10490 @findex gnus-info-find-node
10491 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
10495 @node Searching for Articles
10496 @subsection Searching for Articles
10501 @kindex M-s (Summary)
10502 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
10503 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
10504 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
10507 @kindex M-r (Summary)
10508 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
10509 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
10510 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
10513 @kindex M-S (Summary)
10514 @findex gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-forward
10515 Repeat the previous search forwards
10516 (@code{gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-forward}).
10519 @kindex M-R (Summary)
10520 @findex gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-backward
10521 Repeat the previous search backwards
10522 (@code{gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-backward}).
10525 @kindex & (Summary)
10526 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
10527 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
10528 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
10529 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
10530 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
10531 search backward instead.
10533 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
10534 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
10537 @kindex M-& (Summary)
10538 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
10539 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
10540 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
10543 @node Summary Generation Commands
10544 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
10549 @kindex Y g (Summary)
10550 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
10551 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
10554 @kindex Y c (Summary)
10555 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
10556 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10557 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10560 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10561 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10562 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10563 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10568 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10569 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10575 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10576 @kindex A D (Summary)
10577 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10578 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10579 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10580 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10581 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10582 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10583 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10584 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10588 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10589 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10590 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10591 several documents into one biiig group
10592 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10593 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10594 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10595 command understands the process/prefix convention
10596 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10599 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10600 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10601 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10602 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10603 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10604 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10607 @kindex = (Summary)
10608 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10609 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10610 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10613 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10614 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10615 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10616 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10619 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10620 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10621 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10622 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10627 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10628 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10629 @cindex summary exit
10630 @cindex exiting groups
10632 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10633 group and return you to the group buffer.
10640 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10641 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
10642 @kindex q (Summary)
10643 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10644 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10645 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10646 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10647 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10648 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10649 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10650 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10651 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10652 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10653 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10654 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10658 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10659 @kindex Q (Summary)
10660 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10661 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10662 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10666 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10667 @kindex c (Summary)
10668 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10669 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10670 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10671 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10674 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10675 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10676 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10677 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10680 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10681 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10682 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10683 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10686 @kindex Z p (Summary)
10687 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group
10688 Mark all articles as read and go to the previous group
10689 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group}).
10693 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10694 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
10695 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10696 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10697 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10698 all articles, both read and unread.
10702 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10703 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10704 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10705 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10706 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10707 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10708 articles, both read and unread.
10711 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10712 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10713 Exit the group and go to the next group
10714 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10717 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10718 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10719 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10720 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10723 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10724 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10725 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10726 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10727 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10728 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10731 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10732 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10733 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10734 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10736 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10737 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10738 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10739 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10740 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10741 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10742 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10743 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10744 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10745 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10746 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10747 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10749 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10751 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10752 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10753 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10754 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10755 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10756 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10757 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10758 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10759 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10762 @node Crosspost Handling
10763 @section Crosspost Handling
10767 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10768 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10769 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10770 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10771 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10772 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10775 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10776 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10777 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10778 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10779 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10781 @cindex cross-posting
10783 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
10784 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10785 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
10786 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10787 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
10788 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10789 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10790 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10791 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10792 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10793 the cross reference mechanism.
10795 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10796 @cindex overview.fmt
10797 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10798 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10799 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10800 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10801 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10802 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10805 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10806 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10807 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10812 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10815 @node Duplicate Suppression
10816 @section Duplicate Suppression
10818 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10819 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10820 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10821 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10826 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10827 is evil and not very common.
10830 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10831 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10834 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10835 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
10838 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10841 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10842 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10844 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10845 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10846 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10847 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10848 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10849 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10850 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10853 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10854 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10855 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10856 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10857 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10858 saw the article in.
10861 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10862 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10863 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10865 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10866 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10867 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10868 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10869 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
10870 session are suppressed.
10872 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10873 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10874 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10875 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10877 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10878 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10879 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10880 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10883 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
10884 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10885 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10886 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10887 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
10888 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10889 to you to figure out, I think.
10894 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10895 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
10896 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
10901 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
10902 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
10903 to GnuPG included with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG
10904 Manual}), but Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
10907 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10908 or newer is recommended.
10912 The variables that control security functionality on reading messages
10916 @item mm-verify-option
10917 @vindex mm-verify-option
10918 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10919 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10920 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10922 @item mm-decrypt-option
10923 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10924 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10925 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10926 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10929 @vindex mml1991-use
10930 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10931 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10932 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10936 @vindex mml2015-use
10937 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10938 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10939 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10944 By default the buttons that display security information are not
10945 shown, because they clutter reading the actual e-mail. You can type
10946 @kbd{K b} manually to display the information. Use the
10947 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types} and
10948 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} variables to control this
10949 permanently. @ref{MIME Commands} for further details, and hints on
10950 how to customize these variables to always display security
10953 @cindex snarfing keys
10954 @cindex importing PGP keys
10955 @cindex PGP key ring import
10956 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
10957 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
10958 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
10959 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
10960 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
10961 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
10962 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
10963 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
10964 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
10967 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
10970 This happens to also be the default action defined in
10971 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
10973 More information on how to set things for sending outgoing signed and
10974 encrypted messages up can be found in the message manual
10975 (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10978 @section Mailing List
10979 @cindex mailing list
10982 @kindex A M (summary)
10983 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10984 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10985 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10986 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10989 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10994 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10995 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10996 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10999 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
11000 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
11001 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
11004 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
11005 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
11006 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
11010 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
11011 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
11012 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
11015 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
11016 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
11017 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
11020 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
11021 @findex gnus-mailing-list-archive
11022 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
11027 @node Article Buffer
11028 @chapter Article Buffer
11029 @cindex article buffer
11031 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
11032 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
11033 tell Gnus otherwise.
11036 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
11037 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
11038 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
11039 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
11040 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
11044 @node Hiding Headers
11045 @section Hiding Headers
11046 @cindex hiding headers
11047 @cindex deleting headers
11049 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
11050 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
11052 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
11053 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
11054 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
11055 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
11056 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
11057 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
11058 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
11059 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
11060 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
11062 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
11066 @item gnus-visible-headers
11067 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
11068 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
11069 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
11070 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
11072 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
11073 the article and the subject, you'd say:
11076 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
11079 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
11082 @item gnus-ignored-headers
11083 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
11084 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
11085 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
11086 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
11087 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
11089 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
11090 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
11093 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
11096 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
11099 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
11100 variable will have no effect.
11104 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
11105 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
11106 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
11107 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
11108 the headers are to be displayed.
11110 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
11111 and then the subject, you might say something like:
11114 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
11117 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
11118 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
11120 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
11121 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
11122 You can hide further boring headers by setting
11123 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
11124 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
11125 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
11126 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
11129 These conditions are:
11132 Remove all empty headers.
11134 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
11135 @code{Newsgroups} header.
11137 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
11138 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
11141 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
11144 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
11145 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
11147 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
11148 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
11150 Remove the @code{CC} header if it only contains the address identical to
11151 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
11153 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
11156 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
11158 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
11161 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
11164 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
11165 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
11168 This is also the default value for this variable.
11172 @section Using MIME
11173 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11175 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
11176 while people stand around yawning.
11178 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
11179 while all newsreaders die of fear.
11181 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
11182 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
11183 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
11185 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
11186 @findex gnus-display-mime
11187 Gnus pushes @acronym{MIME} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
11188 to display the @acronym{MIME} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
11189 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
11190 display, save and manipulate the @acronym{MIME} objects.
11192 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
11193 @acronym{MIME} button:
11196 @findex gnus-article-press-button
11197 @item RET (Article)
11198 @kindex RET (Article)
11199 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
11200 Toggle displaying of the @acronym{MIME} object
11201 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If built-in viewers can not display
11202 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
11203 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
11204 object is displayed inline.
11206 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
11207 @item M-RET (Article)
11208 @kindex M-RET (Article)
11210 Prompt for a method, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
11211 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
11213 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
11215 @kindex t (Article)
11216 View the @acronym{MIME} object as if it were a different @acronym{MIME} media type
11217 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
11219 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
11221 @kindex C (Article)
11222 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
11223 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
11225 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
11227 @kindex o (Article)
11228 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @acronym{MIME} object
11229 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
11231 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
11232 @item C-o (Article)
11233 @kindex C-o (Article)
11234 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} object and strip it from
11235 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
11236 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
11237 like. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred via the
11238 message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
11239 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
11241 @findex gnus-mime-replace-part
11243 @kindex r (Article)
11244 Prompt for a file name, replace the @acronym{MIME} object with an
11245 external body refering to the file via the message/external-body
11246 @acronym{MIME} type. (@code{gnus-mime-replace-part}).
11248 @findex gnus-mime-delete-part
11250 @kindex d (Article)
11251 Delete the @acronym{MIME} object from the article and replace it with some
11252 information about the removed @acronym{MIME} object
11253 (@code{gnus-mime-delete-part}).
11255 @c FIXME: gnus-auto-select-part should be documented here
11257 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
11259 @kindex c (Article)
11260 Copy the @acronym{MIME} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
11261 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}). If given a prefix, copy the raw contents
11262 without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual
11263 charset stuff (see @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in
11264 @ref{Paging the Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and
11265 @file{.bz2} are automatically decompressed if
11266 @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled (@pxref{Compressed Files,,
11267 Accessing Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
11269 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
11271 @kindex p (Article)
11272 Print the @acronym{MIME} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
11273 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
11274 @file{.mailcap} file.
11276 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
11278 @kindex i (Article)
11279 Insert the contents of the @acronym{MIME} object into the buffer
11280 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
11281 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
11282 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
11283 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @ref{Paging the
11284 Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and @file{.bz2} are
11285 automatically decompressed depending on @code{jka-compr} regardless of
11286 @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed Files,, Accessing
11287 Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
11289 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
11291 @kindex E (Article)
11292 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
11293 viewer is available, use an external viewer
11294 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
11296 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
11298 @kindex e (Article)
11299 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an external viewer.
11300 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
11302 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
11304 @kindex | (Article)
11305 Output the @acronym{MIME} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
11307 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
11309 @kindex . (Article)
11310 Interactively run an action on the @acronym{MIME} object
11311 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
11315 Gnus will display some @acronym{MIME} objects automatically. The way Gnus
11316 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
11317 @acronym{MIME} manual.
11319 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
11320 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
11321 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @acronym{MIME} has
11322 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
11323 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
11324 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
11325 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
11326 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
11327 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
11329 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
11331 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
11334 @node Customizing Articles
11335 @section Customizing Articles
11336 @cindex article customization
11338 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
11339 exist. You can call these functions interactively
11340 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
11341 called automatically when you select the articles.
11343 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
11344 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
11345 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
11346 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
11348 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
11349 for sensible values.
11353 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
11356 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
11359 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
11362 @code{first}: Do this treatment on the first body part.
11365 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last body part.
11368 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
11372 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
11373 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
11374 regexps in the list.
11377 A list where the first element is not a string:
11379 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
11380 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
11381 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
11385 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
11390 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
11391 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
11392 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
11393 considered to contain just a single part.
11395 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
11396 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
11397 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
11398 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
11399 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
11400 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
11401 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
11403 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
11404 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
11405 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
11406 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
11409 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
11410 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
11412 @xref{Article Buttons}.
11414 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
11415 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
11416 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
11417 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
11418 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, first, integer)
11419 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
11420 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
11421 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
11422 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
11423 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
11425 @xref{Article Washing}.
11427 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
11428 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
11429 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
11430 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
11431 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
11432 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
11433 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
11435 @xref{Article Date}.
11437 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
11438 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
11439 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
11443 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
11445 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
11447 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
11448 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
11449 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
11453 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
11457 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
11461 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
11462 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
11463 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
11464 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
11465 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
11466 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
11467 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
11468 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
11469 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
11470 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
11472 @xref{Article Hiding}.
11474 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
11475 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
11476 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
11478 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
11480 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
11481 @item gnus-treat-translate
11482 @item gnus-treat-ansi-sequences (t)
11483 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
11485 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
11486 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
11487 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
11488 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
11490 @xref{Article Header}.
11495 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
11496 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
11497 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
11498 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
11499 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
11503 @node Article Keymap
11504 @section Article Keymap
11506 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
11507 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
11508 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
11509 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
11512 @kindex v (Article)
11513 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Article)
11514 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it key to some
11515 function or better use it as a prefix key.
11517 A few additional keystrokes are available:
11522 @kindex SPACE (Article)
11523 @findex gnus-article-next-page
11524 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
11525 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
11528 @kindex DEL (Article)
11529 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
11530 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
11531 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
11534 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
11535 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
11536 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
11537 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
11538 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
11541 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
11542 @findex gnus-article-mail
11543 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
11544 given a prefix, include the mail.
11547 @kindex s (Article)
11548 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
11549 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
11550 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
11553 @kindex ? (Article)
11554 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
11555 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
11556 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
11559 @kindex TAB (Article)
11560 @findex gnus-article-next-button
11561 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
11562 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
11565 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
11566 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
11567 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
11570 @kindex R (Article)
11571 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
11572 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
11573 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
11574 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11578 @kindex F (Article)
11579 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
11580 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
11581 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
11582 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11590 @section Misc Article
11594 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
11595 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
11596 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
11597 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
11600 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
11601 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
11602 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11603 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
11604 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
11606 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
11607 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
11608 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
11609 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
11610 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
11611 the contents of the article buffer.
11613 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
11614 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
11615 Hook called in article mode buffers.
11617 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11618 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11619 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
11620 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
11622 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
11623 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
11624 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
11625 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
11627 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
11628 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
11629 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
11630 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Summary Buffer Mode
11631 Line}). It accepts the same format specifications as that variable,
11632 with two extensions:
11637 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
11638 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
11639 performed. The characters and their meaning:
11644 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
11647 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
11650 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
11651 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
11652 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
11655 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
11658 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
11661 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
11666 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
11670 @vindex gnus-break-pages
11672 @item gnus-break-pages
11673 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
11674 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
11675 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
11676 paging will not be done.
11678 @item gnus-page-delimiter
11679 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
11680 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
11684 @cindex internationalized domain names
11685 @vindex gnus-use-idna
11686 @item gnus-use-idna
11687 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
11688 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
11689 @samp{Cc} headers. @xref{IDNA, ,IDNA,message, The Message Manual},
11690 for how to compose such messages. This requires
11691 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
11692 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
11697 @node Composing Messages
11698 @chapter Composing Messages
11699 @cindex composing messages
11702 @cindex sending mail
11707 @cindex using s/mime
11708 @cindex using smime
11710 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
11711 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
11712 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
11713 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
11714 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
11715 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
11718 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
11719 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
11720 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
11721 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
11722 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
11723 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
11724 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
11725 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
11726 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
11729 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
11730 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
11736 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
11739 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
11740 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
11741 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
11742 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
11743 @code{nil} include all headers.
11745 @item gnus-add-to-list
11746 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
11747 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
11748 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
11750 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11751 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11752 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you for a confirmation when you are
11753 about to reply to news articles by mail. If it is @code{nil}, nothing
11754 interferes in what you want to do. This can also be a function
11755 receiving the group name as the only parameter which should return
11756 non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is needed, or a regular expression
11757 matching group names, where confirmation should be asked for.
11759 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
11760 press @kbd{R} anyway, this variable might be for you.
11762 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11763 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11764 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
11765 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
11766 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
11771 @node Posting Server
11772 @section Posting Server
11774 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
11775 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
11777 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
11779 It can be quite complicated.
11781 @vindex gnus-post-method
11782 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
11783 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
11784 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
11785 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
11786 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
11787 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
11788 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
11789 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
11790 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11793 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
11796 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
11797 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
11798 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
11799 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
11801 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
11802 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
11804 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
11805 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
11808 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
11809 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
11811 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11812 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11813 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11814 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11815 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @acronym{SMTP}
11816 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11817 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11818 package correctly. An example:
11821 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11822 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11825 To the thing similar to this, there is
11826 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}. It is useful if your @acronym{ISP}
11827 requires the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication.
11828 @xref{POP before SMTP}.
11830 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11831 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11832 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11834 @node POP before SMTP
11835 @section POP before SMTP
11836 @cindex pop before smtp
11837 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
11838 @findex mail-source-touch-pop
11840 Does your @acronym{ISP} require the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP}
11841 authentication? It is whether you need to connect to the @acronym{POP}
11842 mail server within a certain time before sending mails. If so, there is
11843 a convenient way. To do that, put the following lines in your
11844 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
11847 (setq message-send-mail-function 'message-smtpmail-send-it)
11848 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook 'mail-source-touch-pop)
11852 It means to let Gnus connect to the @acronym{POP} mail server in advance
11853 whenever you send a mail. The @code{mail-source-touch-pop} function
11854 does only a @acronym{POP} authentication according to the value of
11855 @code{mail-sources} without fetching mails, just before sending a mail.
11856 Note that you have to use @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} which runs
11857 @code{message-send-mail-hook} rather than @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
11858 set the value of @code{mail-sources} for a @acronym{POP} connection
11859 correctly. @xref{Mail Sources}.
11861 If you have two or more @acronym{POP} mail servers set in
11862 @code{mail-sources}, you may want to specify one of them to
11863 @code{mail-source-primary-source} as the @acronym{POP} mail server to be
11864 used for the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. If it
11865 is your primary @acronym{POP} mail server (i.e., you are fetching mails
11866 mainly from that server), you can set it permanently as follows:
11869 (setq mail-source-primary-source
11870 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11871 :password "secret"))
11875 Otherwise, bind it dynamically only when performing the
11876 @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication as follows:
11879 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook
11881 (let ((mail-source-primary-source
11882 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11883 :password "secret")))
11884 (mail-source-touch-pop))))
11887 @node Mail and Post
11888 @section Mail and Post
11890 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11894 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11895 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11896 @cindex mailing lists
11898 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11899 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
11900 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11901 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11902 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11903 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11904 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11905 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11906 still a pain, though.
11908 @item gnus-user-agent
11909 @vindex gnus-user-agent
11912 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
11913 User-Agent header. It can be one of the symbols @code{gnus} (show only
11914 Gnus version), @code{emacs-gnus} (show only Emacs and Gnus versions),
11915 @code{emacs-gnus-config} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus system
11916 configuration), @code{emacs-gnus-type} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus
11917 system type) or a custom string. If you set it to a string, be sure to
11918 use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
11922 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11923 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11924 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11927 @findex ispell-message
11929 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11932 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11933 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11936 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11940 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11941 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11943 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11946 Modify to suit your needs.
11949 @node Archived Messages
11950 @section Archived Messages
11951 @cindex archived messages
11952 @cindex sent messages
11954 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11955 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11956 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11957 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11960 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11961 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11964 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11965 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
11966 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11969 (nnfolder "archive"
11970 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11971 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11972 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11973 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11976 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11977 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11978 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11979 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11982 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11983 '(nnfolder "archive"
11984 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11985 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11986 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11989 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11991 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11992 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11993 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11995 This variable can be used to do the following:
11999 Messages will be saved in that group.
12001 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
12002 message will not be stored in the select method given by
12003 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
12004 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
12005 has the default value shown above. Then setting
12006 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
12007 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
12008 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
12011 @item a list of strings
12012 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
12014 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
12015 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
12018 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
12023 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
12025 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
12028 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
12030 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
12033 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
12035 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
12036 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
12037 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
12038 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
12041 More complex stuff:
12043 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
12044 '((if (message-news-p)
12049 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
12050 messages in one file per month:
12053 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
12054 '((if (message-news-p)
12056 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
12059 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
12060 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
12062 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
12063 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
12064 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
12065 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
12066 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
12067 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
12068 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
12069 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
12070 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
12071 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
12073 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
12074 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
12075 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
12076 this will disable archiving.
12079 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
12080 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
12081 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
12082 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
12083 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
12086 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
12087 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
12088 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
12091 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
12092 but the latter is the preferred method.
12094 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
12095 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
12096 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
12098 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
12099 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
12100 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
12101 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
12102 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
12103 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
12104 changed in the future.
12109 @node Posting Styles
12110 @section Posting Styles
12111 @cindex posting styles
12114 All them variables, they make my head swim.
12116 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
12117 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
12118 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
12121 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
12122 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
12123 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
12124 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
12125 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
12130 (signature "Peace and happiness")
12131 (organization "What me?"))
12133 (signature "Death to everybody"))
12134 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
12135 (organization "Emacs is it")))
12138 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
12139 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
12140 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
12141 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
12142 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
12143 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
12144 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
12145 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
12147 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
12148 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
12149 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
12150 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
12151 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
12152 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
12153 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
12154 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
12155 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
12156 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
12157 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
12158 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
12159 said to @dfn{match}.
12161 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
12162 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. In
12163 addition, you can also use the @code{(@var{name} :file @var{value})}
12164 form or the @code{(@var{name} :value @var{value})} form. Where
12165 @code{:file} signifies @var{value} represents a file name and its
12166 contents should be used as the attribute value, @code{:value} signifies
12167 @var{value} does not represent a file name explicitly. The attribute
12168 name can be one of:
12171 @item @code{signature}
12172 @item @code{signature-file}
12173 @item @code{x-face-file}
12174 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
12175 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
12179 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
12180 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
12181 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
12182 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
12183 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
12185 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
12186 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
12187 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
12188 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
12189 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
12190 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
12191 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
12192 references chars lines xref extra.
12194 @vindex message-reply-headers
12196 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
12197 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
12198 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
12200 @findex message-mail-p
12201 @findex message-news-p
12203 So here's a new example:
12206 (setq gnus-posting-styles
12208 (signature-file "~/.signature")
12210 (x-face-file "~/.xface")
12211 (x-url (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
12212 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
12214 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
12215 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
12216 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
12217 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
12218 (signature my-news-signature))
12219 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
12220 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
12221 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
12222 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
12223 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
12224 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
12225 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
12226 (address "user@@bar.foo")
12227 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
12228 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
12230 (From (save-excursion
12231 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
12232 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
12234 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
12237 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
12238 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
12239 if you fill many roles.
12240 You may also use @code{message-alternative-emails} instead.
12241 @xref{Message Headers, ,Message Headers, message, Message Manual}.
12247 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
12248 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
12249 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
12250 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
12251 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
12253 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
12254 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
12255 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
12256 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
12257 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
12261 @vindex nndraft-directory
12262 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
12263 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
12264 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
12265 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
12266 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
12267 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
12269 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
12270 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
12271 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
12272 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
12273 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
12274 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
12275 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
12276 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
12277 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
12279 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
12280 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
12281 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
12282 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
12283 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
12284 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
12285 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
12286 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
12287 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
12288 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
12289 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
12290 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
12291 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
12292 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
12294 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
12295 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
12296 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
12298 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
12299 @kindex D e (Draft)
12300 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
12301 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
12302 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
12304 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
12307 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
12308 @kindex D s (Draft)
12309 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
12310 @kindex D S (Draft)
12311 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
12312 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
12313 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
12314 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
12315 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
12318 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
12319 @kindex D t (Draft)
12320 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
12321 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
12322 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
12325 @node Rejected Articles
12326 @section Rejected Articles
12327 @cindex rejected articles
12329 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
12330 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
12331 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
12332 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
12334 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
12335 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
12336 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
12337 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
12338 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
12340 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
12341 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
12342 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
12344 @node Signing and encrypting
12345 @section Signing and encrypting
12347 @cindex using s/mime
12348 @cindex using smime
12350 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
12351 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
12352 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
12353 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
12355 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
12356 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
12357 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
12358 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
12359 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
12360 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
12361 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
12362 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
12363 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
12364 automatically encrypted messages.
12366 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
12367 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
12368 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
12373 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
12374 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
12376 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12379 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
12380 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12382 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12385 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
12386 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12388 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12391 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
12392 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
12394 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12397 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
12398 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
12400 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12403 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
12404 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
12406 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12409 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
12410 @findex mml-unsecure-message
12411 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
12415 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
12417 @node Select Methods
12418 @chapter Select Methods
12419 @cindex foreign groups
12420 @cindex select methods
12422 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
12423 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
12424 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
12425 personal mail group.
12427 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
12428 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
12429 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
12430 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
12431 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
12432 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
12434 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
12435 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
12437 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
12440 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
12441 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
12442 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
12443 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
12444 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
12446 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
12449 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
12450 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
12451 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
12452 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
12453 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
12454 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
12455 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
12456 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
12457 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
12461 @node Server Buffer
12462 @section Server Buffer
12464 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
12465 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
12466 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
12467 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
12468 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
12469 back end represents a virtual server.
12471 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
12472 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
12473 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
12474 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
12476 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
12477 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
12478 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
12479 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
12480 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
12481 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
12482 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
12484 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
12485 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
12488 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
12489 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
12490 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
12491 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
12492 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
12493 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
12494 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
12497 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
12498 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
12501 @node Server Buffer Format
12502 @subsection Server Buffer Format
12503 @cindex server buffer format
12505 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
12506 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
12507 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
12508 variable, with some simple extensions:
12513 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
12516 The name of this server.
12519 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
12522 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
12525 Whether this server is agentized.
12528 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
12529 The mode line can also be customized by using the
12530 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
12531 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
12541 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
12544 @node Server Commands
12545 @subsection Server Commands
12546 @cindex server commands
12552 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Server)
12553 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it key to some
12554 function or better use it as a prefix key.
12558 @findex gnus-server-add-server
12559 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
12563 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
12564 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
12567 @kindex SPACE (Server)
12568 @findex gnus-server-read-server
12569 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
12573 @findex gnus-server-exit
12574 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
12578 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
12579 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
12583 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
12584 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
12588 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
12589 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
12593 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
12594 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
12598 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
12599 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
12600 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
12605 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
12606 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
12607 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
12608 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
12613 @node Example Methods
12614 @subsection Example Methods
12616 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
12619 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
12622 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
12628 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
12629 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
12632 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
12633 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
12635 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
12636 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
12640 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
12643 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
12644 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
12646 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
12647 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
12648 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
12652 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
12655 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
12658 Here's the method for a public spool:
12662 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
12663 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
12669 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
12670 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
12671 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12672 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
12673 should probably look something like this:
12677 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
12678 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
12679 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
12680 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12683 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
12684 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
12685 configuration to the example above:
12688 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
12691 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}. Here's an example for
12692 an indirect connection:
12694 (setq gnus-select-method
12696 (nntp-address "news.server.example")
12697 (nntp-via-user-name "intermediate_user_name")
12698 (nntp-via-address "intermediate.host.example")
12699 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
12700 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
12701 (nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches ("-C" "-t" "-e" "none"))
12702 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)))
12705 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
12706 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
12707 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
12711 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12712 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
12713 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
12714 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12717 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
12718 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
12719 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
12720 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
12723 @node Creating a Virtual Server
12724 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
12726 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
12727 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
12729 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
12730 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
12731 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
12733 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
12735 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
12736 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
12737 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
12738 will contain the following:
12748 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
12749 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
12752 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
12753 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
12754 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
12757 @node Server Variables
12758 @subsection Server Variables
12759 @cindex server variables
12760 @cindex server parameters
12762 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
12763 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
12764 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
12765 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
12766 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
12768 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
12769 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
12770 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
12771 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
12772 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
12773 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
12774 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
12775 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
12776 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
12780 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
12781 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
12782 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
12785 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
12787 @node Servers and Methods
12788 @subsection Servers and Methods
12790 Wherever you would normally use a select method
12791 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
12792 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
12793 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
12797 @node Unavailable Servers
12798 @subsection Unavailable Servers
12800 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
12801 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
12802 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
12803 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
12804 actually the case or not.
12806 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
12807 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
12808 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
12809 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
12810 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
12811 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
12812 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
12813 it will regard that server as ``down''.
12815 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
12816 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
12818 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
12819 with the following commands:
12825 @findex gnus-server-open-server
12826 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
12827 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
12831 @findex gnus-server-close-server
12832 Close the connection (if any) to the server
12833 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
12837 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
12838 Mark the current server as unreachable
12839 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
12842 @kindex M-o (Server)
12843 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
12844 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
12845 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
12848 @kindex M-c (Server)
12849 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
12850 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
12851 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
12855 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
12856 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
12857 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
12861 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
12862 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
12868 @section Getting News
12869 @cindex reading news
12870 @cindex news back ends
12872 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
12873 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
12874 or it can read from a local spool.
12877 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12878 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
12886 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
12887 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
12888 server as the, uhm, address.
12890 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
12891 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
12892 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
12893 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12895 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
12896 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
12897 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
12899 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
12904 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
12905 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
12906 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
12908 @cindex authentication
12909 @cindex nntp authentication
12910 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12911 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
12912 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
12913 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
12914 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
12915 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
12916 present in this hook.
12918 @item nntp-authinfo-function
12919 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
12920 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12921 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
12922 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
12923 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
12924 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12925 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12926 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12927 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12928 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12929 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12933 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12936 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12938 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12939 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12940 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12941 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12942 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12943 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12944 @samp{force} is explained below.
12948 Here's an example file:
12951 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12952 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12955 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12956 have to be first, for instance.
12958 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12959 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12960 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12961 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12962 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12963 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12964 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12966 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12967 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12973 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12974 previously mentioned.
12976 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12978 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12979 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12980 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12981 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12982 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12985 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12986 '(("innd" (ding))))
12989 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12991 The default value is
12994 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12995 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12996 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12999 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
13000 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
13002 @item nntp-maximum-request
13003 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
13004 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
13005 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
13006 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
13007 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
13008 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
13009 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
13011 @item nntp-connection-timeout
13012 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
13013 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
13014 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
13015 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
13016 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
13017 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
13018 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
13019 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
13020 no timeouts are done.
13022 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
13023 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
13024 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
13025 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
13028 @item nntp-xover-commands
13029 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
13030 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
13032 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
13033 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
13037 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
13038 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
13039 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
13040 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
13041 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
13042 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
13043 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
13044 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
13045 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
13046 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
13047 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
13049 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
13050 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
13051 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
13053 @item nntp-record-commands
13054 @vindex nntp-record-commands
13055 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
13056 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
13057 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
13058 that doesn't seem to work.
13060 @item nntp-open-connection-function
13061 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
13062 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
13063 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
13064 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
13065 Seven pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped
13066 in two categories: direct connection functions (four pre-made), and
13067 indirect ones (three pre-made).
13069 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
13070 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
13071 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
13072 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
13073 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
13074 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
13075 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
13078 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
13081 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
13082 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
13087 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
13088 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
13089 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
13090 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
13094 @node Direct Functions
13095 @subsubsection Direct Functions
13096 @cindex direct connection functions
13098 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
13099 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
13100 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
13101 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13104 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
13105 @item nntp-open-network-stream
13106 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
13109 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
13110 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
13111 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
13112 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
13113 installed. You then define a server as follows:
13116 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
13117 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
13119 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
13120 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
13121 (nntp-port-number )
13122 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
13125 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
13126 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
13127 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
13128 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
13129 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
13130 then define a server as follows:
13133 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
13134 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
13136 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
13137 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
13138 (nntp-port-number 563)
13139 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
13142 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
13143 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
13144 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
13145 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
13146 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
13147 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
13148 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
13149 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
13153 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
13154 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
13155 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
13158 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
13159 session, which is not a good idea.
13163 @node Indirect Functions
13164 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
13165 @cindex indirect connection functions
13167 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
13168 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
13169 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
13170 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
13171 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
13172 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13175 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
13176 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
13177 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
13178 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
13179 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
13181 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
13184 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
13185 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
13186 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
13187 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
13189 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13190 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13191 List of strings to be used as the switches to
13192 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
13193 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
13194 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
13195 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
13196 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
13200 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
13201 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13203 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
13204 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
13205 Does essentially the same, but uses
13206 @uref{http://netcat.sourceforge.net/, netcat} instead of @samp{telnet}
13207 to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the intermediate host.
13209 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat}-specific variables:
13212 @item nntp-via-netcat-command
13213 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-command
13214 Command used to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the
13215 intermediate host. The default is @samp{nc}. You can also use other
13216 programs like @uref{http://www.imasy.or.jp/~gotoh/ssh/connect.html,
13219 @item nntp-via-netcat-switches
13220 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-switches
13221 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
13222 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @code{nil}.
13224 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
13225 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
13226 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
13227 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
13229 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13230 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13231 List of strings to be used as the switches to
13232 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}.
13235 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
13236 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
13237 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
13238 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
13240 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
13243 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
13244 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
13245 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
13248 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
13249 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
13250 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
13251 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
13253 @item nntp-via-user-password
13254 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
13255 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
13257 @item nntp-via-envuser
13258 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
13259 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
13260 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
13261 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
13263 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
13264 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
13265 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
13266 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
13270 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
13271 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13275 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
13280 @item nntp-via-user-name
13281 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
13282 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
13284 @item nntp-via-address
13285 @vindex nntp-via-address
13286 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
13291 @node Common Variables
13292 @subsubsection Common Variables
13294 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
13295 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
13296 affected (the values of the following variables will be used as the
13297 default if each virtual @code{nntp} server doesn't specify those server
13298 variables individually).
13302 @item nntp-pre-command
13303 @vindex nntp-pre-command
13304 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
13305 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
13306 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}). This is
13307 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
13310 @vindex nntp-address
13311 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
13313 @item nntp-port-number
13314 @vindex nntp-port-number
13315 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13316 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
13317 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you may want to use integer ports rather
13318 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
13319 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
13320 not work with named ports.
13322 @item nntp-end-of-line
13323 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
13324 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
13325 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
13326 using a non native telnet connection function.
13328 @item nntp-telnet-command
13329 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
13330 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
13331 @samp{telnet}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
13332 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13335 @item nntp-telnet-switches
13336 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
13337 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
13343 @subsubsection NNTP marks
13344 @cindex storing NNTP marks
13346 Gnus stores marks (@pxref{Marking Articles}) for @acronym{NNTP}
13347 servers in marks files. A marks file records what marks you have set
13348 in a group and each file is specific to the corresponding server.
13349 Marks files are stored in @file{~/News/marks}
13350 (@code{nntp-marks-directory}) under a classic hierarchy resembling
13351 that of a news server, for example marks for the group
13352 @samp{gmane.discuss} on the news.gmane.org server will be stored in
13353 the file @file{~/News/marks/news.gmane.org/gmane/discuss/.marks}.
13355 Marks files are useful because you can copy the @file{~/News/marks}
13356 directory (using rsync, scp or whatever) to another Gnus installation,
13357 and it will realize what articles you have read and marked. The data
13358 in @file{~/News/marks} has priority over the same data in
13359 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
13361 Note that marks files are very much server-specific: Gnus remembers
13362 the article numbers so if you don't use the same servers on both
13363 installations things are most likely to break (most @acronym{NNTP}
13364 servers do not use the same article numbers as any other server).
13365 However, if you use servers A, B, C on one installation and servers A,
13366 D, E on the other, you can sync the marks files for A and then you'll
13367 get synchronization for that server between the two installations.
13369 Using @acronym{NNTP} marks can possibly incur a performance penalty so
13370 if Gnus feels sluggish, try setting the @code{nntp-marks-is-evil}
13371 variable to @code{t}. Marks will then be stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
13377 @item nntp-marks-is-evil
13378 @vindex nntp-marks-is-evil
13379 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any marks files. The
13380 default is @code{nil}.
13382 @item nntp-marks-directory
13383 @vindex nntp-marks-directory
13384 The directory where marks for nntp groups will be stored.
13390 @subsection News Spool
13394 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
13395 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
13396 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
13399 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
13400 anything else) as the address.
13402 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
13403 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
13404 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
13405 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
13409 @item nnspool-inews-program
13410 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
13411 Program used to post an article.
13413 @item nnspool-inews-switches
13414 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
13415 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
13417 @item nnspool-spool-directory
13418 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
13419 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
13420 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
13422 @item nnspool-nov-directory
13423 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
13424 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
13425 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
13427 @item nnspool-lib-dir
13428 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
13429 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
13431 @item nnspool-active-file
13432 @vindex nnspool-active-file
13433 The name of the active file.
13435 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
13436 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
13437 The name of the group descriptions file.
13439 @item nnspool-history-file
13440 @vindex nnspool-history-file
13441 The name of the news history file.
13443 @item nnspool-active-times-file
13444 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
13445 The name of the active date file.
13447 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
13448 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
13449 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
13452 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13453 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13455 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
13456 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
13457 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
13464 @section Getting Mail
13465 @cindex reading mail
13468 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
13472 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
13473 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
13474 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
13475 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
13476 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
13477 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
13478 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
13479 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
13480 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
13481 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
13482 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
13483 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
13484 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
13488 @node Mail in a Newsreader
13489 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
13491 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
13492 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
13493 of a culture shock.
13495 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
13496 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
13498 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
13499 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
13500 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
13501 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
13503 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
13505 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
13506 deleted? How awful!
13508 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
13509 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
13510 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
13511 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
13514 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
13515 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
13516 they want to treat a message.
13518 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
13519 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
13520 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
13521 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
13522 archived somewhere else.
13524 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
13525 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
13526 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
13527 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
13528 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
13530 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
13531 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
13532 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
13534 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
13535 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
13538 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
13539 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
13540 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
13541 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
13542 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
13544 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
13545 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
13546 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
13547 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
13548 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
13549 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
13553 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
13554 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
13556 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
13557 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
13558 and things will happen automatically.
13560 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
13561 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
13564 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
13567 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
13568 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
13569 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
13570 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
13571 like any other group.
13573 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
13576 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13577 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13578 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13582 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
13583 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
13584 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
13587 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
13588 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
13589 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
13592 @node Splitting Mail
13593 @subsection Splitting Mail
13594 @cindex splitting mail
13595 @cindex mail splitting
13596 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
13598 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
13599 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
13600 to be split into groups.
13603 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13604 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13605 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13606 ("mail.other" "")))
13609 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
13610 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
13611 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
13612 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
13613 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
13614 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
13615 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
13618 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
13622 In that case, @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether
13623 the inserted text should be made lowercase. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
13625 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13626 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
13627 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
13628 mail belongs in that group.
13630 @cindex @samp{bogus} group
13631 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
13632 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{""} so that it matches any mails
13633 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
13634 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first rule
13635 to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled. In
13636 that case, all matching rules will ``win''.) If no rule matched, the mail
13637 will end up in the @samp{bogus} group. When new groups are created by
13638 splitting mail, you may want to run @code{gnus-group-find-new-groups} to
13639 see the new groups. This also applies to the @samp{bogus} group.
13641 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
13642 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
13643 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
13644 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
13645 thinks should carry this mail message.
13647 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
13648 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
13649 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
13650 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
13652 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
13653 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
13654 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
13655 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
13656 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{""}) group.
13658 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
13661 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
13662 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
13663 links. If that's the case for you, set
13664 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
13665 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
13667 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
13668 @findex nnmail-split-history
13669 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
13670 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
13671 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
13672 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
13675 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
13676 Header lines longer than the value of
13677 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
13680 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
13681 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
13682 By default the splitting codes @acronym{MIME} decodes headers so you
13683 can match on non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. The
13684 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset} variable specifies the default
13685 charset for decoding. The behavior can be turned off completely by
13686 binding @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to @code{nil}, which is
13687 useful if you want to match articles based on the raw header data.
13689 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13690 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
13691 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
13692 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
13693 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
13694 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
13695 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
13696 other kinds of entries.)
13698 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
13699 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
13700 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
13701 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
13702 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
13703 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
13704 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
13705 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
13706 month's rent money.
13710 @subsection Mail Sources
13712 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
13713 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
13714 maildir, for instance.
13717 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
13718 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
13719 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
13723 @node Mail Source Specifiers
13724 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
13726 @cindex mail server
13729 @cindex mail source
13731 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
13732 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
13737 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
13740 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
13741 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
13742 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
13745 The following mail source types are available:
13749 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
13755 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
13756 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
13757 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
13761 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13764 An example file mail source:
13767 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
13770 Or using the default file name:
13776 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
13777 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
13778 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
13779 mail spool while moving the mail.
13781 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
13785 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
13788 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
13792 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
13795 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
13797 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
13800 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
13804 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
13805 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
13806 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
13807 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
13808 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
13809 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
13810 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
13811 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
13812 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
13813 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
13815 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13816 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
13817 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
13818 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
13824 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
13828 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
13832 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
13833 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
13834 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
13835 predicate are considered.
13839 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13843 An example directory mail source:
13846 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
13851 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
13857 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
13858 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13861 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
13862 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
13863 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
13864 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
13865 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
13868 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
13872 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
13873 the user is prompted.
13876 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
13877 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
13880 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
13883 The valid format specifier characters are:
13887 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
13888 included in this string.
13891 The name of the server.
13894 The port number of the server.
13897 The user name to use.
13900 The password to use.
13903 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13904 corresponding keywords.
13907 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13908 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13911 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13912 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13915 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
13916 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
13917 mail should be moved to.
13919 @item :authentication
13920 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
13921 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
13926 @vindex pop3-movemail
13927 @vindex pop3-leave-mail-on-server
13928 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
13929 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used. If @code{pop3-leave-mail-on-server}
13930 is non-@code{nil} the mail is to be left on the @acronym{POP} server
13931 after fetching when using @code{pop3-movemail}. Note that POP servers
13932 maintain no state information between sessions, so what the client
13933 believes is there and what is actually there may not match up. If they
13934 do not, then you may get duplicate mails or the whole thing can fall
13935 apart and leave you with a corrupt mailbox.
13937 Here are some examples for getting mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
13938 Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server, using the default user
13939 name, and default fetcher:
13945 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
13948 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
13949 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
13952 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
13955 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
13959 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
13960 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
13961 contains exactly one mail.
13967 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
13968 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
13971 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
13972 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
13974 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
13975 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
13976 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13979 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13980 from locking problems).
13984 Two example maildir mail sources:
13987 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13988 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13992 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13997 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
13998 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
13999 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
14000 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
14001 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for more information.
14003 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} and STARTTLS support you
14004 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
14010 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
14011 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
14014 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
14015 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
14018 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
14022 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
14026 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
14027 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
14028 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
14029 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
14031 @item :authentication
14032 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
14033 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
14034 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
14035 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
14038 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
14039 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
14040 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
14046 The valid format specifier characters are:
14050 The name of the server.
14053 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
14056 The port number of the server.
14059 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
14060 corresponding keywords.
14063 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
14064 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
14067 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
14068 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
14069 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
14070 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
14071 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
14072 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
14075 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
14076 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
14077 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
14078 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
14081 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
14082 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
14086 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
14089 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
14091 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
14095 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{http://www.hotmail.com/},
14096 @uref{http://webmail.netscape.com/}, @uref{http://www.netaddress.com/},
14097 @uref{http://mail.yahoo.com/}.
14099 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
14100 required for url "4.0pre.46".
14102 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
14108 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
14109 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
14112 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
14116 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
14120 If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
14121 trash folder after finishing the fetch.
14125 An example webmail source:
14128 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
14130 :password "secret")
14135 @item Common Keywords
14136 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
14142 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
14143 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
14148 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
14153 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
14154 useful when you use local mail and news.
14159 @subsubsection Function Interface
14161 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
14162 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
14163 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
14164 consider the following mail-source setting:
14167 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
14168 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
14171 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
14172 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
14173 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
14174 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
14175 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
14177 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
14180 @node Mail Source Customization
14181 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
14183 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
14184 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
14188 @item mail-source-crash-box
14189 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
14190 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
14191 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
14193 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
14194 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
14195 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
14196 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
14197 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
14198 (This will only happen, when receiving new mail). You may also set
14199 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
14200 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
14202 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
14203 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
14204 If non-@code{nil}, ask for for confirmation before deleting old incoming
14205 files. This variable only applies when
14206 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
14208 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
14209 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
14210 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
14212 @item mail-source-directory
14213 @vindex mail-source-directory
14214 Directory where incoming mail source files (if any) will be stored. The
14215 default is @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for
14216 is to say where the incoming files will be stored if the variable
14217 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a number.
14219 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
14220 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
14221 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
14222 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
14223 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
14224 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a
14227 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
14228 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
14229 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
14231 @item mail-source-movemail-program
14232 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
14233 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
14234 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
14239 @node Fetching Mail
14240 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
14242 @vindex mail-sources
14243 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
14244 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
14245 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
14246 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
14248 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
14249 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
14252 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
14253 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
14258 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
14259 :password "secret")))
14262 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
14266 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
14267 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
14270 :password "secret")))
14274 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
14275 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
14276 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
14277 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
14278 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
14279 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
14283 @node Mail Back End Variables
14284 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
14286 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
14290 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
14291 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
14292 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
14293 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
14295 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
14296 @item nnmail-split-hook
14297 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
14298 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
14299 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
14300 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
14301 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
14302 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
14303 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
14304 in the buffer will show up in any files.
14305 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
14308 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14309 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14310 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14311 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14312 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
14313 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
14314 starting to handle the new mail) and
14315 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
14316 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
14317 default file modes the new mail files get:
14320 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14321 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
14323 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14324 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
14327 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
14328 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
14329 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
14330 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
14331 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
14332 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
14333 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
14335 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
14336 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
14337 @findex delete-file
14338 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
14340 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14341 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14342 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
14343 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
14344 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
14346 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
14347 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
14348 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
14349 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
14350 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
14352 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
14353 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
14354 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
14359 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
14360 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
14361 @cindex mail splitting
14362 @cindex fancy mail splitting
14364 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
14365 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
14366 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
14367 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
14368 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
14369 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
14371 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
14374 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
14375 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
14376 ;; @r{from real errors.}
14377 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
14379 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
14380 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
14381 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
14382 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
14383 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
14384 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
14385 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
14386 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
14387 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
14388 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
14389 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
14390 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
14391 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
14392 (any "mypackage@@somewhere" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
14393 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
14394 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
14395 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
14399 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
14400 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
14401 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
14406 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
14407 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
14409 @c Don't fold this line.
14410 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split} [@var{invert-partial}])
14411 The split can be a list containing at least three elements. If the
14412 first element @var{field} (a regexp matching a header) contains
14413 @var{value} (also a regexp) then store the message as specified by
14416 If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp) matches some string after
14417 @var{field} and before the end of the matched @var{value}, the
14418 @var{split} is ignored. If none of the @var{restrict} clauses match,
14419 @var{split} is processed.
14421 The last element @var{invert-partial} is optional. If it is
14422 non-@code{nil}, the match-partial-words behavior controlled by the
14423 variable @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} (see below) is
14424 be inverted. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
14426 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
14427 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
14428 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
14429 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
14430 stored in one or more groups.
14432 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
14433 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
14434 process all @var{split}s in the list.
14437 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
14438 this message. Use with extreme caution.
14440 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
14441 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
14442 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
14443 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
14446 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
14447 body of the messages:
14450 (defun split-on-body ()
14454 (goto-char (point-min))
14455 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
14459 The buffer is narrowed to the message in question when @var{function}
14460 is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called after
14461 @code{save-excursion} and @code{save-restriction} in the example
14462 above. Also note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will
14463 not be downloaded by default. You need to set
14464 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
14465 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
14467 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
14468 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
14469 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
14470 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
14471 should return a split.
14474 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
14478 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
14480 Normally, @var{value} in these splits must match a complete @emph{word}
14481 according to the fundamental mode syntax table. In other words, all
14482 @var{value}'s will be implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers,
14483 which are word delimiters. Therefore, if you use the following split,
14487 (any "joe" "joemail")
14491 messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will normally not be filed
14492 in @samp{joemail}. If you want to alter this behavior, you can use any
14493 of the following three ways:
14497 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
14498 You can set the @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} variable
14499 to non-@code{nil} in order to ignore word boundaries and instead the
14500 match becomes more like a grep. This variable controls whether partial
14501 words are matched during fancy splitting. The default value is
14504 Note that it influences all @var{value}'s in your split rules.
14507 @var{value} beginning with @code{.*} ignores word boundaries in front of
14508 a word. Similarly, if @var{value} ends with @code{.*}, word boundaries
14509 in the rear of a word will be ignored. For example, the @var{value}
14510 @code{"@@example\\.com"} does not match @samp{foo@@example.com} but
14511 @code{".*@@example\\.com"} does.
14514 You can set the @var{invert-partial} flag in your split rules of the
14515 @samp{(@var{field} @var{value} @dots{})} types, aforementioned in this
14516 section. If the flag is set, word boundaries on both sides of a word
14517 are ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
14518 @code{nil}. Contrarily, if the flag is set, word boundaries are not
14519 ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
14520 non-@code{nil}. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
14523 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
14524 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
14525 they are expanded as specified by the variable
14526 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
14527 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
14528 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
14529 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
14533 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
14535 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
14536 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
14538 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
14541 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
14542 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
14543 when all this splitting is performed.
14545 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
14546 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
14547 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
14550 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
14553 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
14554 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
14556 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
14557 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
14558 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
14559 groupings 1 through 9.
14561 @vindex nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded
14562 Where @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether the
14563 lowercase of the matched string should be used for the substitution.
14564 Setting it as non-@code{nil} is useful to avoid the creation of multiple
14565 groups when users send to an address using different case
14566 (i.e. mailing-list@@domain vs Mailing-List@@Domain). The default value
14569 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
14570 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
14571 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
14572 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
14573 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
14574 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
14575 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
14576 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
14577 it once per thread.
14579 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
14580 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
14581 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
14582 using the colon feature, like so:
14584 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
14585 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
14587 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
14588 ;; @r{other splits go here}
14592 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
14593 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
14594 in the file specified by the variable
14595 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
14596 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
14597 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
14598 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
14599 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
14600 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
14601 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
14602 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
14603 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
14604 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
14605 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
14606 300 kBytes in size.)
14607 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14608 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
14609 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
14610 messages goes into the new group.
14612 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
14613 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
14614 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
14615 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
14616 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
14617 ``outgoing'' group.
14620 @node Group Mail Splitting
14621 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
14622 @cindex mail splitting
14623 @cindex group mail splitting
14625 @findex gnus-group-split
14626 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
14627 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
14628 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
14629 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
14630 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
14631 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
14632 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
14633 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
14635 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
14636 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
14637 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
14638 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
14640 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
14641 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
14642 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
14643 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
14644 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
14645 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
14646 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
14648 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
14649 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
14650 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
14651 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
14652 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
14653 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
14654 @code{gnus-group-split}.
14656 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
14657 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
14658 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
14659 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
14660 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
14661 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
14662 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
14663 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
14664 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
14665 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
14666 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
14667 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
14668 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
14670 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
14675 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
14676 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
14678 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
14679 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
14680 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
14681 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
14683 ((split-spec . catch-all))
14686 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
14687 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
14688 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
14691 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
14692 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
14693 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
14697 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
14698 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
14699 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
14703 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
14706 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
14707 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
14708 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
14709 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
14710 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
14711 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
14712 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
14713 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
14714 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
14716 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
14717 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
14718 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
14719 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
14720 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
14721 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
14722 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
14723 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
14724 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
14726 @findex gnus-group-split-update
14727 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
14728 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
14729 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
14730 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
14731 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
14734 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
14737 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
14738 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
14739 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
14740 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
14741 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
14744 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
14745 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
14746 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
14747 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
14749 @node Incorporating Old Mail
14750 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
14751 @cindex incorporating old mail
14752 @cindex import old mail
14754 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
14755 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
14756 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
14759 Doing so can be quite easy.
14761 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
14762 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
14763 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
14764 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
14765 your @code{nnml} groups.
14771 Go to the group buffer.
14774 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
14775 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14778 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
14781 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
14782 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14785 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
14786 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
14789 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
14790 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
14791 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
14792 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
14793 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
14795 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
14796 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
14797 using the new mail back end.
14800 @node Expiring Mail
14801 @subsection Expiring Mail
14802 @cindex article expiry
14804 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
14805 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
14806 different approach to mail reading.
14808 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
14809 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
14810 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
14811 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
14812 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
14813 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
14816 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
14817 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
14818 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
14819 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
14820 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
14821 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
14822 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
14823 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
14824 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
14826 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
14827 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
14828 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
14829 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
14830 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
14831 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
14832 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
14835 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
14836 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
14837 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
14838 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
14839 into its own group.)
14841 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
14842 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
14843 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
14844 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
14845 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
14846 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
14847 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
14848 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
14851 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14852 Groups that match the regular expression
14853 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
14854 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
14855 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
14857 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
14858 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
14859 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
14860 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
14861 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14863 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
14865 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
14866 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
14867 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
14870 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
14871 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
14872 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
14873 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
14874 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
14876 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
14877 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
14880 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14881 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
14884 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
14885 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
14887 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
14888 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
14889 don't really mix very well.
14891 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
14892 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
14893 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
14894 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
14897 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
14898 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
14899 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
14900 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
14903 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14905 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14907 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
14909 ((string= group "mail.junk")
14911 ((string= group "important")
14917 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
14918 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
14920 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
14921 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
14922 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
14925 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
14926 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
14928 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
14929 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
14930 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
14931 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
14932 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
14933 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
14934 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
14935 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
14936 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
14937 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
14938 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
14939 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
14940 name or @code{delete}.
14942 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
14944 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
14947 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14948 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14949 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
14950 expire mail to groups according to the variable
14951 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
14954 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14955 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14956 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
14957 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
14958 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
14961 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
14962 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
14963 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
14964 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
14965 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
14966 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
14968 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
14969 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
14970 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
14971 easier for procmail users.
14973 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
14974 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
14975 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
14976 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
14977 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
14978 caution. Even more dangerous is the
14979 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
14980 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
14981 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
14982 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
14983 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
14984 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
14985 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
14988 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
14990 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
14991 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
14992 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
14993 auto-expire turned on.
14997 @subsection Washing Mail
14998 @cindex mail washing
14999 @cindex list server brain damage
15000 @cindex incoming mail treatment
15002 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
15003 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
15004 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
15005 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
15006 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
15007 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
15009 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
15010 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
15011 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
15014 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
15015 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
15016 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
15017 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
15020 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
15021 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
15022 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
15023 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
15024 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
15027 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
15028 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
15029 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
15030 Emacs running on MS machines.
15034 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
15035 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
15036 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
15037 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
15040 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
15041 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
15042 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
15043 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
15045 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
15046 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
15047 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
15048 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
15049 into a feature by documenting it.)
15051 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
15052 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
15053 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
15054 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
15055 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
15056 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
15057 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
15060 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
15061 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
15064 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
15065 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
15068 This can also be done non-destructively with
15069 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
15071 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
15072 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
15073 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
15075 @item nnmail-ignore-broken-references
15076 @findex nnmail-ignore-broken-references
15077 @c @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
15080 Some mail user agents (e.g. Eudora and Pegasus) produce broken
15081 @code{References} headers, but correct @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This
15082 function will get rid of the @code{References} header if the headers
15083 contain a line matching the regular expression
15084 @code{nnmail-broken-references-mailers}.
15088 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
15089 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
15090 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
15094 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
15095 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
15096 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
15103 @subsection Duplicates
15105 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
15106 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
15107 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
15108 @cindex duplicate mails
15109 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
15110 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
15111 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
15112 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
15113 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
15114 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
15115 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
15116 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
15117 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
15118 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
15119 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
15120 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
15121 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
15123 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
15124 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
15125 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
15126 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
15128 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
15131 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
15132 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
15136 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
15137 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
15138 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
15139 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
15140 (any mail "mail.misc")
15141 ;; @r{Other rules.}
15147 (setq nnmail-split-methods
15148 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
15149 ;; @r{Other rules.}
15153 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
15154 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
15155 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
15156 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
15157 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
15160 @node Not Reading Mail
15161 @subsection Not Reading Mail
15163 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
15164 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
15165 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
15167 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
15168 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
15169 mail, which should help.
15171 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
15172 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
15173 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
15174 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
15175 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
15176 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
15177 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old Rmail
15178 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
15179 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
15180 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
15181 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
15183 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
15184 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
15188 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
15189 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
15191 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
15192 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
15193 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
15195 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
15196 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
15197 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
15201 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
15202 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
15203 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
15204 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
15205 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
15206 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
15207 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
15211 @node Unix Mail Box
15212 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
15214 @cindex unix mail box
15216 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
15217 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
15218 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
15219 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
15220 which group it belongs in.
15222 Virtual server settings:
15225 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
15226 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
15227 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
15230 @item nnmbox-active-file
15231 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
15232 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
15233 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
15235 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
15236 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
15237 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
15238 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
15243 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
15247 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
15248 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
15249 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{Rmail
15250 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
15251 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
15253 Virtual server settings:
15256 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
15257 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
15258 The name of the Rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
15260 @item nnbabyl-active-file
15261 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
15262 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
15263 @file{~/.rmail-active}
15265 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
15266 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
15267 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
15273 @subsubsection Mail Spool
15275 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
15277 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
15278 format. It should be used with some caution.
15280 @vindex nnml-directory
15281 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
15282 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
15283 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
15284 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
15286 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
15289 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
15290 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
15291 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
15292 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
15293 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
15294 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
15295 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
15296 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
15298 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
15299 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
15300 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
15301 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
15303 @cindex self contained nnml servers
15305 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
15306 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15307 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15308 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
15309 for a group are usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
15310 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
15311 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
15312 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
15315 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
15316 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
15317 them next time it starts.
15319 Virtual server settings:
15322 @item nnml-directory
15323 @vindex nnml-directory
15324 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
15325 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
15328 @item nnml-active-file
15329 @vindex nnml-active-file
15330 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
15331 @file{~/Mail/active}.
15333 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
15334 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
15335 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15336 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
15338 @item nnml-get-new-mail
15339 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
15340 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
15343 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
15344 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
15345 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15346 default is @code{nil}.
15348 @item nnml-nov-file-name
15349 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
15350 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
15352 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
15353 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
15354 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
15356 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
15357 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
15358 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15359 default is @code{nil}.
15361 @item nnml-marks-file-name
15362 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
15363 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
15365 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
15366 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
15367 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
15368 files. This requires @code{auto-compression-mode} to be enabled
15369 (@pxref{Compressed Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
15370 If the value of @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is a string, it is used
15371 as the file extension specifying the comression program. You can set it
15372 to @samp{.bz2} if your Emacs supports it. A value of @code{t} is
15373 equivalent to @samp{.gz}.
15375 @item nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
15376 @vindex nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
15377 Default size threshold for compressed message files. Message files with
15378 bodies larger than that many characters will be automatically compressed
15379 if @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil}.
15383 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
15384 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of
15385 whack, you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
15386 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
15387 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
15388 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
15389 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
15394 @subsubsection MH Spool
15396 @cindex mh-e mail spool
15398 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
15399 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks
15400 file. This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than
15401 @code{nnml}, but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts
15404 Virtual server settings:
15407 @item nnmh-directory
15408 @vindex nnmh-directory
15409 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
15410 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
15413 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
15414 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
15415 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
15419 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
15420 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
15421 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks
15422 they are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
15423 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
15424 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not
15425 have to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
15430 @subsubsection Maildir
15434 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
15435 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
15436 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
15437 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. @code{nnmaildir}
15438 also stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory
15441 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
15442 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
15443 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
15444 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
15445 can still do that with @code{nnmaildir}, but the more common
15446 configuration is to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs
15447 that appear as group in Gnus.
15449 @code{nnmaildir} is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will
15450 never corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never
15451 corrupt its data in the filesystem.
15453 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each
15454 maildir. So you can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to
15455 another, and you will keep your marks.
15457 Virtual server settings:
15461 For each of your @code{nnmaildir} servers (it's very unlikely that
15462 you'd need more than one), you need to create a directory and populate
15463 it with maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not
15464 choose a directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir
15465 will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
15466 filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
15467 in the directory starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is
15468 scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
15469 the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
15470 @code{nnmaildir} notices at these times.
15472 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
15473 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
15474 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
15475 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
15476 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
15477 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
15478 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
15479 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
15480 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
15481 if @code{nnmaildir} uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical
15484 @item target-prefix
15485 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
15486 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
15487 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
15490 When you create a group on an @code{nnmaildir} server, the maildir is
15491 created with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
15492 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
15493 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
15494 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
15495 the group @code{foo}, @code{nnmaildir} will create
15496 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
15497 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
15498 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
15500 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
15501 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
15502 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
15503 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
15504 symlinks pointing to them will be).
15506 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
15507 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
15508 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
15509 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
15510 @code{force} argument.
15512 @item directory-files
15513 This should be a function with the same interface as
15514 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
15515 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
15516 parameter is optional; the default is
15517 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
15518 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
15519 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
15520 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
15521 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
15522 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
15525 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
15526 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
15527 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
15528 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
15529 value is @code{nil}.
15531 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
15532 an @code{nnmaildir} group. The results might happen to be useful, but
15533 that would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be
15534 different in the future. If your split rules create new groups,
15535 remember to supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
15538 @subsubsection Group parameters
15540 @code{nnmaildir} uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore
15541 all this; the default behavior for @code{nnmaildir} is the same as the
15542 default behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after
15543 one week, etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this
15544 functionality is unique to @code{nnmaildir}, so you can ignore it if
15545 you're just trying to duplicate the behavior you already have with
15548 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
15549 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
15550 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
15551 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
15552 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
15553 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
15554 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
15555 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
15556 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
15560 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article
15561 before it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
15562 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
15563 @code{nnmaildir} falls back to the usual
15564 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (the
15565 @code{expiry-wait} group parameter overrides @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}
15566 and makes @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} ineffective). If you
15567 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
15568 60 60)]}; @code{nnmaildir} will evaluate the form and use the result.
15569 An article's age is measured starting from the article file's
15570 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
15571 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
15572 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
15575 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
15577 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
15579 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
15580 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
15581 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an @code{nnmaildir}
15582 group, the article will be just as old in the destination group as it
15583 was in the source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
15584 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
15585 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
15586 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
15587 article. So that form can refer to
15588 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
15589 article. @emph{Even if this parameter is not set, @code{nnmaildir}
15590 does not fall back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
15591 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
15594 If this is set to @code{t}, @code{nnmaildir} will treat the articles
15595 in this maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed
15596 from @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in
15597 @file{new/}, not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles
15598 cannot be edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the
15599 @file{new/} directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox
15600 containing a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the
15601 maildir outside @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for
15602 a shared mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or
15603 have write permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't
15604 contain extra copies of the articles.
15606 @item directory-files
15607 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
15608 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
15609 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
15610 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
15612 @item distrust-Lines:
15613 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmaildir} will always count the lines of an
15614 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
15615 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
15618 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever
15619 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15620 say that all articles have these marks, regardless of whether the
15621 marks stored in the filesystem say so. This is a proof-of-concept
15622 feature that will probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done
15623 in Gnus proper, or abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15626 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
15627 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15628 say that no articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks
15629 stored in the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
15630 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
15631 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
15632 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15634 @item nov-cache-size
15635 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To
15636 speed things up, @code{nnmaildir} keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory
15637 for a limited number of articles in each group. (This is probably not
15638 worthwhile, and will probably be removed in the future.) This
15639 parameter's value is noticed only the first time a group is seen after
15640 the server is opened---i.e., when you first start Gnus, typically.
15641 The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized until the server is closed
15642 and reopened. The default is an estimate of the number of articles
15643 that would be displayed in the summary buffer: a count of articles
15644 that are either marked with @code{tick} or not marked with
15645 @code{read}, plus a little extra.
15648 @subsubsection Article identification
15649 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
15650 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
15651 contains no colons. @code{nnmaildir} ignores, but preserves, the
15652 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
15653 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
15654 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
15655 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
15656 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
15657 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
15658 request the article in the summary buffer.
15660 @subsubsection NOV data
15661 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used
15662 to generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
15663 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
15664 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
15665 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically
15666 when the article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can
15667 force @code{nnmaildir} to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a
15668 single article simply by deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV}
15669 file, but @emph{beware}: this will also cause @code{nnmaildir} to
15670 assign a new article number for this article, which may cause trouble
15671 with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
15673 @subsubsection Article marks
15674 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
15675 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
15676 When Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for a group's marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15677 looks for such files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus
15678 asks @code{nnmaildir} to store a new set of marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15679 creates and deletes the corresponding files as needed. (Actually,
15680 rather than create a new file for each mark, it just creates hard
15681 links to @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
15683 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
15684 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
15685 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
15686 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
15687 this while Gnus is running and your @code{nnmaildir} server is open,
15688 it's best to exit all summary buffers for @code{nnmaildir} groups and
15689 type @kbd{s} in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or
15690 @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not
15691 pick up the changes, and might undo them.
15695 @subsubsection Mail Folders
15697 @cindex mbox folders
15698 @cindex mail folders
15700 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a
15701 separate file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format.
15702 @code{nnfolder} will add extra headers to keep track of article
15703 numbers and arrival dates.
15705 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
15707 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
15708 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15709 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15710 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
15711 Marks for a group are usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
15712 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
15713 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder}
15714 directory. Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to
15715 backup, use @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup
15716 into the @code{nnfolder} directory).
15718 Virtual server settings:
15721 @item nnfolder-directory
15722 @vindex nnfolder-directory
15723 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this
15724 directory. The default is the value of @code{message-directory}
15725 (whose default is @file{~/Mail})
15727 @item nnfolder-active-file
15728 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
15729 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
15731 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15732 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15733 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15734 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
15736 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
15737 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
15738 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The
15739 default is @code{t}
15741 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15742 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15743 @cindex backup files
15744 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
15745 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If
15746 you wish to switch this off, you could say something like the
15747 following in your @file{.emacs} file:
15750 (defun turn-off-backup ()
15751 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
15753 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
15756 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15757 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15758 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
15759 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
15760 extract some information from it before removing it.
15762 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15763 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15764 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15765 default is @code{nil}.
15767 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15768 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15769 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
15771 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
15772 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
15773 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
15774 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15776 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15777 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15778 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15779 default is @code{nil}.
15781 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15782 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15783 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
15785 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
15786 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
15787 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
15788 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15793 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
15794 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
15795 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
15796 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
15797 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
15798 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
15801 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
15802 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
15804 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
15805 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
15806 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
15807 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
15808 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
15810 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
15811 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
15812 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
15813 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
15814 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
15815 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
15816 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
15817 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
15820 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
15821 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
15822 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
15823 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
15828 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
15829 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
15830 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
15831 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
15832 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
15833 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
15834 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
15835 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
15836 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
15837 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
15838 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
15839 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
15840 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
15845 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
15846 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
15847 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
15848 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
15849 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
15850 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
15851 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
15852 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
15853 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
15854 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
15855 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
15856 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
15857 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
15858 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
15860 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
15861 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
15866 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
15867 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
15868 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
15869 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
15870 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
15871 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
15872 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
15873 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
15874 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
15875 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
15876 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
15877 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
15878 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
15879 provided by the active file and overviews.
15881 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
15882 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
15883 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
15884 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
15885 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
15888 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
15889 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
15894 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
15895 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
15896 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
15897 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
15898 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
15899 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
15900 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
15904 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
15905 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
15906 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
15907 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
15908 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
15909 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
15910 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
15911 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
15912 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
15914 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
15915 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
15916 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
15917 friendly mail back end all over.
15921 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
15922 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
15925 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
15926 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
15927 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
15928 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
15929 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
15930 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
15931 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to
15932 @uref{http://www.namesys.com/, ReiserFS} or another non-block-structured
15935 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
15936 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
15937 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
15938 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
15939 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
15940 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
15941 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
15942 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
15943 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
15944 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
15945 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
15947 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
15948 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
15949 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
15950 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
15951 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
15954 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
15955 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
15956 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
15957 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
15958 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
15959 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
15960 removed in the future.
15962 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
15963 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
15964 on your file system.
15966 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
15967 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
15972 @node Browsing the Web
15973 @section Browsing the Web
15975 @cindex browsing the web
15979 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
15980 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
15981 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
15982 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
15983 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
15984 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
15985 even know what a news group is.
15987 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
15988 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
15989 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
15990 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
15991 you mad in the end.
15993 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
15996 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
15997 interfaces to these sources.
16001 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
16002 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
16003 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
16004 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
16005 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
16006 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
16009 All the web sources require Emacs/W3 and the url library or those
16010 alternatives to work.
16012 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
16013 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
16014 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
16015 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
16016 though, you should be ok.
16018 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
16019 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
16020 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
16021 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
16022 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
16024 @node Archiving Mail
16025 @subsection Archiving Mail
16026 @cindex archiving mail
16027 @cindex backup of mail
16029 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
16030 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
16031 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
16032 marks is fairly simple.
16034 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
16035 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
16038 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
16039 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
16040 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
16041 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
16042 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
16043 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
16044 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
16045 before you restore the data.
16047 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
16048 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
16049 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
16050 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
16051 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
16052 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
16053 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
16054 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
16055 is unnecessary in that case.
16058 @subsection Web Searches
16063 @cindex Usenet searches
16064 @cindex searching the Usenet
16066 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
16067 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
16068 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
16069 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
16070 searches without having to use a browser.
16072 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
16073 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
16074 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
16075 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
16076 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
16078 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
16079 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
16080 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
16081 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
16082 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
16083 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
16084 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
16085 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
16086 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
16087 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
16090 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
16091 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
16092 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'@^etre} is to
16093 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
16094 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
16095 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
16097 You must have the @code{url} and @code{W3} package or those alternatives
16098 (try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{mm-url} variable group)
16099 installed to be able to use @code{nnweb}.
16101 Virtual server variables:
16106 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
16107 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
16108 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
16111 @vindex nnweb-search
16112 The search string to feed to the search engine.
16114 @item nnweb-max-hits
16115 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
16116 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
16119 @item nnweb-type-definition
16120 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
16121 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
16122 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
16127 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
16131 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
16134 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
16137 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
16141 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
16148 @subsection Slashdot
16152 @uref{http://slashdot.org/, Slashdot} is a popular news site, with
16153 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
16154 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
16156 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
16157 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
16160 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
16161 '((nnslashdot "")))
16164 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
16165 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
16166 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
16167 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
16168 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
16171 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
16172 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
16174 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
16175 comments), some light @acronym{HTML}izations will be performed. In
16176 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
16177 @samp{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @samp{br} added to
16178 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @acronym{HTML}
16179 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
16180 @acronym{HTML} forms.
16182 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
16185 @item nnslashdot-threaded
16186 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
16187 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
16188 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
16189 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
16190 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
16191 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
16193 @item nnslashdot-login-name
16194 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
16195 The login name to use when posting.
16197 @item nnslashdot-password
16198 @vindex nnslashdot-password
16199 The password to use when posting.
16201 @item nnslashdot-directory
16202 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
16203 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
16204 @file{~/News/slashdot/}.
16206 @item nnslashdot-active-url
16207 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
16208 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the
16209 information on news articles and comments. The default is@*
16210 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
16212 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
16213 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
16214 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch comments.
16216 @item nnslashdot-article-url
16217 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
16218 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the news
16219 article. The default is
16220 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
16222 @item nnslashdot-threshold
16223 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
16224 The score threshold. The default is -1.
16226 @item nnslashdot-group-number
16227 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
16228 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
16229 updated. The default is 0.
16236 @subsection Ultimate
16238 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
16240 @uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/, The Ultimate Bulletin Board} is
16241 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
16242 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
16243 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
16245 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
16246 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
16247 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @acronym{URL}
16248 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
16249 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
16250 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
16251 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
16253 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
16256 @item nnultimate-directory
16257 @vindex nnultimate-directory
16258 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is@*
16259 @file{~/News/ultimate/}.
16264 @subsection Web Archive
16266 @cindex Web Archive
16268 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
16269 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
16270 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
16271 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
16274 @findex gnus-group-make-warchive-group
16275 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
16276 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
16277 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET @var{an_egroup} RET egroups RET
16278 www.egroups.com RET @var{your@@email.address} RET}. (Substitute the
16279 @var{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
16280 @var{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
16281 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
16283 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
16286 @item nnwarchive-directory
16287 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
16288 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is@*
16289 @file{~/News/warchive/}.
16291 @item nnwarchive-login
16292 @vindex nnwarchive-login
16293 The account name on the web server.
16295 @item nnwarchive-passwd
16296 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
16297 The password for your account on the web server.
16305 Some web sites have an RDF Site Summary (@acronym{RSS}).
16306 @acronym{RSS} is a format for summarizing headlines from news related
16307 sites (such as BBC or CNN). But basically anything list-like can be
16308 presented as an @acronym{RSS} feed: weblogs, changelogs or recent
16309 changes to a wiki (e.g. @url{http://cliki.net/recent-changes.rdf}).
16311 @acronym{RSS} has a quite regular and nice interface, and it's
16312 possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
16314 Note: you had better use Emacs which supports the @code{utf-8} coding
16315 system because @acronym{RSS} uses UTF-8 for encoding non-@acronym{ASCII}
16316 text by default. It is also used by default for non-@acronym{ASCII}
16319 @kindex G R (Group)
16320 Use @kbd{G R} from the group buffer to subscribe to a feed---you will be
16321 prompted for the location, the title and the description of the feed.
16322 The title, which allows any characters, will be used for the group name
16323 and the name of the group data file. The description can be omitted.
16325 An easy way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something like
16326 the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET y}, then
16327 subscribe to groups.
16329 The @code{nnrss} back end saves the group data file in
16330 @code{nnrss-directory} (see below) for each @code{nnrss} group. File
16331 names containing non-@acronym{ASCII} characters will be encoded by the
16332 coding system specified with the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}
16333 variable. If it is @code{nil}, in Emacs the coding system defaults to
16334 the value of @code{default-file-name-coding-system}. If you are using
16335 XEmacs and want to use non-@acronym{ASCII} group names, you should set
16336 the value for the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} variable properly.
16338 The @code{nnrss} back end generates @samp{multipart/alternative}
16339 @acronym{MIME} articles in which each contains a @samp{text/plain} part
16340 and a @samp{text/html} part.
16343 You can also use the following commands to import and export your
16344 subscriptions from a file in @acronym{OPML} format (Outline Processor
16347 @defun nnrss-opml-import file
16348 Prompt for an @acronym{OPML} file, and subscribe to each feed in the
16352 @defun nnrss-opml-export
16353 Write your current @acronym{RSS} subscriptions to a buffer in
16354 @acronym{OPML} format.
16357 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
16360 @item nnrss-directory
16361 @vindex nnrss-directory
16362 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
16363 @file{~/News/rss/}.
16365 @item nnrss-file-coding-system
16366 @vindex nnrss-file-coding-system
16367 The coding system used when reading and writing the @code{nnrss} groups
16368 data files. The default is the value of
16369 @code{mm-universal-coding-system} (which defaults to @code{emacs-mule}
16370 in Emacs or @code{escape-quoted} in XEmacs).
16372 @item nnrss-use-local
16373 @vindex nnrss-use-local
16374 @findex nnrss-generate-download-script
16375 If you set @code{nnrss-use-local} to @code{t}, @code{nnrss} will read
16376 the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
16377 the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
16378 download script using @command{wget}.
16380 @item nnrss-wash-html-in-text-plain-parts
16381 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{nnrss} renders text in @samp{text/plain}
16382 parts as @acronym{HTML}. The function specified by the
16383 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} variable (@pxref{Display Customization,
16384 ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) will be used
16385 to render text. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default, text will
16386 simply be folded. Leave it @code{nil} if you prefer to see
16387 @samp{text/html} parts.
16390 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
16391 the summary buffer.
16394 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
16395 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
16397 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
16399 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
16400 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
16403 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
16407 (require 'browse-url)
16409 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
16411 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
16414 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
16415 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
16418 (browse-url (cdr url))
16419 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
16420 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
16422 (eval-after-load "gnus"
16423 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
16424 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
16425 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
16428 Even if you have added @code{"text/html"} to the
16429 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} variable (@pxref{Display
16430 Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
16431 Manual}) since you don't want to see @acronym{HTML} parts, it might be
16432 more useful especially in @code{nnrss} groups to display
16433 @samp{text/html} parts. Here's an example of setting
16434 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} as a group parameter (@pxref{Group
16435 Parameters}) in order to display @samp{text/html} parts only in
16436 @code{nnrss} groups:
16439 ;; @r{Set the default value of @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}.}
16440 (eval-after-load "gnus-sum"
16442 'gnus-newsgroup-variables
16443 '(mm-discouraged-alternatives
16444 . '("text/html" "image/.*"))))
16446 ;; @r{Display @samp{text/html} parts in @code{nnrss} groups.}
16449 '("\\`nnrss:" (mm-discouraged-alternatives nil)))
16453 @node Customizing W3
16454 @subsection Customizing W3
16460 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/W3 (or those
16461 alternatives) to display web pages. Emacs/W3 is documented in its own
16462 manual, but there are some things that may be more relevant for Gnus
16465 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/W3 follow links
16466 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
16467 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
16470 (eval-after-load "w3"
16472 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
16473 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
16474 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
16475 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
16477 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
16480 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in W3-rendered
16481 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
16488 @cindex @acronym{IMAP}
16490 @acronym{IMAP} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
16491 think of it as a modernized @acronym{NNTP}. Connecting to a @acronym{IMAP}
16492 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
16493 specify the network address of the server.
16495 @acronym{IMAP} has two properties. First, @acronym{IMAP} can do
16496 everything that @acronym{POP} can, it can hence be viewed as a
16497 @acronym{POP++}. Secondly, @acronym{IMAP} is a mail storage protocol,
16498 similar to @acronym{NNTP} being a news storage protocol---however,
16499 @acronym{IMAP} offers more features than @acronym{NNTP} because news
16500 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
16502 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a @acronym{POP++}, use an imap
16503 entry in @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from
16504 the @acronym{IMAP} server and store them on the local disk. This is
16505 not the usage described in this section---@xref{Mail Sources}.
16507 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
16508 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
16509 manipulate mails stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server. This is the kind of
16510 usage explained in this section.
16512 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus.el} with a few @acronym{IMAP}
16513 servers might look something like the following. (Note that for
16514 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you need external programs and libraries,
16518 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
16519 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; @r{no special configuration}
16520 ; @r{perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:}
16522 (nnimap-address "localhost")
16523 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
16524 ; @r{a UW server running on localhost}
16526 (nnimap-server-port 143)
16527 (nnimap-address "localhost")
16528 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
16529 ; @r{anonymous public cyrus server:}
16530 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
16531 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
16532 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
16533 (nnimap-stream network))
16534 ; @r{a ssl server on a non-standard port:}
16536 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
16537 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
16538 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
16541 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
16542 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
16543 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
16544 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
16546 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
16551 @item nnimap-address
16552 @vindex nnimap-address
16554 The address of the remote @acronym{IMAP} server. Defaults to the virtual
16555 server name if not specified.
16557 @item nnimap-server-port
16558 @vindex nnimap-server-port
16559 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}.
16561 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
16564 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16565 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
16568 @item nnimap-list-pattern
16569 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
16570 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
16571 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
16572 interested in a few---some servers export your home directory via
16573 @acronym{IMAP}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
16574 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
16576 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
16577 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
16578 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
16581 Example server specification:
16584 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16585 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
16586 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
16589 @item nnimap-stream
16590 @vindex nnimap-stream
16591 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
16592 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
16593 of @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}. (@acronym{IMAP} over
16594 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can
16595 be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
16597 Example server specification:
16600 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16601 (nnimap-stream ssl))
16604 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
16608 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
16609 @samp{gsasl} or @samp{imtest} program.
16611 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
16613 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
16614 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
16617 @dfn{tls:} Connect through @acronym{TLS}. Requires GNUTLS (the program
16618 @samp{gnutls-cli}).
16620 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through @acronym{SSL}. Requires OpenSSL (the program
16621 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
16623 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @acronym{IMAP} connection.
16625 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
16628 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
16629 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
16630 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
16631 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
16632 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
16633 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
16634 restrictions on @acronym{IMAP} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
16635 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
16636 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
16639 For @acronym{TLS} connection, the @code{gnutls-cli} program from GNUTLS is
16640 needed. It is available from
16641 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}.
16643 @vindex imap-gssapi-program
16644 This parameter specifies a list of command lines that invoke a GSSAPI
16645 authenticated @acronym{IMAP} stream in a subshell. They are tried
16646 sequentially until a connection is made, or the list has been
16647 exhausted. By default, @samp{gsasl} from GNU SASL, available from
16648 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gsasl/}, and the @samp{imtest}
16649 program from Cyrus IMAPD (see @code{imap-kerberos4-program}), are
16652 @vindex imap-ssl-program
16653 For @acronym{SSL} connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
16654 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
16655 and nnimap support it too---although the most recent versions of
16656 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
16657 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
16658 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
16661 @vindex imap-shell-program
16662 @vindex imap-shell-host
16663 For @acronym{IMAP} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
16664 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
16666 @item nnimap-authenticator
16667 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
16669 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
16670 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
16672 Example server specification:
16675 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16676 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
16679 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
16683 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
16684 external program @code{gsasl} or @code{imtest}.
16686 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
16689 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
16690 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
16692 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
16694 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
16696 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as ``anonymous'', supplying your email address as password.
16699 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
16701 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
16702 Unlike Parmenides the @acronym{IMAP} designers have decided things that
16703 don't exist actually do exist. More specifically, @acronym{IMAP} has
16704 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
16705 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
16706 nnimap does when you delete an article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
16709 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
16710 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
16711 running in circles yet?
16713 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
16714 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
16717 The possible options are:
16722 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
16725 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
16726 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @acronym{IMAP} clients
16727 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
16728 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
16730 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
16735 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
16736 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
16738 If non-@code{nil} (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as
16739 well), for other @acronym{IMAP} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
16740 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
16741 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @acronym{IMAP}
16742 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @acronym{IMAP}
16745 Probably the only reason for frobbing this would be if you're trying
16746 enable per-user persistent dormant flags, using something like:
16749 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
16750 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16751 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
16752 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16755 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
16756 as ticked for other users.
16758 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
16760 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
16762 This variable contain the @acronym{IMAP} search command sent to server when
16763 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
16764 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
16765 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
16767 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
16768 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
16769 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
16770 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
16772 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
16773 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
16775 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
16776 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
16777 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
16778 @ref{NNTP}. An example of an .authinfo line for an IMAP server, is:
16781 machine students.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis port imap
16784 Note that it should be @code{port imap}, or @code{port 143}, if you
16785 use a @code{nnimap-stream} of @code{tls} or @code{ssl}, even if the
16786 actual port number used is port 993 for secured IMAP. For
16787 convenience, Gnus will accept @code{port imaps} as a synonym of
16790 @item nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16791 @vindex nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16793 Unselect mailboxes before looking for new mail in them. Some servers
16794 seem to need this under some circumstances; it was reported that
16800 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
16801 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
16802 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
16803 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
16804 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
16805 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
16810 @node Splitting in IMAP
16811 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
16812 @cindex splitting imap mail
16814 Splitting is something Gnus users have loved and used for years, and now
16815 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
16816 @acronym{IMAP} servers have server side splitting and those that have
16817 splitting seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that
16818 @acronym{IMAP} support for Gnus has to do its own splitting.
16822 (Incidentally, people seem to have been dreaming on, and Sieve has
16823 gaining a market share and is supported by several IMAP servers.
16824 Fortunately, Gnus support it too, @xref{Sieve Commands}.)
16826 Here are the variables of interest:
16830 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
16831 @cindex splitting, crosspost
16833 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
16835 If non-@code{nil}, do crossposting if several split methods match the
16836 mail. If @code{nil}, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule}
16837 found will be used.
16839 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
16841 @item nnimap-split-inbox
16842 @cindex splitting, inbox
16844 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
16846 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @acronym{IMAP}
16847 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to @code{nil}, which means that
16848 splitting is disabled!
16851 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
16852 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
16855 No nnmail equivalent.
16857 @item nnimap-split-rule
16858 @cindex splitting, rules
16859 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
16861 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
16864 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
16865 sublist gives the name of the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox to move articles
16866 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
16867 Neither did I, we need examples.
16870 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16872 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
16873 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
16874 ("INBOX.private" "")))
16877 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
16878 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
16879 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
16881 The first string may contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by
16882 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
16886 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
16889 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
16890 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
16892 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
16893 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
16894 containing the headers of the article. It should return a
16895 non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
16897 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
16898 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
16899 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
16900 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
16901 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
16902 them every time you fetch new mail.)
16904 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
16905 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
16906 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
16908 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
16909 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
16910 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16912 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
16914 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
16915 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
16916 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
16919 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16920 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
16921 ("junk" "From:.*Simon"))))
16922 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
16923 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
16924 ("junk" my-junk-func))))))
16927 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
16928 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
16929 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
16930 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
16931 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
16932 group/function elements.
16934 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
16936 @item nnimap-split-predicate
16938 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
16940 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
16941 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
16943 This might be useful if you use another @acronym{IMAP} client to read mail in
16944 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
16945 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
16948 @item nnimap-split-fancy
16949 @cindex splitting, fancy
16950 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
16951 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
16953 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16954 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
16955 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
16957 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
16958 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16959 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
16960 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16965 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
16966 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
16969 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
16971 @item nnimap-split-download-body
16972 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
16973 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
16975 Set to non-@code{nil} to download entire articles during splitting.
16976 This is generally not required, and will slow things down
16977 considerably. You may need it if you want to use an advanced
16978 splitting function that analyzes the body to split the article.
16982 @node Expiring in IMAP
16983 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
16984 @cindex expiring imap mail
16986 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
16987 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
16988 Mail}). Unlike splitting in @acronym{IMAP} (@pxref{Splitting in
16989 IMAP}) it does not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
16990 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
16991 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
16994 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server is
16995 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
16996 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
16997 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
16998 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
16999 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
17000 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
17001 messages. Most do, fortunately.
17005 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
17006 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
17008 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
17009 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
17011 @item nnmail-expiry-target
17013 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
17014 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
17015 that if the destination is a @acronym{IMAP} group on the same server, the
17016 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
17020 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
17021 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
17022 @cindex editing imap acls
17023 @cindex Access Control Lists
17024 @cindex Editing @acronym{IMAP} ACLs
17025 @kindex G l (Group)
17026 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
17028 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @acronym{IMAP} for
17029 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
17030 @acronym{IMAP} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
17033 To edit an ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
17034 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with an ACL
17035 editing window with detailed instructions.
17037 Some possible uses:
17041 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
17042 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
17043 follow the list without subscribing to it.
17045 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
17046 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
17047 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox
17051 @node Expunging mailboxes
17052 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
17056 @cindex manual expunging
17057 @kindex G x (Group)
17058 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
17060 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
17061 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
17062 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
17064 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
17067 @node A note on namespaces
17068 @subsection A note on namespaces
17069 @cindex IMAP namespace
17072 The @acronym{IMAP} protocol has a concept called namespaces, described
17073 by the following text in the RFC2060:
17076 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
17078 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
17079 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
17080 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
17081 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
17083 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
17084 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
17085 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
17086 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
17087 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
17088 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
17091 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the
17092 @acronym{IMAP} implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace
17093 prefixes in a way that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
17095 Specifically, University of Washington's @acronym{IMAP} server uses
17096 mailbox names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only
17097 in the @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is
17098 created (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed
17099 without the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do
17100 not make it possible for the user to guarantee that user entered
17101 mailbox names will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands,
17102 you should simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in
17105 See the UoW IMAPD documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
17106 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
17107 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
17109 @node Debugging IMAP
17110 @subsection Debugging IMAP
17111 @cindex IMAP debugging
17112 @cindex protocol dump (IMAP)
17114 @acronym{IMAP} is a complex protocol, more so than @acronym{NNTP} or
17115 @acronym{POP3}. Implementation bugs are not unlikely, and we do our
17116 best to fix them right away. If you encounter odd behavior, chances
17117 are that either the server or Gnus is buggy.
17119 If you are familiar with network protocols in general, you will
17120 probably be able to extract some clues from the protocol dump of the
17121 exchanges between Gnus and the server. Even if you are not familiar
17122 with network protocols, when you include the protocol dump in
17123 @acronym{IMAP}-related bug reports you are helping us with data
17124 critical to solving the problem. Therefore, we strongly encourage you
17125 to include the protocol dump when reporting IMAP bugs in Gnus.
17129 Because the protocol dump, when enabled, generates lots of data, it is
17130 disabled by default. You can enable it by setting @code{imap-log} as
17137 This instructs the @code{imap.el} package to log any exchanges with
17138 the server. The log is stored in the buffer @samp{*imap-log*}. Look
17139 for error messages, which sometimes are tagged with the keyword
17140 @code{BAD}---but when submitting a bug, make sure to include all the
17143 @node Other Sources
17144 @section Other Sources
17146 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
17147 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
17151 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
17152 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
17153 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
17154 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
17155 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
17159 @node Directory Groups
17160 @subsection Directory Groups
17162 @cindex directory groups
17164 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
17165 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
17168 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
17169 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
17170 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
17171 back end to read directories. Big deal.
17173 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
17174 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
17175 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
17176 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
17177 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
17179 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
17181 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
17182 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
17183 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
17184 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
17187 @node Anything Groups
17188 @subsection Anything Groups
17191 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
17192 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
17193 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
17196 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
17197 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
17198 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
17199 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
17200 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
17201 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
17202 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
17203 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
17204 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
17205 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
17208 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
17209 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
17210 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
17211 in the article buffer, just as usual.
17213 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
17214 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
17215 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
17216 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
17218 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
17219 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
17220 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
17221 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
17222 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
17223 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
17224 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
17225 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
17230 @item nneething-map-file-directory
17231 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
17232 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
17233 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
17235 @item nneething-exclude-files
17236 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
17237 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
17238 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
17240 @item nneething-include-files
17241 @vindex nneething-include-files
17242 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
17243 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
17245 @item nneething-map-file
17246 @vindex nneething-map-file
17247 Name of the map files.
17251 @node Document Groups
17252 @subsection Document Groups
17254 @cindex documentation group
17257 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
17258 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
17264 The Babyl (Rmail) mail box.
17269 The standard Unix mbox file.
17271 @cindex MMDF mail box
17273 The MMDF mail box format.
17276 Several news articles appended into a file.
17278 @cindex rnews batch files
17280 The rnews batch transport format.
17283 Netscape mail boxes.
17286 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
17288 @item standard-digest
17289 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
17292 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
17294 @item lanl-gov-announce
17295 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
17297 @cindex forwarded messages
17298 @item rfc822-forward
17299 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
17302 The Outlook mail box.
17305 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
17308 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
17311 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
17314 An RFC934-forwarded message.
17320 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
17323 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
17329 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
17330 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
17331 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
17334 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
17335 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
17336 group. And that's it.
17338 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
17339 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
17340 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
17341 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
17342 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
17343 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
17344 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
17345 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
17346 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
17347 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
17349 Virtual server variables:
17352 @item nndoc-article-type
17353 @vindex nndoc-article-type
17354 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
17355 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
17356 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
17357 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
17358 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
17360 @item nndoc-post-type
17361 @vindex nndoc-post-type
17362 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
17363 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
17368 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
17372 @node Document Server Internals
17373 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
17375 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
17376 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
17377 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
17378 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
17380 First, here's an example document type definition:
17384 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
17385 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
17388 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
17389 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
17390 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
17391 types can be defined with very few settings:
17394 @item first-article
17395 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
17396 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
17399 @item article-begin
17400 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
17401 says what the beginning of each article looks like. To do more
17402 complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you can
17403 use @code{article-begin-function} instead of this.
17405 @item article-begin-function
17406 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the beginning
17407 of each article. This setting overrides @code{article-begin}.
17410 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
17411 article. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a
17412 simple regexp, you can use @code{head-begin-function} instead of this.
17414 @item head-begin-function
17415 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
17416 the article. This setting overrides @code{head-begin}.
17419 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
17420 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
17423 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
17424 to @samp{^\n}. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with
17425 a simple regexp, you can use @code{body-begin-function} instead of this.
17427 @item body-begin-function
17428 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
17429 of the article. This setting overrides @code{body-begin}.
17432 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article. To do
17433 more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you
17434 can use @code{body-end-function} instead of this.
17436 @item body-end-function
17437 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
17438 the article. This setting overrides @code{body-end}.
17441 If present, this should match the beginning of the file. All text
17442 before this regexp will be totally ignored.
17445 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
17446 regexp will be totally ignored.
17450 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
17451 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
17452 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
17453 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
17454 something that's palatable for Gnus:
17457 @item prepare-body-function
17458 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
17459 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
17460 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
17462 @item article-transform-function
17463 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
17464 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
17465 body of the article.
17467 @item generate-head-function
17468 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
17469 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
17470 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
17471 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
17473 @item generate-article-function
17474 If present, this function is called to generate an entire article that
17475 Gnus can understand. It is called with the article number as a
17476 parameter when requesting all articles.
17478 @item dissection-function
17479 If present, this function is called to dissect a document by itself,
17480 overriding @code{first-article}, @code{article-begin},
17481 @code{article-begin-function}, @code{head-begin},
17482 @code{head-begin-function}, @code{head-end}, @code{body-begin},
17483 @code{body-begin-function}, @code{body-end}, @code{body-end-function},
17484 @code{file-begin}, and @code{file-end}.
17488 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
17493 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17494 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17495 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
17496 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
17497 (head-end . "^ ?$")
17498 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
17499 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
17500 (subtype digest guess))
17503 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
17504 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
17505 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
17506 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
17507 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
17509 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
17510 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
17511 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
17512 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
17513 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
17514 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
17515 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
17516 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
17517 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
17518 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
17519 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
17520 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
17528 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
17529 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
17530 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
17532 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
17533 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
17534 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
17537 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
17538 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
17539 that interested in doing things properly.
17541 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
17542 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
17545 First some terminology:
17550 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
17551 get news and/or mail from.
17554 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
17555 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
17558 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
17562 @item message packets
17563 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
17564 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
17565 default, where @var{x} is a number.
17567 @item response packets
17568 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
17569 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
17570 default, where @var{x} is a number.
17580 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
17581 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
17582 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
17583 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
17586 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
17589 You put the packet in your home directory.
17592 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
17593 the native or secondary server.
17596 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
17597 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
17600 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
17604 You transfer this packet to the server.
17607 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
17610 You then repeat until you die.
17614 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
17615 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
17618 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
17619 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
17620 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
17624 @node SOUP Commands
17625 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
17627 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
17631 @kindex G s b (Group)
17632 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
17633 Pack all unread articles in the current group
17634 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
17635 process/prefix convention.
17638 @kindex G s w (Group)
17639 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
17640 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
17643 @kindex G s s (Group)
17644 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
17645 Send all replies from the replies packet
17646 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
17649 @kindex G s p (Group)
17650 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
17651 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
17654 @kindex G s r (Group)
17655 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
17656 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
17659 @kindex O s (Summary)
17660 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
17661 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
17662 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
17663 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17668 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
17673 @item gnus-soup-directory
17674 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
17675 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
17676 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
17678 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
17679 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
17680 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
17681 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
17683 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
17684 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
17685 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
17686 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
17688 @item gnus-soup-packer
17689 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
17690 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17691 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
17693 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
17694 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
17695 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17696 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17698 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
17699 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
17700 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
17702 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17703 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17704 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
17705 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
17711 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
17714 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
17715 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
17716 you can read them at leisure.
17718 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
17722 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
17723 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
17724 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
17725 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
17727 @item nnsoup-directory
17728 @vindex nnsoup-directory
17729 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
17730 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
17732 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
17733 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
17734 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
17735 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/}.
17737 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
17738 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
17739 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
17740 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
17741 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
17743 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
17744 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
17745 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
17746 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
17748 @item nnsoup-active-file
17749 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
17750 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
17751 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
17752 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
17753 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
17755 @item nnsoup-packer
17756 @vindex nnsoup-packer
17757 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
17758 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
17760 @item nnsoup-unpacker
17761 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
17762 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
17763 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17765 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
17766 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
17767 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
17770 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
17771 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
17772 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
17775 @item nnsoup-always-save
17776 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
17777 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
17783 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
17785 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
17786 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
17787 more for that to happen.
17789 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
17790 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
17791 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
17794 In specific, this is what it does:
17797 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
17798 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
17801 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
17802 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
17803 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
17806 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
17807 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
17808 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
17811 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
17812 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
17813 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
17815 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
17821 @item nngateway-address
17822 @vindex nngateway-address
17823 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
17825 @item nngateway-header-transformation
17826 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
17827 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
17828 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
17829 transformation should be called, and defaults to
17830 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
17831 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
17834 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
17835 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
17836 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
17839 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
17842 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
17845 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
17848 The following pre-defined functions exist:
17850 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17853 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17854 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17855 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
17857 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17859 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17860 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17861 @code{nngateway-address}.
17869 (setq gnus-post-method
17871 "mail2news@@replay.com"
17872 (nngateway-header-transformation
17873 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
17876 So, to use this, simply say something like:
17879 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
17884 @node Combined Groups
17885 @section Combined Groups
17887 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
17891 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
17892 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
17896 @node Virtual Groups
17897 @subsection Virtual Groups
17899 @cindex virtual groups
17900 @cindex merging groups
17902 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
17905 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
17906 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
17907 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
17909 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
17910 regexp to match component groups.
17912 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
17913 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
17914 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
17915 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
17916 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
17917 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
17918 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
17919 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
17921 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
17922 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
17925 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
17928 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
17929 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
17931 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
17932 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
17933 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
17934 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
17937 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
17940 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
17941 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
17942 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
17944 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
17945 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
17946 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
17947 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
17948 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
17950 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
17951 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
17952 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
17954 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
17955 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} variable is non-@code{nil} (which
17956 is the default), @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread
17957 articles when entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil}
17958 and you read articles in a component group after the virtual group has
17959 been activated, the read articles from the component group will show up
17960 when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this effect if you
17961 have two virtual groups that have a component group in common. If
17962 that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}. Or you can
17963 just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before you enter
17964 it---it'll have much the same effect.
17966 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
17967 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
17968 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
17969 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
17970 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
17971 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
17972 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
17974 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
17975 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
17977 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
17978 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
17982 @node Kibozed Groups
17983 @subsection Kibozed Groups
17987 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by the @acronym{OED} as ``grepping through
17988 (parts of) the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will
17989 do this for you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @acronym{NNTP} server
17990 down to a halt with useless requests! Oh happiness!
17992 @kindex G k (Group)
17993 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
17996 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
17997 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
17998 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between
17999 @code{nnkiboze} and @code{nnvirtual} end.
18001 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an
18002 @code{nnkiboze} group must have a score file to say what articles are
18003 to be included in the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
18005 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
18006 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
18007 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
18008 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time.
18009 Lots of time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the
18010 headers from all the articles in all the component groups and run them
18011 through the scoring process to determine if there are any articles in
18012 the groups that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
18014 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
18015 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
18016 @acronym{NNTP} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
18017 Stranger things have happened.
18019 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
18020 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
18022 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
18023 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
18024 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/kiboze/} by default.
18025 One contains the @acronym{NOV} header lines for all the articles in
18026 the group, and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store
18027 information on what groups have been searched through to find
18028 component articles.
18030 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
18031 their @acronym{NOV} lines removed from the @acronym{NOV} file.
18034 @node Email Based Diary
18035 @section Email Based Diary
18037 @cindex email based diary
18040 This section describes a special mail back end called @code{nndiary},
18041 and its companion library @code{gnus-diary}. It is ``special'' in the
18042 sense that it is not meant to be one of the standard alternatives for
18043 reading mail with Gnus. See @ref{Choosing a Mail Back End} for that.
18044 Instead, it is used to treat @emph{some} of your mails in a special way,
18045 namely, as event reminders.
18047 Here is a typical scenario:
18051 You've got a date with Andy Mc Dowell or Bruce Willis (select according
18052 to your sexual preference) in one month. You don't want to forget it.
18054 So you send a ``reminder'' message (actually, a diary one) to yourself.
18056 You forget all about it and keep on getting and reading new mail, as usual.
18058 From time to time, as you type `g' in the group buffer and as the date
18059 is getting closer, the message will pop up again to remind you of your
18060 appointment, just as if it were new and unread.
18062 Read your ``new'' messages, this one included, and start dreaming again
18063 of the night you're gonna have.
18065 Once the date is over (you actually fell asleep just after dinner), the
18066 message will be automatically deleted if it is marked as expirable.
18069 The Gnus Diary back end has the ability to handle regular appointments
18070 (that wouldn't ever be deleted) as well as punctual ones, operates as a
18071 real mail back end and is configurable in many ways. All of this is
18072 explained in the sections below.
18075 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
18076 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
18077 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
18081 @node The NNDiary Back End
18082 @subsection The NNDiary Back End
18084 @cindex the nndiary back end
18086 @code{nndiary} is a back end very similar to @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
18087 Spool}). Actually, it could appear as a mix of @code{nnml} and
18088 @code{nndraft}. If you know @code{nnml}, you're already familiar with
18089 the message storing scheme of @code{nndiary}: one file per message, one
18090 directory per group.
18092 Before anything, there is one requirement to be able to run
18093 @code{nndiary} properly: you @emph{must} use the group timestamp feature
18094 of Gnus. This adds a timestamp to each group's parameters. @ref{Group
18095 Timestamp} to see how it's done.
18098 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
18099 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
18100 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
18103 @node Diary Messages
18104 @subsubsection Diary Messages
18105 @cindex nndiary messages
18106 @cindex nndiary mails
18108 @code{nndiary} messages are just normal ones, except for the mandatory
18109 presence of 7 special headers. These headers are of the form
18110 @code{X-Diary-<something>}, @code{<something>} being one of
18111 @code{Minute}, @code{Hour}, @code{Dom}, @code{Month}, @code{Year},
18112 @code{Time-Zone} and @code{Dow}. @code{Dom} means ``Day of Month'', and
18113 @code{dow} means ``Day of Week''. These headers actually behave like
18114 crontab specifications and define the event date(s):
18118 For all headers except the @code{Time-Zone} one, a header value is
18119 either a star (meaning all possible values), or a list of fields
18120 (separated by a comma).
18122 A field is either an integer, or a range.
18124 A range is two integers separated by a dash.
18126 Possible integer values are 0--59 for @code{Minute}, 0--23 for
18127 @code{Hour}, 1--31 for @code{Dom}, 1--12 for @code{Month}, above 1971
18128 for @code{Year} and 0--6 for @code{Dow} (0 meaning Sunday).
18130 As a special case, a star in either @code{Dom} or @code{Dow} doesn't
18131 mean ``all possible values'', but ``use only the other field''. Note
18132 that if both are star'ed, the use of either one gives the same result.
18134 The @code{Time-Zone} header is special in that it can only have one
18135 value (@code{GMT}, for instance). A star doesn't mean ``all possible
18136 values'' (because it makes no sense), but ``the current local time
18137 zone''. Most of the time, you'll be using a star here. However, for a
18138 list of available time zone values, see the variable
18139 @code{nndiary-headers}.
18142 As a concrete example, here are the diary headers to add to your message
18143 for specifying ``Each Monday and each 1st of month, at 12:00, 20:00,
18144 21:00, 22:00, 23:00 and 24:00, from 1999 to 2010'' (I'll let you find
18149 X-Diary-Hour: 12, 20-24
18152 X-Diary-Year: 1999-2010
18154 X-Diary-Time-Zone: *
18157 @node Running NNDiary
18158 @subsubsection Running NNDiary
18159 @cindex running nndiary
18160 @cindex nndiary operation modes
18162 @code{nndiary} has two modes of operation: ``traditional'' (the default)
18163 and ``autonomous''. In traditional mode, @code{nndiary} does not get new
18164 mail by itself. You have to move (@kbd{B m}) or copy (@kbd{B c}) mails
18165 from your primary mail back end to nndiary groups in order to handle them
18166 as diary messages. In autonomous mode, @code{nndiary} retrieves its own
18167 mail and handles it independently from your primary mail back end.
18169 One should note that Gnus is not inherently designed to allow several
18170 ``master'' mail back ends at the same time. However, this does make
18171 sense with @code{nndiary}: you really want to send and receive diary
18172 messages to your diary groups directly. So, @code{nndiary} supports
18173 being sort of a ``second primary mail back end'' (to my knowledge, it is
18174 the only back end offering this feature). However, there is a limitation
18175 (which I hope to fix some day): respooling doesn't work in autonomous
18178 In order to use @code{nndiary} in autonomous mode, you have several
18183 Allow @code{nndiary} to retrieve new mail by itself. Put the following
18184 line in your @file{gnusrc} file:
18187 (setq nndiary-get-new-mail t)
18190 You must arrange for diary messages (those containing @code{X-Diary-*}
18191 headers) to be split in a private folder @emph{before} Gnus treat them.
18192 Again, this is needed because Gnus cannot (yet ?) properly handle
18193 multiple primary mail back ends. Getting those messages from a separate
18194 source will compensate this misfeature to some extent.
18196 As an example, here's my procmailrc entry to store diary files in
18197 @file{~/.nndiary} (the default @code{nndiary} mail source file):
18206 Once this is done, you might want to customize the following two options
18207 that affect the diary mail retrieval and splitting processes:
18209 @defvar nndiary-mail-sources
18210 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
18211 @code{mail-sources} variable. It obeys the same syntax, and defaults to
18212 @code{(file :path "~/.nndiary")}.
18215 @defvar nndiary-split-methods
18216 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
18217 @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable. It obeys the same syntax.
18220 Finally, you may add a permanent @code{nndiary} virtual server
18221 (something like @code{(nndiary "diary")} should do) to your
18222 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}.
18224 Hopefully, almost everything (see the TODO section in
18225 @file{nndiary.el}) will work as expected when you restart Gnus: in
18226 autonomous mode, typing @kbd{g} and @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer, will
18227 also get your new diary mails and split them according to your
18228 diary-specific rules, @kbd{F} will find your new diary groups etc.
18230 @node Customizing NNDiary
18231 @subsubsection Customizing NNDiary
18232 @cindex customizing nndiary
18233 @cindex nndiary customization
18235 Now that @code{nndiary} is up and running, it's time to customize it.
18236 The custom group is called @code{nndiary} (no, really ?!). You should
18237 browse it to figure out which options you'd like to tweak. The following
18238 two variables are probably the only ones you will want to change:
18240 @defvar nndiary-reminders
18241 This is the list of times when you want to be reminded of your
18242 appointements (e.g. 3 weeks before, then 2 days before, then 1 hour
18243 before and that's it). Remember that ``being reminded'' means that the
18244 diary message will pop up as brand new and unread again when you get new
18248 @defvar nndiary-week-starts-on-monday
18249 Rather self-explanatory. Otherwise, Sunday is assumed (this is the
18254 @node The Gnus Diary Library
18255 @subsection The Gnus Diary Library
18257 @cindex the gnus diary library
18259 Using @code{nndiary} manually (I mean, writing the headers by hand and
18260 so on) would be rather boring. Fortunately, there is a library called
18261 @code{gnus-diary} written on top of @code{nndiary}, that does many
18262 useful things for you.
18264 In order to use it, add the following line to your @file{gnusrc} file:
18267 (require 'gnus-diary)
18270 Also, you shouldn't use any @code{gnus-user-format-function-[d|D]}
18271 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} provides both of these
18272 (sorry if you used them before).
18276 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
18277 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
18278 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
18279 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
18282 @node Diary Summary Line Format
18283 @subsubsection Diary Summary Line Format
18284 @cindex diary summary buffer line
18285 @cindex diary summary line format
18287 Displaying diary messages in standard summary line format (usually
18288 something like @samp{From Joe: Subject}) is pretty useless. Most of
18289 the time, you're the one who wrote the message, and you mostly want to
18290 see the event's date.
18292 @code{gnus-diary} provides two supplemental user formats to be used in
18293 summary line formats. @code{D} corresponds to a formatted time string
18294 for the next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00''),
18295 while @code{d} corresponds to an approximative remaining time until the
18296 next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``in 6 months, 1 week'').
18298 For example, here's how Joe's birthday is displayed in my
18299 @code{nndiary+diary:birthdays} summary buffer (note that the message is
18300 expirable, but will never be deleted, as it specifies a periodic event):
18303 E Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00: Joe's birthday (in 6 months, 1 week)
18306 In order to get something like the above, you would normally add the
18307 following line to your diary groups'parameters:
18310 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z %uD: %(%s%) (%ud)\n")
18313 However, @code{gnus-diary} does it automatically (@pxref{Diary Group
18314 Parameters}). You can however customize the provided summary line format
18315 with the following user options:
18317 @defvar gnus-diary-summary-line-format
18318 Defines the summary line format used for diary groups (@pxref{Summary
18319 Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} uses it to automatically update the
18320 diary groups'parameters.
18323 @defvar gnus-diary-time-format
18324 Defines the format to display dates in diary summary buffers. This is
18325 used by the @code{D} user format. See the docstring for details.
18328 @defvar gnus-diary-delay-format-function
18329 Defines the format function to use for displaying delays (remaining
18330 times) in diary summary buffers. This is used by the @code{d} user
18331 format. There are currently built-in functions for English and French;
18332 you can also define your own. See the docstring for details.
18335 @node Diary Articles Sorting
18336 @subsubsection Diary Articles Sorting
18337 @cindex diary articles sorting
18338 @cindex diary summary lines sorting
18339 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule
18340 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule
18341 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-schedule
18343 @code{gnus-diary} provides new sorting functions (@pxref{Sorting the
18344 Summary Buffer} ) called @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule},
18345 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule} and
18346 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-schedule}. These functions let you organize
18347 your diary summary buffers from the closest event to the farthest one.
18349 @code{gnus-diary} automatically installs
18350 @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule} as a menu item in the summary
18351 buffer's ``sort'' menu, and the two others as the primary (hence
18352 default) sorting functions in the group parameters (@pxref{Diary Group
18355 @node Diary Headers Generation
18356 @subsubsection Diary Headers Generation
18357 @cindex diary headers generation
18358 @findex gnus-diary-check-message
18360 @code{gnus-diary} provides a function called
18361 @code{gnus-diary-check-message} to help you handle the @code{X-Diary-*}
18362 headers. This function ensures that the current message contains all the
18363 required diary headers, and prompts you for values or corrections if
18366 This function is hooked into the @code{nndiary} back end, so that
18367 moving or copying an article to a diary group will trigger it
18368 automatically. It is also bound to @kbd{C-c D c} in @code{message-mode}
18369 and @code{article-edit-mode} in order to ease the process of converting
18370 a usual mail to a diary one.
18372 This function takes a prefix argument which will force prompting of
18373 all diary headers, regardless of their presence or validity. That way,
18374 you can very easily reschedule an already valid diary message, for
18377 @node Diary Group Parameters
18378 @subsubsection Diary Group Parameters
18379 @cindex diary group parameters
18381 When you create a new diary group, or visit one, @code{gnus-diary}
18382 automatically checks your group parameters and if needed, sets the
18383 summary line format to the diary-specific value, installs the
18384 diary-specific sorting functions, and also adds the different
18385 @code{X-Diary-*} headers to the group's posting-style. It is then easier
18386 to send a diary message, because if you use @kbd{C-u a} or @kbd{C-u m}
18387 on a diary group to prepare a message, these headers will be inserted
18388 automatically (although not filled with proper values yet).
18390 @node Sending or Not Sending
18391 @subsection Sending or Not Sending
18393 Well, assuming you've read of of the above, here are two final notes on
18394 mail sending with @code{nndiary}:
18398 @code{nndiary} is a @emph{real} mail back end. You really send real diary
18399 messsages for real. This means for instance that you can give
18400 appointements to anybody (provided they use Gnus and @code{nndiary}) by
18401 sending the diary message to them as well.
18403 However, since @code{nndiary} also has a @code{request-post} method, you
18404 can also use @kbd{C-u a} instead of @kbd{C-u m} on a diary group and the
18405 message won't actually be sent; just stored locally in the group. This
18406 comes in very handy for private appointments.
18409 @node Gnus Unplugged
18410 @section Gnus Unplugged
18415 @cindex Gnus unplugged
18417 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
18418 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
18419 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
18420 read news. Believe it or not.
18422 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
18423 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
18424 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
18425 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
18426 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
18428 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
18429 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
18430 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
18431 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
18432 reading news on a machine.
18434 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
18435 fact, you don't have to configure anything as the agent is now enabled
18436 by default (@pxref{Agent Variables, gnus-agent}).
18438 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
18441 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
18442 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
18443 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
18444 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
18445 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
18446 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
18447 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
18448 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
18449 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
18450 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
18451 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
18452 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
18453 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
18454 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
18459 @subsection Agent Basics
18461 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
18463 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
18464 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
18465 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
18466 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
18468 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
18469 connected to the net continuously.
18471 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
18472 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
18474 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
18475 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
18476 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
18477 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
18478 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
18480 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
18481 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
18482 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
18483 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
18484 they're kinda like plugged always).
18486 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
18487 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
18488 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
18491 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
18492 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
18493 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
18494 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
18495 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
18497 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
18502 @findex gnus-unplugged
18503 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
18504 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
18505 already fetched while in this mode.
18508 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
18509 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
18510 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
18511 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
18512 Source Specifiers}).
18515 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
18516 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
18517 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
18518 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
18519 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
18522 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
18523 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
18524 then you read the news offline.
18527 And then you go to step 2.
18530 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
18536 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
18537 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
18538 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
18539 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
18540 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
18541 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
18542 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
18543 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
18546 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
18547 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
18548 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
18549 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
18551 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
18552 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
18553 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
18554 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
18555 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
18556 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
18560 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
18564 @node Agent Categories
18565 @subsection Agent Categories
18567 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
18568 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
18569 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
18570 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
18571 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
18572 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
18573 you're interested in the articles anyway.
18575 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
18576 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
18577 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
18578 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
18579 buffer for creating and managing categories.
18581 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
18582 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
18583 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
18584 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
18585 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
18588 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
18589 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
18590 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
18591 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
18592 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
18593 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
18597 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
18598 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
18599 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
18603 @node Category Syntax
18604 @subsubsection Category Syntax
18606 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
18607 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
18608 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
18611 @cindex Agent Parameters
18614 The list of groups that are in this category.
18616 @item agent-predicate
18617 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
18618 are eligible for downloading; and
18621 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
18622 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
18623 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
18625 @item agent-enable-expiration
18626 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
18627 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
18628 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
18629 only groups that should not be expired.
18631 @item agent-days-until-old
18632 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
18633 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
18635 @item agent-low-score
18636 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
18638 @item agent-high-score
18639 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
18641 @item agent-short-article
18642 an integer that overrides the value of
18643 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
18645 @item agent-long-article
18646 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
18648 @item agent-enable-undownloaded-faces
18649 a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should display
18650 undownloaded articles using the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face}
18651 faces. Any symbol other than @code{nil} will enable the use of
18652 undownloaded faces.
18655 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
18658 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
18659 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
18660 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
18663 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
18664 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
18665 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
18666 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
18668 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
18669 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
18670 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
18672 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
18673 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
18674 operators sprinkled in between.
18676 Perhaps some examples are in order.
18678 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
18679 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
18685 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
18686 short (for some value of ``short'').
18688 Here's a more complex predicate:
18697 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
18698 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
18701 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
18702 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
18703 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
18705 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
18706 you want to do, you can write your own.
18708 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
18709 bound to the value determined by calling
18710 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
18711 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
18712 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
18713 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
18714 predicate to individual groups.
18718 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
18719 lines; default 100.
18722 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
18723 lines; default 200.
18726 True iff the article has a download score less than
18727 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
18730 True iff the article has a download score greater than
18731 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
18734 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
18735 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
18736 checksum and sees whether articles match.
18745 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
18746 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
18747 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
18750 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
18751 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
18752 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
18753 something along the lines of the following:
18756 (defun my-article-old-p ()
18757 "Say whether an article is old."
18758 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
18759 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
18762 with the predicate then defined as:
18765 (not my-article-old-p)
18768 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
18769 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
18773 (require 'gnus-agent)
18774 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
18775 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
18776 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
18779 and simply specify your predicate as:
18785 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
18786 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
18787 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
18788 just don't give a damn.
18790 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
18791 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
18792 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
18793 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
18794 parameters like so:
18797 (agent-predicate . short)
18800 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
18801 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
18802 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
18804 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
18807 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
18810 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
18811 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
18812 predicate is assumed to be a list.
18815 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
18816 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
18817 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
18818 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
18819 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
18820 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
18822 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
18823 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
18824 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
18825 if it's to be specific to that group.
18827 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
18834 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
18835 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
18841 Category specification
18845 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18851 Group/Topic Parameter specification
18854 (agent-score ("from"
18855 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18860 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
18866 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
18867 keywords stated above.
18873 Category specification
18876 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
18882 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
18886 Group Parameter specification
18889 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
18892 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
18897 Use @code{normal} score files
18899 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
18900 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
18901 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
18902 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
18904 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
18905 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
18906 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
18907 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
18911 Category Specification
18918 Group Parameter specification
18921 (agent-score . file)
18926 @node Category Buffer
18927 @subsubsection Category Buffer
18929 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
18930 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
18931 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
18933 The following commands are available in this buffer:
18937 @kindex q (Category)
18938 @findex gnus-category-exit
18939 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
18942 @kindex e (Category)
18943 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
18944 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
18945 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
18948 @kindex k (Category)
18949 @findex gnus-category-kill
18950 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
18953 @kindex c (Category)
18954 @findex gnus-category-copy
18955 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
18958 @kindex a (Category)
18959 @findex gnus-category-add
18960 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
18963 @kindex p (Category)
18964 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
18965 Edit the predicate of the current category
18966 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
18969 @kindex g (Category)
18970 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
18971 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
18972 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
18975 @kindex s (Category)
18976 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
18977 Edit the download score rule of the current category
18978 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
18981 @kindex l (Category)
18982 @findex gnus-category-list
18983 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
18987 @node Category Variables
18988 @subsubsection Category Variables
18991 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
18992 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
18993 Hook run in category buffers.
18995 @item gnus-category-line-format
18996 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
18997 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
18998 Variables}). Valid elements are:
19002 The name of the category.
19005 The number of groups in the category.
19008 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
19009 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
19010 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
19012 @item gnus-agent-short-article
19013 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
19014 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
19016 @item gnus-agent-long-article
19017 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
19018 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
19020 @item gnus-agent-low-score
19021 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
19022 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
19025 @item gnus-agent-high-score
19026 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
19027 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
19030 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
19031 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
19032 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
19033 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
19034 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
19035 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
19036 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
19037 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
19041 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
19042 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
19043 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
19044 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
19045 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
19046 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
19047 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
19052 @node Agent Commands
19053 @subsection Agent Commands
19054 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
19055 @kindex J j (Agent)
19057 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
19058 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
19059 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
19063 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
19064 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
19065 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
19071 @node Group Agent Commands
19072 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
19076 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
19077 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
19078 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
19079 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
19082 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
19083 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
19084 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
19087 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
19088 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
19089 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
19090 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
19093 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
19094 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
19095 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
19096 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
19099 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
19100 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
19101 Add the current group to an Agent category
19102 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
19103 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
19106 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
19107 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
19108 Remove the current group from its category, if any
19109 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
19110 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
19113 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
19114 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19115 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
19121 @node Summary Agent Commands
19122 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
19126 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
19127 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
19128 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
19131 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
19132 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
19133 Remove the downloading mark from the article
19134 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
19138 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
19139 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
19140 Toggle whether to download the article
19141 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
19145 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
19146 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
19147 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
19150 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
19151 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
19152 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
19153 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
19156 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
19157 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series
19158 Download all processable articles in this group.
19159 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series}).
19162 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
19163 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
19164 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
19165 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
19170 @node Server Agent Commands
19171 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
19175 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
19176 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
19177 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
19178 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
19181 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
19182 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
19183 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
19184 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
19189 @node Agent Visuals
19190 @subsection Agent Visuals
19192 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
19193 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
19194 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
19195 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
19196 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
19197 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
19198 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
19199 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
19200 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
19201 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
19203 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
19204 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
19205 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
19206 way, ``If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
19207 less than satisfying unplugged session''. For this reason, the Agent
19208 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
19209 the download status of each article so that you always know which
19210 articles will be available when unplugged.
19212 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
19213 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
19214 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
19215 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
19216 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
19217 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
19218 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
19219 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
19221 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
19222 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
19223 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
19224 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
19225 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
19226 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
19227 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
19228 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
19229 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
19231 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
19232 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
19233 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
19234 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
19235 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear. For those
19236 users using the agent to improve online performance by caching the NOV
19237 database (most users since 5.10.2), the undownloaded faces may appear
19238 to be an absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since none
19239 of their articles have been fetched into the Agent, all of the
19240 normal faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces.
19242 If you would like to use the undownloaded faces, you must enable the
19243 undownloaded faces by setting the @code{agent-enable-undownloaded-faces}
19244 group parameter to @code{t}. This parameter, like all other agent
19245 parameters, may be set on an Agent Category (@pxref{Agent Categories}),
19246 a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic Parameters}), or an individual group
19247 (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
19249 The one problem common to all users using the agent is how quickly it
19250 can consume disk space. If you using the agent on many groups, it is
19251 even more difficult to effectively recover disk space. One solution
19252 is the @samp{%F} format available in @code{gnus-group-line-format}.
19253 This format will display the actual disk space used by articles
19254 fetched into both the agent and cache. By knowing which groups use
19255 the most space, users know where to focus their efforts when ``agent
19256 expiring'' articles.
19258 @node Agent as Cache
19259 @subsection Agent as Cache
19261 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
19262 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
19263 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
19264 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
19265 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
19266 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
19267 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
19268 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
19269 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
19271 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
19272 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
19273 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
19274 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
19275 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
19278 @subsection Agent Expiry
19280 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
19281 @findex gnus-agent-expire
19282 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
19283 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
19284 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
19285 @cindex agent expiry
19286 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
19289 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
19290 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
19291 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
19292 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
19293 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
19294 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
19295 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
19296 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
19298 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
19299 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
19300 synchronized with the group.
19302 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
19303 prevent expiration in selected groups.
19305 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
19306 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
19307 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
19308 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
19309 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
19310 be kept indefinitely.
19312 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
19313 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
19314 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
19315 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
19317 @node Agent Regeneration
19318 @subsection Agent Regeneration
19320 @cindex agent regeneration
19321 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
19322 @cindex regeneration
19324 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
19325 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
19326 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
19327 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
19328 internal inconsistencies.
19330 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
19331 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
19332 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
19333 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
19334 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
19335 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
19337 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
19338 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
19339 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
19340 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
19341 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
19342 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
19344 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19345 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19346 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
19347 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
19348 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
19349 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
19352 @node Agent and flags
19353 @subsection Agent and flags
19355 The Agent works with any Gnus back end including those, such as
19356 nnimap, that store flags (read, ticked, etc) on the server. Sadly,
19357 the Agent does not actually know which backends keep their flags in
19358 the backend server rather than in @file{.newsrc}. This means that the
19359 Agent, while unplugged or disconnected, will always record all changes
19360 to the flags in its own files.
19362 When you plug back in, Gnus will then check to see if you have any
19363 changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the
19364 server. This behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
19366 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19367 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
19368 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
19369 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
19370 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
19371 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
19373 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
19374 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
19375 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
19376 in the group buffer.
19378 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
19379 all local flags to the server, but rather by incrementally updated the
19380 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
19381 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group then
19382 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
19383 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
19384 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
19385 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
19387 @node Agent and IMAP
19388 @subsection Agent and IMAP
19390 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
19391 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
19392 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
19393 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
19395 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
19396 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
19401 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
19404 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
19408 @node Outgoing Messages
19409 @subsection Outgoing Messages
19411 By default, when Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail
19412 and news) are stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}).
19413 You can view them there after posting, and edit them at will.
19415 You can control the circumstances under which outgoing mail is queued
19416 (see @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail}, @pxref{Agent Variables}). Outgoing
19417 news is always queued when Gnus is unplugged, and never otherwise.
19419 You can send the messages either from the draft group with the special
19420 commands available there, or you can use the @kbd{J S} command in the
19421 group buffer to send all the sendable messages in the draft group.
19422 Posting news will only work when Gnus is plugged, but you can send
19425 If sending mail while unplugged does not work for you and you worry
19426 about hitting @kbd{J S} by accident when unplugged, you can have Gnus
19427 ask you to confirm your action (see
19428 @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue}, @pxref{Agent Variables}).
19430 @node Agent Variables
19431 @subsection Agent Variables
19436 Is the agent enabled? The default is @code{t}. When first enabled,
19437 the agent will use @code{gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods} to
19438 automatically mark some back ends as agentized. You may change which
19439 back ends are agentized using the agent commands in the server buffer.
19441 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
19442 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
19445 @item gnus-agent-directory
19446 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
19447 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
19448 @file{~/News/agent/}.
19450 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
19451 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
19452 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
19453 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
19454 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
19457 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19458 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19459 Hook run when connecting to the network.
19461 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19462 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19463 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
19465 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19466 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19467 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
19469 @item gnus-agent-cache
19470 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
19471 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
19472 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
19473 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
19475 @item gnus-agent-go-online
19476 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
19477 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
19478 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
19479 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
19480 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
19481 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
19484 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19485 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19486 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
19487 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
19488 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
19489 read. The default is @code{t}.
19491 @item gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19492 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19493 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
19494 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
19495 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
19496 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
19497 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
19499 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19500 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19501 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
19502 agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
19503 downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
19504 the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
19505 are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
19506 into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
19507 the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
19508 over and over again.
19510 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19511 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19512 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
19513 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
19514 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
19515 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
19516 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
19517 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
19518 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
19519 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
19520 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
19521 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
19524 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
19525 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
19526 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
19527 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
19528 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
19529 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
19530 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
19531 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
19532 is only valid if the Agent is used.
19534 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19535 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19536 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
19537 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
19538 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
19539 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
19541 The valid values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
19542 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
19543 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
19544 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
19545 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
19547 @item gnus-agent-queue-mail
19548 @vindex gnus-agent-queue-mail
19549 When @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail} is @code{always}, Gnus will always
19550 queue mail rather than sending it straight away. When @code{t}, Gnus
19551 will queue mail when unplugged only. When @code{nil}, never queue
19552 mail. The default is @code{t}.
19554 @item gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19555 @vindex gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19556 When @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue} is non-@code{nil} Gnus will
19557 prompt you to confirm that you really wish to proceed if you hit
19558 @kbd{J S} while unplugged. The default is @code{nil}.
19560 @item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19561 @vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19562 If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
19563 @file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
19564 automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
19565 which back ends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
19566 to agentize remote back ends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
19567 as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
19568 If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
19569 removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
19570 start Gnus. The default is @samp{(nntp nnimap)}.
19575 @node Example Setup
19576 @subsection Example Setup
19578 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
19579 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
19580 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
19583 ;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
19584 ;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
19585 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
19587 ;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
19588 ;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
19589 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
19591 ;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
19592 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
19594 ;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
19595 ;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
19596 ;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
19599 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
19600 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
19603 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
19604 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
19605 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
19606 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
19607 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
19610 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
19611 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
19612 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
19613 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
19614 back all the killed groups.)
19616 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
19617 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
19618 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
19621 @node Batching Agents
19622 @subsection Batching Agents
19623 @findex gnus-agent-batch
19625 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
19626 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
19627 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
19629 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
19630 following incantation:
19634 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
19638 @node Agent Caveats
19639 @subsection Agent Caveats
19641 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
19642 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
19646 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
19648 @strong{No}. If you want this behavior, add
19649 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
19650 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
19652 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
19653 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
19655 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
19659 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
19660 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
19661 locally stored articles.
19668 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
19669 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
19670 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
19673 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
19674 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
19675 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
19676 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
19677 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
19679 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
19680 before generating the summary buffer.
19682 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
19683 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
19684 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
19686 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
19687 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
19688 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
19689 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
19692 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
19693 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
19694 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
19695 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
19696 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
19697 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
19698 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
19699 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
19700 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
19701 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
19702 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
19703 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
19704 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
19705 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
19706 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
19707 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
19711 @node Summary Score Commands
19712 @section Summary Score Commands
19713 @cindex score commands
19715 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
19716 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
19717 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
19718 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
19719 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
19721 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
19722 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
19723 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
19724 score file the current one.
19726 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
19731 @kindex V s (Summary)
19732 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
19733 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
19736 @kindex V S (Summary)
19737 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
19738 Display the score of the current article
19739 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
19742 @kindex V t (Summary)
19743 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
19744 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
19745 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
19746 may type @kbd{e} to edit score file corresponding to the score rule on
19747 current line and @kbd{f} to format (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) the
19748 score file and edit it.
19751 @kindex V w (Summary)
19752 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
19753 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
19756 @kindex V R (Summary)
19757 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
19758 Run the current summary through the scoring process
19759 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
19760 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
19761 effect you're having.
19764 @kindex V c (Summary)
19765 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
19766 Make a different score file the current
19767 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
19770 @kindex V e (Summary)
19771 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
19772 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
19773 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
19777 @kindex V f (Summary)
19778 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
19779 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
19780 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
19783 @kindex V F (Summary)
19784 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19785 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
19786 after editing score files.
19789 @kindex V C (Summary)
19790 @findex gnus-score-customize
19791 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
19792 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
19796 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
19801 @kindex V m (Summary)
19802 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
19803 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
19804 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
19807 @kindex V x (Summary)
19808 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
19809 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
19810 expunge all articles below this score
19811 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
19814 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
19815 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
19818 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
19819 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
19823 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
19824 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
19826 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
19827 keys are available:
19831 Score on the author name.
19834 Score on the subject line.
19837 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
19840 Score on the @code{References} line.
19846 Score on the number of lines.
19849 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
19852 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
19853 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
19856 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
19857 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
19858 @file{ADAPT} files.)
19867 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
19873 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
19874 what headers you are scoring on.
19886 Substring matching.
19889 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
19918 Greater than number.
19923 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
19924 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
19925 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
19930 Temporary score entry.
19933 Permanent score entry.
19936 Immediately scoring.
19940 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
19941 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
19942 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
19946 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
19947 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
19948 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
19949 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
19951 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
19952 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
19953 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
19954 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
19955 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
19957 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
19958 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
19959 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
19960 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
19961 current score file.
19963 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
19964 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
19965 pretend they are keymaps or not.
19968 @node Group Score Commands
19969 @section Group Score Commands
19970 @cindex group score commands
19972 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
19977 @kindex W e (Group)
19978 @findex gnus-score-edit-all-score
19979 Edit the apply-to-all-groups all.SCORE file. You will be popped into
19980 a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File Editing}).
19983 @kindex W f (Group)
19984 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19985 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
19986 all the time. This command will flush the cache
19987 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
19991 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
19993 @findex gnus-batch-score
19994 @cindex batch scoring
19996 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
20000 @node Score Variables
20001 @section Score Variables
20002 @cindex score variables
20006 @item gnus-use-scoring
20007 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
20008 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
20009 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
20011 @item gnus-kill-killed
20012 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
20013 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
20014 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
20015 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
20016 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
20017 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
20018 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
20020 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
20021 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
20022 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
20023 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
20024 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
20026 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
20027 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
20028 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
20029 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
20031 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
20032 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
20033 @cindex score cache
20034 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
20035 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
20036 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
20037 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
20038 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
20039 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
20040 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
20043 @item gnus-save-score
20044 @vindex gnus-save-score
20045 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
20046 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
20047 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
20049 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
20050 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
20051 across group visits.
20053 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
20054 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
20055 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
20056 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
20057 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
20058 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
20059 manually entered data.
20061 @item gnus-summary-default-score
20062 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
20063 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
20065 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
20066 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
20067 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
20068 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
20069 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
20070 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
20072 @item gnus-score-over-mark
20073 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
20074 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
20075 default. Default is @samp{+}.
20077 @item gnus-score-below-mark
20078 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
20079 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
20080 default. Default is @samp{-}.
20082 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
20083 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
20084 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
20085 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
20087 Predefined functions available are:
20090 @item gnus-score-find-single
20091 @findex gnus-score-find-single
20092 Only apply the group's own score file.
20094 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
20095 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
20096 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
20097 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
20098 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
20099 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
20100 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
20101 then a regexp match is done.
20103 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
20104 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
20106 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
20107 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
20108 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
20109 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
20111 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
20112 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
20113 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
20114 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
20115 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
20119 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
20120 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
20121 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
20122 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
20123 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
20124 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
20125 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
20128 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
20129 overall score file, you could use the value
20131 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
20132 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
20135 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
20136 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
20137 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
20138 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
20139 are expired. It's 7 by default.
20141 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
20142 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
20143 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
20144 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
20145 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
20146 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
20147 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
20148 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
20150 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
20151 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
20152 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
20154 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
20155 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
20156 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
20157 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
20158 threading---according to the current value of
20159 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
20160 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
20161 simplified in this manner.
20166 @node Score File Format
20167 @section Score File Format
20168 @cindex score file format
20170 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
20171 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
20172 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
20174 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
20178 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
20180 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
20182 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
20184 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
20189 (mark-and-expunge -10)
20193 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
20194 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
20195 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
20196 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
20200 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
20201 Scoring}, for a different approach.
20203 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
20204 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
20205 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
20207 Six keys are supported by this alist:
20212 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
20213 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
20214 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
20215 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
20216 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
20217 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
20218 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
20219 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
20220 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
20221 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
20222 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
20223 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
20224 to articles that matches these score entries.
20226 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
20227 score entry has one to four elements.
20231 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
20232 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
20236 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
20237 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
20238 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
20239 is successful. If this element is not present, the
20240 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
20241 instead. This is 1000 by default.
20244 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
20245 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
20246 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
20247 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
20248 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
20251 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
20252 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
20253 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
20254 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
20257 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
20258 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
20259 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
20260 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
20261 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
20262 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
20263 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
20264 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
20265 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
20266 instead, if you feel like.
20269 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
20270 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
20271 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
20272 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
20273 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
20274 host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
20278 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
20279 "NNTP-Posting-Host")
20283 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
20284 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
20286 These predicates are true if
20289 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
20292 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
20293 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
20300 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
20301 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
20302 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
20303 it's not. I think.)
20305 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
20306 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
20307 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
20308 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
20311 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
20312 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
20313 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
20314 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
20315 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
20316 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
20317 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
20321 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
20322 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
20323 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
20324 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
20325 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
20326 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
20327 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
20328 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
20331 @item Head, Body, All
20332 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
20336 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
20337 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
20338 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
20339 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
20340 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
20341 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
20342 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
20346 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
20347 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
20348 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
20349 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
20350 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
20351 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
20352 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
20353 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
20354 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
20355 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
20356 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
20360 @cindex score file atoms
20362 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20363 lower than this number will be marked as read.
20366 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20367 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
20369 @item mark-and-expunge
20370 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20371 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
20374 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
20375 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
20376 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
20377 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
20378 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
20381 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
20382 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
20385 @item exclude-files
20386 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
20387 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
20391 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
20392 ignored when handling global score files.
20395 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
20396 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
20397 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
20398 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
20401 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
20402 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
20403 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
20404 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
20406 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
20410 (mark-and-expunge -100)
20413 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
20414 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
20415 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
20416 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
20417 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
20419 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
20420 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
20421 scoring rules exist.
20424 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
20425 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
20426 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
20427 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
20428 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
20429 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
20430 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20431 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
20432 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
20433 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
20434 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
20438 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
20439 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
20440 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
20441 file for a number of groups.
20444 @cindex local variables
20445 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
20446 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
20447 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
20448 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
20449 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
20454 @node Score File Editing
20455 @section Score File Editing
20457 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
20458 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
20459 with a mode for that.
20461 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
20462 additional commands:
20467 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
20468 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
20469 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
20470 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
20473 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
20474 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
20475 Insert the current date in numerical format
20476 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
20477 you were wondering.
20480 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
20481 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
20482 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
20483 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
20484 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
20489 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
20491 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
20492 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
20494 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f}, @kbd{V e} and
20495 @kbd{V t} to begin editing score files.
20498 @node Adaptive Scoring
20499 @section Adaptive Scoring
20500 @cindex adaptive scoring
20502 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
20503 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
20504 stupidity, to be precise.
20506 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
20507 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
20508 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
20509 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
20510 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20511 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
20512 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
20513 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
20514 variable to @code{(word line)}.
20516 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20517 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
20518 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
20519 might look something like this:
20522 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20523 '((gnus-unread-mark)
20524 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
20525 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
20526 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
20527 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
20528 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
20529 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
20530 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
20531 (gnus-ancient-mark)
20532 (gnus-low-score-mark)
20533 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
20536 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
20537 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
20538 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
20539 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
20540 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
20541 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
20544 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
20545 will be applied to each article.
20547 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
20548 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
20549 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
20550 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
20552 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
20553 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
20554 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
20555 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
20557 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
20558 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
20559 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
20560 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
20562 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
20563 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
20564 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
20565 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
20566 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
20567 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
20569 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
20570 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
20571 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
20573 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
20574 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
20575 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
20577 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
20578 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
20579 let you use different rules in different groups.
20581 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
20582 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
20583 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
20586 @vindex gnus-adaptive-pretty-print
20587 Adaptive score files can get huge and are not meant to be edited by
20588 human hands. If @code{gnus-adaptive-pretty-print} is @code{nil} (the
20589 deafult) those files will not be written in a human readable way.
20591 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
20592 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
20593 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
20594 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
20595 the length of the match is less than
20596 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
20597 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
20600 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20601 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
20602 headers. If you adapt on words, the
20603 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
20604 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
20607 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20608 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
20609 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
20610 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
20611 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
20614 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
20615 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
20616 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
20617 score with 30 points.
20619 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
20620 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
20621 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
20622 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
20623 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
20625 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
20626 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
20627 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
20628 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
20629 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
20631 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
20632 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
20633 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
20634 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
20636 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
20637 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
20638 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
20639 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
20641 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
20642 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
20643 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
20644 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
20645 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
20647 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
20648 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
20649 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
20651 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
20652 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
20653 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
20654 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
20657 @node Home Score File
20658 @section Home Score File
20660 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
20661 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
20662 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
20663 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
20665 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
20666 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
20667 could perhaps use the same home score file.
20669 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
20670 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
20675 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
20679 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
20680 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
20684 A list. The elements in this list can be:
20688 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
20689 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
20692 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
20693 be used as the home score file. The function will be called with the
20694 name of the group as the parameter.
20697 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
20700 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
20705 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
20708 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20709 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
20712 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
20713 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
20715 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
20717 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20718 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
20721 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
20722 Other functions include
20725 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
20726 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
20727 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
20728 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
20732 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
20733 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
20734 their own home score files:
20737 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20738 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
20739 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
20740 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
20741 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
20744 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
20745 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
20746 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
20747 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
20748 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
20750 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
20751 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
20752 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
20753 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
20754 precedence over this variable.
20757 @node Followups To Yourself
20758 @section Followups To Yourself
20760 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
20761 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
20762 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
20763 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
20764 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
20765 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
20769 @item gnus-score-followup-article
20770 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
20771 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
20774 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
20775 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
20776 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
20780 @vindex message-sent-hook
20781 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
20782 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
20784 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
20788 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
20789 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
20793 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
20794 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
20797 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
20798 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
20803 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
20807 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
20808 is system-dependent.
20811 @node Scoring On Other Headers
20812 @section Scoring On Other Headers
20813 @cindex scoring on other headers
20815 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
20816 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
20817 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
20818 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
20819 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
20821 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
20822 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
20823 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
20824 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
20825 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
20827 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
20830 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
20831 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
20834 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
20835 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
20836 time if you have much mail.
20838 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
20839 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
20845 @section Scoring Tips
20846 @cindex scoring tips
20852 @cindex scoring crossposts
20853 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
20854 the @code{Xref} header.
20856 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
20859 @item Multiple crossposts
20860 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
20861 more than, say, 3 groups:
20864 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
20868 @item Matching on the body
20869 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
20870 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
20871 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
20872 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
20873 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
20874 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
20875 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
20878 @item Marking as read
20879 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
20880 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
20881 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
20885 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
20887 @item Negated character classes
20888 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
20889 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
20890 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
20894 @node Reverse Scoring
20895 @section Reverse Scoring
20896 @cindex reverse scoring
20898 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
20899 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
20900 like this in your score file:
20904 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
20909 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
20910 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
20913 @node Global Score Files
20914 @section Global Score Files
20915 @cindex global score files
20917 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
20918 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
20919 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
20921 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
20922 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
20923 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
20925 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
20926 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
20927 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
20928 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
20929 files are applicable to which group.
20931 To use the score file
20932 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
20933 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
20937 (setq gnus-global-score-files
20938 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
20939 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
20942 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
20944 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
20945 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
20946 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
20947 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
20949 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
20950 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
20952 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
20953 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
20954 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
20955 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
20956 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
20957 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
20959 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
20965 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
20967 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
20969 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
20971 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
20972 lowered out of existence.
20974 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
20975 articles completely.
20978 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
20979 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
20980 old articles for a long time.
20983 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
20984 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
20985 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
20986 holding our breath yet?
20990 @section Kill Files
20993 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
20994 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
20995 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
20997 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
20998 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
20999 files into score files.
21001 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
21002 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
21003 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
21004 that isn't a very good idea.
21006 Normal kill files look like this:
21009 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
21010 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
21014 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
21015 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
21017 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
21018 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
21021 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
21026 @kindex M-k (Summary)
21027 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
21028 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
21031 @kindex M-K (Summary)
21032 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
21033 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
21036 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
21041 @kindex M-k (Group)
21042 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
21043 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
21046 @kindex M-K (Group)
21047 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
21048 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
21051 Kill file variables:
21054 @item gnus-kill-file-name
21055 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
21056 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
21057 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
21058 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
21059 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
21060 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
21062 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
21063 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
21064 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
21065 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
21068 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
21069 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
21070 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
21071 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
21072 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
21073 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
21074 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
21075 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
21076 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
21078 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
21079 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
21080 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
21085 @node Converting Kill Files
21086 @section Converting Kill Files
21088 @cindex converting kill files
21090 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
21091 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
21092 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
21095 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
21096 You can fetch it from
21097 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
21099 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
21100 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
21101 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
21105 @node Advanced Scoring
21106 @section Advanced Scoring
21108 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
21109 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
21110 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
21111 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
21112 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
21114 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
21118 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
21119 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
21120 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
21124 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
21125 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
21127 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
21128 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
21129 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
21130 non-@code{nil} value.
21132 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
21133 operator, and various match operators.
21140 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
21141 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
21142 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
21147 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
21148 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
21149 then this operator will return @code{false}.
21154 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
21155 logical negation of the value of its argument.
21159 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
21160 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
21161 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
21162 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
21163 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
21164 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
21165 the ancestry you want to go.
21167 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
21168 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
21169 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
21170 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
21171 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
21174 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
21175 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
21177 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
21178 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
21181 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
21182 when he's talking about Gnus:
21187 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
21188 ("subject" "Gnus"))
21195 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
21199 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
21206 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
21207 really don't want to read what he's written:
21211 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
21212 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigil Logge")))
21216 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
21217 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
21218 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
21225 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
21226 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
21227 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
21228 ("body" "white.*socks"))
21232 Suppose you're reading a high volume group and you're only interested
21233 in replies. The plan is to score down all articles that don't have
21234 subject that begin with "Re:", "Fw:" or "Fwd:" and then score up all
21235 parents of articles that have subjects that begin with reply marks.
21238 ((! ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
21240 ((1- ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
21244 The possibilities are endless.
21246 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
21247 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
21249 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
21250 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
21251 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
21252 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
21253 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
21254 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
21255 @samp{subject}) first.
21257 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
21258 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
21269 Then that means ``score on the from header of the grandparent of the
21270 current article''. An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
21276 ("subject" "Gnus")))
21283 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
21284 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
21289 @section Score Decays
21290 @cindex score decays
21293 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
21294 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
21295 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
21296 use them in any sensible way.
21298 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
21299 @findex gnus-decay-score
21300 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
21301 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
21302 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
21303 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
21304 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
21305 If @code{gnus-decay-scores} is a regexp, only score files matching this
21306 regexp are treated. E.g. you may set it to @samp{\\.ADAPT\\'} if only
21307 @emph{adaptive} score files should be decayed. The decay itself if
21308 performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function} function, which is
21309 @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the definition of that
21313 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
21314 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
21315 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
21317 (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
21319 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
21321 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
21322 (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
21323 ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
21324 ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
21325 (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
21327 (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
21331 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
21332 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
21333 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
21334 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
21338 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
21341 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
21344 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
21348 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
21349 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
21350 the new score, which should be an integer.
21352 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
21353 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
21358 @include message.texi
21359 @chapter Emacs MIME
21360 @include emacs-mime.texi
21362 @include sieve.texi
21374 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
21375 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
21376 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
21377 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
21378 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
21379 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
21380 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
21381 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
21382 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
21383 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
21384 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
21385 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
21386 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
21387 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
21388 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
21389 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
21390 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
21391 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
21392 * Thwarting Email Spam:: Simple ways to avoid unsolicited commercial email.
21393 * Spam Package:: A package for filtering and processing spam.
21394 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
21395 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
21399 @node Process/Prefix
21400 @section Process/Prefix
21401 @cindex process/prefix convention
21403 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
21404 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
21406 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
21407 command to be performed on.
21411 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
21412 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
21413 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
21414 with the current one.
21416 @vindex transient-mark-mode
21417 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
21418 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
21420 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
21421 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
21424 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
21425 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
21427 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
21430 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
21431 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
21432 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
21433 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
21435 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
21436 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
21437 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
21438 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
21439 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
21440 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
21441 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
21442 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
21444 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
21445 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
21446 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
21447 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
21448 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
21452 @section Interactive
21453 @cindex interaction
21457 @item gnus-novice-user
21458 @vindex gnus-novice-user
21459 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
21460 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
21461 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
21462 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
21465 @item gnus-expert-user
21466 @vindex gnus-expert-user
21467 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
21468 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
21469 matter how strange.
21471 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
21472 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
21473 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
21474 is @code{t} by default.
21476 @item gnus-interactive-exit
21477 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
21478 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21483 @node Symbolic Prefixes
21484 @section Symbolic Prefixes
21485 @cindex symbolic prefixes
21487 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
21488 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
21489 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
21490 rule of 900 to the current article.
21492 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
21493 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
21494 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
21495 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
21496 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
21497 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
21498 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
21500 @kindex M-i (Summary)
21501 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
21502 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
21503 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
21504 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
21505 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
21506 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
21507 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
21508 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
21510 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
21511 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
21512 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
21514 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
21518 @node Formatting Variables
21519 @section Formatting Variables
21520 @cindex formatting variables
21522 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
21523 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
21524 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
21525 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
21526 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
21529 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
21530 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
21531 lots of percentages everywhere.
21534 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
21535 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
21536 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
21537 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
21538 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
21539 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
21540 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
21541 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
21544 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
21545 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
21546 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
21547 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
21548 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
21549 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
21550 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
21551 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
21553 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
21554 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
21556 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
21557 @findex gnus-update-format
21558 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
21559 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
21560 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
21561 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
21565 @node Formatting Basics
21566 @subsection Formatting Basics
21568 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
21569 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
21570 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
21572 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
21573 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
21574 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
21575 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
21576 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
21579 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
21580 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
21581 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
21582 less than 4 characters wide.
21584 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
21585 @samp{%&user-date;}.
21588 @node Mode Line Formatting
21589 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
21591 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
21592 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
21593 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
21594 with the following two differences:
21599 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
21602 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
21603 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
21604 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
21605 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
21606 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
21607 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
21608 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
21613 @node Advanced Formatting
21614 @subsection Advanced Formatting
21616 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
21617 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
21618 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
21619 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
21621 These are the valid modifiers:
21626 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
21630 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
21635 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
21638 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
21643 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
21646 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
21649 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
21652 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
21658 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
21663 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
21664 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
21665 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
21666 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
21667 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
21668 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
21669 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
21671 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
21672 last operation, padding.
21674 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
21675 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
21676 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
21677 @xref{Compilation}.
21680 @node User-Defined Specs
21681 @subsection User-Defined Specs
21683 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
21684 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
21685 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
21686 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
21687 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
21688 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
21689 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
21690 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
21691 should protect against that.
21693 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
21694 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
21696 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
21697 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
21698 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
21699 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
21703 @node Formatting Fonts
21704 @subsection Formatting Fonts
21706 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
21707 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
21708 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
21709 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
21712 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
21713 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
21714 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
21715 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
21716 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
21717 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
21719 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
21720 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
21721 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
21722 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
21723 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
21724 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
21725 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
21726 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
21727 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
21728 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
21729 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
21732 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
21735 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
21736 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
21737 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
21739 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
21740 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
21741 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
21742 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
21743 ;; @r{Set the color.}
21744 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
21745 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
21747 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
21748 (setq gnus-group-line-format
21749 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
21752 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
21753 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
21755 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
21756 mode-line variables.
21758 @node Positioning Point
21759 @subsection Positioning Point
21761 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
21762 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
21763 line. You can customize this behavior in three different ways.
21765 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
21767 @findex gnus-goto-colon
21768 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
21769 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
21771 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
21772 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
21773 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
21778 @subsection Tabulation
21780 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
21781 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
21782 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
21783 about lining up the following text afterwards.
21785 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
21786 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
21788 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
21789 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
21790 This is the soft tabulator.
21792 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
21793 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
21794 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
21797 @node Wide Characters
21798 @subsection Wide Characters
21800 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
21801 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
21802 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
21804 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
21805 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
21806 these countries, that's not true.
21808 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
21809 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
21810 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
21811 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
21815 @node Window Layout
21816 @section Window Layout
21817 @cindex window layout
21819 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
21821 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
21822 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
21823 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
21824 @code{t} by default.
21826 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
21827 glitches. Use at your own peril.
21829 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
21830 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
21831 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
21834 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
21835 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
21836 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
21840 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
21841 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
21842 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
21843 possible names is listed below.
21845 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
21846 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
21849 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
21853 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
21854 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
21855 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
21856 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
21857 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
21858 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
21859 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
21860 size spec per split.
21862 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
21863 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
21864 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
21865 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
21866 present) gets focus.
21868 Here's a more complicated example:
21871 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
21872 (summary 0.25 point)
21873 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
21877 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
21878 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
21879 occupy, not a percentage.
21881 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
21882 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
21883 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
21884 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
21885 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
21888 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
21891 (article (horizontal 1.0
21896 (summary 0.25 point)
21901 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
21902 @code{horizontal} thingie?
21904 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
21905 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
21906 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
21907 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
21908 the screen is to be given to this strip.
21910 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
21911 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
21912 lines from the splits.
21914 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
21919 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
21920 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
21921 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
21922 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
21923 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
21924 size = number | frame-params
21925 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
21929 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
21930 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
21931 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
21932 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
21934 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
21935 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
21936 @cindex window height
21937 @cindex window width
21938 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
21939 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
21940 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
21941 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
21942 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
21943 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
21945 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
21946 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
21947 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
21948 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
21950 @findex gnus-configure-frame
21951 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
21952 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
21953 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
21954 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
21955 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
21956 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
21957 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
21958 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
21959 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
21960 configuration list.
21963 (gnus-configure-frame
21967 (article 0.3 point))
21975 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
21976 @code{frame} split:
21979 (gnus-configure-frame
21982 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
21984 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
21985 (user-position . t)
21986 (left . -1) (top . 1))
21991 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
21992 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
21993 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
21994 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
21995 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
21996 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
21997 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
21998 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
22000 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
22001 be found in its default value.
22003 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
22004 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
22005 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
22009 (message (horizontal 1.0
22010 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
22012 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
22017 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
22018 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
22019 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
22024 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
22025 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
22026 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
22027 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
22028 (name . "Message"))
22029 (message 1.0 point))))
22032 @findex gnus-add-configuration
22033 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
22034 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
22035 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
22036 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
22039 (gnus-add-configuration
22040 '(article (vertical 1.0
22042 (summary .25 point)
22046 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
22047 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
22048 Gnus has been loaded.
22050 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
22051 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
22052 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
22053 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
22054 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
22056 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
22057 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
22058 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
22061 @subsection Example Window Configurations
22065 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
22066 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
22081 (gnus-add-configuration
22084 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
22086 (summary 0.16 point)
22089 (gnus-add-configuration
22092 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
22093 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
22099 @node Faces and Fonts
22100 @section Faces and Fonts
22105 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
22106 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
22107 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
22112 @section Compilation
22113 @cindex compilation
22114 @cindex byte-compilation
22116 @findex gnus-compile
22118 Remember all those line format specification variables?
22119 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
22120 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
22121 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
22122 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
22123 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
22126 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
22127 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
22128 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
22129 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
22130 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
22131 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
22132 them into the @file{~/.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
22136 @section Mode Lines
22139 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
22140 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
22141 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
22142 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
22143 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
22144 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
22145 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
22148 @cindex display-time
22150 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
22151 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
22152 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
22153 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
22154 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
22155 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
22156 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
22157 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
22160 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
22162 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
22163 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
22165 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
22166 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
22167 (length display-time-string)))))
22170 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
22171 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
22172 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
22173 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
22174 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
22177 @node Highlighting and Menus
22178 @section Highlighting and Menus
22180 @cindex highlighting
22183 @vindex gnus-visual
22184 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
22185 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
22186 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
22189 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
22190 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
22193 @item group-highlight
22194 Do highlights in the group buffer.
22195 @item summary-highlight
22196 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
22197 @item article-highlight
22198 Do highlights in the article buffer.
22200 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
22202 Create menus in the group buffer.
22204 Create menus in the summary buffers.
22206 Create menus in the article buffer.
22208 Create menus in the browse buffer.
22210 Create menus in the server buffer.
22212 Create menus in the score buffers.
22214 Create menus in all buffers.
22217 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
22218 buffers, you could say something like:
22221 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
22224 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
22227 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
22230 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
22231 in all Gnus buffers.
22233 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
22236 @item gnus-mouse-face
22237 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
22238 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
22239 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
22243 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
22247 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
22248 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
22249 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
22251 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
22252 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
22253 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
22255 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
22256 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
22257 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
22259 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
22260 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
22261 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
22263 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
22264 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
22265 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
22267 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
22268 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
22269 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
22280 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
22281 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
22282 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
22283 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
22284 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
22288 @vindex gnus-carpal
22289 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
22290 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
22291 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
22296 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
22297 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
22298 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
22300 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
22301 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
22302 Face used on buttons.
22304 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
22305 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
22306 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
22308 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
22309 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
22310 Buttons in the group buffer.
22312 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
22313 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
22314 Buttons in the summary buffer.
22316 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
22317 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
22318 Buttons in the server buffer.
22320 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
22321 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
22322 Buttons in the browse buffer.
22325 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
22326 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
22327 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
22335 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
22336 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
22337 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
22338 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
22339 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
22341 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
22342 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
22343 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
22345 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
22346 been idle for thirty minutes:
22349 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
22352 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
22356 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
22359 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
22360 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
22361 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
22363 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
22364 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
22365 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
22366 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
22368 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
22369 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
22370 @var{idle} minutes.
22372 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
22373 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
22376 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
22377 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
22378 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
22380 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
22381 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
22382 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
22383 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
22385 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
22386 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22388 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
22390 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
22393 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
22394 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
22395 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
22396 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
22397 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
22398 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
22399 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
22400 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
22401 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
22402 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
22403 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
22405 @findex gnus-demon-init
22406 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
22407 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
22408 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
22409 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
22410 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
22412 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
22413 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
22414 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
22423 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
22424 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
22426 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
22427 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
22428 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
22429 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
22432 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
22433 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
22434 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
22435 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
22437 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
22438 this will make spam disappear.
22440 There are some variables to customize, of course:
22443 @item gnus-use-nocem
22444 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
22445 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
22448 You can also set this variable to a positive number as a group level.
22449 In that case, Gnus scans NoCeM messages when checking new news if this
22450 value is not exceeding a group level that you specify as the prefix
22451 argument to some commands, e.g. @code{gnus},
22452 @code{gnus-group-get-new-news}, etc. Otherwise, Gnus does not scan
22453 NoCeM messages if you specify a group level to those commands. For
22454 example, if you use 1 or 2 on the mail groups and the levels on the news
22455 groups remain the default, 3 is the best choice.
22457 @item gnus-nocem-groups
22458 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
22459 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
22462 ("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
22463 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")
22466 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
22467 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
22468 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
22469 people you want to listen to. The default is
22471 ("Automoose-1" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
22472 "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo" "hweede@@snafu.de")
22474 fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
22476 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at@*
22477 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
22479 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
22480 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
22481 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
22482 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
22483 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
22484 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
22485 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
22486 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
22487 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
22488 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
22490 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
22491 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
22494 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
22497 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
22498 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
22501 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
22504 The specs are applied left-to-right.
22507 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
22508 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
22510 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
22511 says she is. The default is @code{pgg-verify}, which returns
22512 non-@code{nil} if the verification is successful, otherwise (including
22513 the case the NoCeM message was not signed) returns @code{nil}. If this
22514 is too slow and you don't care for verification (which may be dangerous),
22515 you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
22517 Formerly the default was @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
22518 function. While you can still use it, you can change it into
22519 @code{pgg-verify} running with GnuPG if you are willing to add the
22520 @acronym{PGP} public keys to GnuPG's keyring.
22522 @item gnus-nocem-directory
22523 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
22524 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is@*
22525 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
22527 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
22528 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
22529 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
22530 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
22531 might then see old spam.
22533 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
22534 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
22535 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
22536 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
22537 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
22540 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
22541 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
22542 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
22543 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
22547 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
22548 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
22549 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
22550 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
22557 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
22558 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
22559 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
22561 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
22562 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
22563 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
22564 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
22565 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
22566 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
22567 @code{undo} function.
22569 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
22570 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
22571 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
22572 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
22573 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
22574 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
22575 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
22576 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
22577 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
22578 never be totally undoable.
22580 @findex gnus-undo-mode
22581 @vindex gnus-use-undo
22583 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
22584 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
22585 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
22586 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
22590 @node Predicate Specifiers
22591 @section Predicate Specifiers
22592 @cindex predicate specifiers
22594 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
22595 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
22596 to type all that much.
22598 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
22603 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
22604 gnus-article-unread-p)
22607 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
22608 functions all take one parameter.
22610 @findex gnus-make-predicate
22611 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
22612 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
22613 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
22618 @section Moderation
22621 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
22622 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
22623 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
22626 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
22630 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
22633 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
22635 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
22640 You split your incoming mail by matching on
22641 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
22642 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
22645 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
22646 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
22649 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
22650 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
22654 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
22657 (setq gnus-moderated-list
22658 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
22662 @node Fetching a Group
22663 @section Fetching a Group
22664 @cindex fetching a group
22666 @findex gnus-fetch-group
22667 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
22668 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
22669 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
22670 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
22671 It takes the group name as a parameter.
22674 @node Image Enhancements
22675 @section Image Enhancements
22677 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
22678 support images, Emacs 22 does.} and up, are able to display pictures and
22679 stuff, so Gnus has taken advantage of that.
22682 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
22683 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
22684 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
22685 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
22686 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
22694 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
22695 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
22696 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
22700 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
22701 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
22702 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
22710 Viewing an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
22711 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
22712 have suitable conversion or display programs installed. If your Emacs
22713 has image support the default action is to display the face before the
22714 @code{From} header. If there's no native @code{X-Face} support, Gnus
22715 will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using external programs
22716 from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends. For XEmacs it's faster if
22717 XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support. The default action
22718 under Emacs without image support is to fork off the @code{display}
22721 On a GNU/Linux system, the @code{display} program is from the
22722 ImageMagick package. For external conversion programs look for packages
22723 with names like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.
22725 The variable that controls this is the
22726 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
22727 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
22728 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
22729 If @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
22730 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
22732 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
22740 @vindex gnus-x-face
22741 Face to show X-Face. The colors from this face are used as the
22742 foreground and background colors of the displayed X-Faces. The
22743 default colors are black and white.
22745 @item gnus-face-properties-alist
22746 @vindex gnus-face-properties-alist
22747 Alist of image types and properties applied to Face (@pxref{Face}) and
22748 X-Face images. The default value is @code{((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face))
22749 (png . nil))} for Emacs or @code{((xface . (:face gnus-x-face)))} for
22750 XEmacs. Here are examples:
22753 ;; Specify the altitude of Face and X-Face images in the From header.
22754 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
22755 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :ascent 80))
22756 (png . (:ascent 80))))
22758 ;; Show Face and X-Face images as pressed buttons.
22759 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
22760 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :relief -2))
22761 (png . (:relief -2))))
22764 @pxref{Image Descriptors, ,Image Descriptors, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
22765 Reference Manual} for the valid properties for various image types.
22766 Currently, @code{pbm} is used for X-Face images and @code{png} is used
22767 for Face images in Emacs. Only the @code{:face} property is effective
22768 on the @code{xface} image type in XEmacs if it is built with the
22769 @samp{libcompface} library.
22772 If you use posting styles, you can use an @code{x-face-file} entry in
22773 @code{gnus-posting-styles}, @xref{Posting Styles}. If you don't, Gnus
22774 provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow easier
22775 insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages. You also need the
22776 above mentioned ImageMagick, netpbm or other image conversion packages
22777 (depending the values of the variables below) for these functions.
22779 @findex gnus-random-x-face
22780 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
22781 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
22782 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
22783 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
22784 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
22785 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
22786 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
22787 header data as a string.
22789 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
22790 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
22791 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
22792 randomly generated data.
22794 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
22795 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
22796 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
22797 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
22798 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
22800 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
22801 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22804 (setq message-required-news-headers
22805 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22806 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
22809 Using the last function would be something like this:
22812 (setq message-required-news-headers
22813 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22814 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
22815 (gnus-x-face-from-file
22816 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
22824 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces' implementations should really be harmonized.
22826 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
22827 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
22828 represent the author of the message.
22831 @findex gnus-article-display-face
22832 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
22833 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
22836 The @code{gnus-face-properties-alist} variable affects the appearance of
22837 displayed Face images. @xref{X-Face}.
22839 Viewing an @code{Face} header requires an Emacs that is able to display
22842 @c (if (featurep 'xemacs)
22844 @c (image-type-available-p 'png))
22846 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
22847 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
22849 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
22850 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
22851 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
22853 @findex gnus-face-from-file
22854 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
22855 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
22856 converts the file to Face format by using the
22857 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
22859 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
22860 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22863 (setq message-required-news-headers
22864 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22865 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
22866 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
22871 @subsection Smileys
22876 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
22881 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
22882 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
22884 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
22885 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22888 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
22891 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
22892 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
22893 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
22894 text and maps that to file names.
22896 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
22897 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
22898 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
22899 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
22900 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
22903 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
22908 @item smiley-data-directory
22909 @vindex smiley-data-directory
22910 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
22912 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
22913 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
22914 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
22928 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
22929 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
22930 over your shoulder as you read news.
22932 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
22941 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
22942 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
22943 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
22944 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
22945 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
22946 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
22947 @code{GIF} formats.
22950 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
22951 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
22952 point your Web browser at
22953 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
22955 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
22956 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
22958 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
22959 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
22962 @vindex gnus-picon-style
22963 The variable @code{gnus-picon-style} controls how picons are displayed.
22964 If @code{inline}, the textual representation is replaced. If
22965 @code{right}, picons are added right to the textual representation.
22967 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
22971 @item gnus-picon-databases
22972 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
22973 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
22974 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
22975 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
22976 "/usr/local/faces")}.
22978 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
22979 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
22980 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
22981 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
22983 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
22984 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
22985 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
22986 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
22988 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
22989 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
22990 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
22991 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
22992 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
22994 @item gnus-picon-file-types
22995 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
22996 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
22997 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
23003 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
23006 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
23007 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
23008 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
23009 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
23010 unusual directory structure.
23012 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
23013 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
23014 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
23019 @subsubsection Toolbar
23023 @item gnus-use-toolbar
23024 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
23025 This variable specifies the position to display the toolbar. If
23026 @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If it is non-@code{nil}, it should
23027 be one of the symbols @code{default}, @code{top}, @code{bottom},
23028 @code{right}, and @code{left}. @code{default} means to use the default
23029 toolbar, the rest mean to display the toolbar on the place which those
23030 names show. The default is @code{default}.
23032 @item gnus-toolbar-thickness
23033 @vindex gnus-toolbar-thickness
23034 Cons of the height and the width specifying the thickness of a toolbar.
23035 The height is used for the toolbar displayed on the top or the bottom,
23036 the width is used for the toolbar displayed on the right or the left.
23037 The default is that of the default toolbar.
23039 @item gnus-group-toolbar
23040 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
23041 The toolbar in the group buffer.
23043 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
23044 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
23045 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
23047 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
23048 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
23049 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
23060 @node Fuzzy Matching
23061 @section Fuzzy Matching
23062 @cindex fuzzy matching
23064 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
23065 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
23067 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
23068 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
23069 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
23071 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
23072 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
23073 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
23074 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
23075 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
23078 @node Thwarting Email Spam
23079 @section Thwarting Email Spam
23083 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23085 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
23086 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
23087 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
23088 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
23089 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
23090 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
23091 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
23092 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
23095 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
23096 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
23097 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
23098 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
23099 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
23100 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
23102 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
23105 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
23106 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
23107 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
23108 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
23111 @node The problem of spam
23112 @subsection The problem of spam
23114 @cindex spam filtering approaches
23115 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
23117 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23119 First, some background on spam.
23121 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
23122 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it
23123 exists because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail,
23124 so only a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to
23125 make it worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most
23126 common spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for
23127 further spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers},
23128 but terms like @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, @emph{sociopaths}, and
23129 @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
23131 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
23132 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
23133 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
23134 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
23135 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
23136 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
23137 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
23138 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
23139 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
23142 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering, at the mail
23143 server or when you sort through incoming mail. If you get 200 spam
23144 messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you block
23145 @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about @samp{VIAGRA}, you
23146 discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the message. If you get
23147 lots of spam from Bulgaria, for example, you try to filter all mail
23148 from Bulgarian IPs.
23150 This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate e-mail. The
23151 risks of blocking a whole country (Bulgaria, Norway, Nigeria, China,
23152 etc.) or even a continent (Asia, Africa, Europe, etc.) from contacting
23153 you should be obvious, so don't do it if you have the choice.
23155 In another instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest has
23156 been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it @strong{contained}
23157 words that were common in spam messages. Nevertheless, in isolated
23158 cases, with great care, direct filtering of mail can be useful.
23160 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
23161 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
23162 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
23163 Ghana, Estonia, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
23164 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into a
23165 database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the number
23166 of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When a user
23167 of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a message is
23168 spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
23170 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
23171 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
23172 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
23173 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
23174 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
23175 sending spam, and their web sites and mailing lists have been shut
23176 down for some time because of the incident.
23178 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
23179 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
23180 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
23181 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
23182 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
23183 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
23184 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
23185 to store the database of spam analysis. Statistical analysis on the
23186 server is gaining popularity. This has the advantage of letting the
23187 user Just Read Mail, but has the disadvantage that it's harder to tell
23188 the server that it has misclassified mail.
23190 Fighting spam is not easy, no matter what anyone says. There is no
23191 magic switch that will distinguish Viagra ads from Mom's e-mails.
23192 Even people are having a hard time telling spam apart from non-spam,
23193 because spammers are actively looking to fool us into thinking they
23194 are Mom, essentially. Spamming is irritating, irresponsible, and
23195 idiotic behavior from a bunch of people who think the world owes them
23196 a favor. We hope the following sections will help you in fighting the
23199 @node Anti-Spam Basics
23200 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
23204 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23206 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
23207 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
23209 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
23210 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
23211 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
23212 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
23213 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
23214 part of the mail address.)
23217 (setq message-default-news-headers
23218 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
23221 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
23222 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
23226 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
23227 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
23228 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
23233 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
23234 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
23235 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
23236 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
23238 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
23239 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
23240 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
23241 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
23242 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
23243 your fancy split rule in this way:
23248 (to "larsi" "misc")
23252 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
23253 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
23254 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
23255 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
23256 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
23258 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
23259 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
23260 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
23261 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
23263 Be careful with this approach. Spammers are wise to it.
23267 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
23268 @cindex SpamAssassin
23269 @cindex Vipul's Razor
23272 The days where the hints in the previous section were sufficient in
23273 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
23274 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
23275 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
23276 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
23277 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
23278 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
23280 Note that this section does not involve the @code{spam.el} package,
23281 which is discussed in the next section. If you don't care for all
23282 the features of @code{spam.el}, you can make do with these simple
23285 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
23286 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
23287 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
23288 Specifiers}) follow.
23292 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
23296 "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
23299 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
23300 the mail contain e.g.@: a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
23301 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
23304 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
23308 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
23311 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
23312 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
23316 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
23317 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
23318 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
23319 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
23322 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
23324 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
23328 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
23329 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
23333 Note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will not be
23334 downloaded by default. You need to set
23335 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
23336 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
23338 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
23339 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
23340 spam. And here is the nifty function:
23343 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
23344 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
23346 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
23347 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
23348 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
23352 @subsection Hashcash
23355 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
23356 costly and demonstrably unique for each message they send. This has
23357 the obvious drawback that you cannot rely on everyone in the world
23358 using this technique, since it is not part of the Internet standards,
23359 but it may be useful in smaller communities.
23361 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
23362 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
23363 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
23364 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
23365 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
23366 instead prefers that everyone you contact through e-mail supports the
23367 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
23368 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
23369 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
23370 one of them separately.
23373 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
23374 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
23375 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:} header.
23376 For more details, and for the external application @code{hashcash} you
23377 need to install to use this feature, see
23378 @uref{http://www.hashcash.org/}. Even more information can be found
23379 at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
23381 If you wish to generate hashcash for each message you send, you can
23382 customize @code{message-generate-hashcash} (@pxref{Mail Headers, ,Mail
23383 Headers,message, The Message Manual}), as in:
23386 (setq message-generate-hashcash t)
23389 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
23393 @item hashcash-default-payment
23394 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
23395 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
23396 should consist of. By default this is 20. Suggested useful values
23399 @item hashcash-payment-alist
23400 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
23401 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
23402 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
23403 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
23404 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
23405 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
23406 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
23407 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
23409 @item hashcash-path
23410 @vindex hashcash-path
23411 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed. This variable should
23412 be automatically set by @code{executable-find}, but if it's @code{nil}
23413 (usually because the @code{hashcash} binary is not in your path)
23414 you'll get a warning when you check hashcash payments and an error
23415 when you generate hashcash payments.
23419 Gnus can verify hashcash cookies, although this can also be done by
23420 hand customized mail filtering scripts. To verify a hashcash cookie
23421 in a message, use the @code{mail-check-payment} function in the
23422 @code{hashcash.el} library. You can also use the @code{spam.el}
23423 package with the @code{spam-use-hashcash} back end to validate hashcash
23424 cookies in incoming mail and filter mail accordingly (@pxref{Anti-spam
23425 Hashcash Payments}).
23428 @section Spam Package
23429 @cindex spam filtering
23432 The Spam package provides Gnus with a centralized mechanism for
23433 detecting and filtering spam. It filters new mail, and processes
23434 messages according to whether they are spam or ham. (@dfn{Ham} is the
23435 name used throughout this manual to indicate non-spam messages.)
23438 * Spam Package Introduction::
23439 * Filtering Incoming Mail::
23440 * Detecting Spam in Groups::
23441 * Spam and Ham Processors::
23442 * Spam Package Configuration Examples::
23444 * Extending the Spam package::
23445 * Spam Statistics Package::
23448 @node Spam Package Introduction
23449 @subsection Spam Package Introduction
23450 @cindex spam filtering
23451 @cindex spam filtering sequence of events
23454 You must read this section to understand how the Spam package works.
23455 Do not skip, speed-read, or glance through this section.
23457 Make sure you read the section on the @code{spam.el} sequence of
23458 events. See @xref{Extending the Spam package}.
23460 @cindex spam-initialize
23461 @vindex spam-use-stat
23462 To use the Spam package, you @strong{must} first run the function
23463 @code{spam-initialize}:
23469 This autoloads @code{spam.el} and installs the various hooks necessary
23470 to let the Spam package do its job. In order to make use of the Spam
23471 package, you have to set up certain group parameters and variables,
23472 which we will describe below. All of the variables controlling the
23473 Spam package can be found in the @samp{spam} customization group.
23475 There are two ``contact points'' between the Spam package and the rest
23476 of Gnus: checking new mail for spam, and leaving a group.
23478 Checking new mail for spam is done in one of two ways: while splitting
23479 incoming mail, or when you enter a group.
23481 The first way, checking for spam while splitting incoming mail, is
23482 suited to mail back ends such as @code{nnml} or @code{nnimap}, where
23483 new mail appears in a single spool file. The Spam package processes
23484 incoming mail, and sends mail considered to be spam to a designated
23485 ``spam'' group. @xref{Filtering Incoming Mail}.
23487 The second way is suited to back ends such as @code{nntp}, which have
23488 no incoming mail spool, or back ends where the server is in charge of
23489 splitting incoming mail. In this case, when you enter a Gnus group,
23490 the unseen or unread messages in that group are checked for spam.
23491 Detected spam messages are marked as spam. @xref{Detecting Spam in
23494 @cindex spam back ends
23495 In either case, you have to tell the Spam package what method to use
23496 to detect spam messages. There are several methods, or @dfn{spam back
23497 ends} (not to be confused with Gnus back ends!) to choose from: spam
23498 ``blacklists'' and ``whitelists'', dictionary-based filters, and so
23499 forth. @xref{Spam Back Ends}.
23501 In the Gnus summary buffer, messages that have been identified as spam
23502 always appear with a @samp{$} symbol.
23504 The Spam package divides Gnus groups into three categories: ham
23505 groups, spam groups, and unclassified groups. You should mark each of
23506 the groups you subscribe to as either a ham group or a spam group,
23507 using the @code{spam-contents} group parameter (@pxref{Group
23508 Parameters}). Spam groups have a special property: when you enter a
23509 spam group, all unseen articles are marked as spam. Thus, mail split
23510 into a spam group is automatically marked as spam.
23512 Identifying spam messages is only half of the Spam package's job. The
23513 second half comes into play whenever you exit a group buffer. At this
23514 point, the Spam package does several things:
23516 First, it calls @dfn{spam and ham processors} to process the articles
23517 according to whether they are spam or ham. There is a pair of spam
23518 and ham processors associated with each spam back end, and what the
23519 processors do depends on the back end. At present, the main role of
23520 spam and ham processors is for dictionary-based spam filters: they add
23521 the contents of the messages in the group to the filter's dictionary,
23522 to improve its ability to detect future spam. The @code{spam-process}
23523 group parameter specifies what spam processors to use. @xref{Spam and
23526 If the spam filter failed to mark a spam message, you can mark it
23527 yourself, so that the message is processed as spam when you exit the
23537 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
23538 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
23539 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark
23540 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}).
23544 Similarly, you can unmark an article if it has been erroneously marked
23545 as spam. @xref{Setting Marks}.
23547 Normally, a ham message found in a non-ham group is not processed as
23548 ham---the rationale is that it should be moved into a ham group for
23549 further processing (see below). However, you can force these articles
23550 to be processed as ham by setting
23551 @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} and
23552 @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups}.
23554 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
23555 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
23556 The second thing that the Spam package does when you exit a group is
23557 to move ham articles out of spam groups, and spam articles out of ham
23558 groups. Ham in a spam group is moved to the group specified by the
23559 variable @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}, or the group parameter
23560 @code{ham-process-destination}. Spam in a ham group is moved to the
23561 group specified by the variable @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations},
23562 or the group parameter @code{spam-process-destination}. If these
23563 variables are not set, the articles are left in their current group.
23564 If an article cannot be moved (e.g., with a read-only backend such
23565 as @acronym{NNTP}), it is copied.
23567 If an article is moved to another group, it is processed again when
23568 you visit the new group. Normally, this is not a problem, but if you
23569 want each article to be processed only once, load the
23570 @code{gnus-registry.el} package and set the variable
23571 @code{spam-log-to-registry} to @code{t}. @xref{Spam Package
23572 Configuration Examples}.
23574 Normally, spam groups ignore @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations}.
23575 However, if you set @code{spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only} to
23576 @code{nil}, spam will also be moved out of spam groups, depending on
23577 the @code{spam-process-destination} parameter.
23579 The final thing the Spam package does is to mark spam articles as
23580 expired, which is usually the right thing to do.
23582 If all this seems confusing, don't worry. Soon it will be as natural
23583 as typing Lisp one-liners on a neural interface@dots{} err, sorry, that's
23584 50 years in the future yet. Just trust us, it's not so bad.
23586 @node Filtering Incoming Mail
23587 @subsection Filtering Incoming Mail
23588 @cindex spam filtering
23589 @cindex spam filtering incoming mail
23592 To use the Spam package to filter incoming mail, you must first set up
23593 fancy mail splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}. The Spam package
23594 defines a special splitting function that you can add to your fancy
23595 split variable (either @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
23596 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on your mail back end):
23602 @vindex spam-split-group
23604 The @code{spam-split} function scans incoming mail according to your
23605 chosen spam back end(s), and sends messages identified as spam to a
23606 spam group. By default, the spam group is a group named @samp{spam},
23607 but you can change this by customizing @code{spam-split-group}. Make
23608 sure the contents of @code{spam-split-group} are an unqualified group
23609 name. For instance, in an @code{nnimap} server @samp{your-server},
23610 the value @samp{spam} means @samp{nnimap+your-server:spam}. The value
23611 @samp{nnimap+server:spam} is therefore wrong---it gives the group
23612 @samp{nnimap+your-server:nnimap+server:spam}.
23614 @code{spam-split} does not modify the contents of messages in any way.
23616 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
23617 Note for IMAP users: if you use the @code{spam-check-bogofilter},
23618 @code{spam-check-ifile}, and @code{spam-check-stat} spam back ends,
23619 you should also set set the variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body}
23620 to @code{t}. These spam back ends are most useful when they can
23621 ``scan'' the full message body. By default, the nnimap back end only
23622 retrieves the message headers; @code{nnimap-split-download-body} tells
23623 it to retrieve the message bodies as well. We don't set this by
23624 default because it will slow @acronym{IMAP} down, and that is not an
23625 appropriate decision to make on behalf of the user. @xref{Splitting
23628 You have to specify one or more spam back ends for @code{spam-split}
23629 to use, by setting the @code{spam-use-*} variables. @xref{Spam Back
23630 Ends}. Normally, @code{spam-split} simply uses all the spam back ends
23631 you enabled in this way. However, you can tell @code{spam-split} to
23632 use only some of them. Why this is useful? Suppose you are using the
23633 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and @code{spam-use-blackholes} spam back
23634 ends, and the following split rule:
23637 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
23638 (any "ding" "ding")
23640 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23645 The problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the ding
23646 folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam detected by
23647 SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through, when it's
23648 sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to the ding
23649 list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the invocation
23650 of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
23652 The solution is to let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, and
23653 perform the other @code{spam-split} rules (including a second
23654 invocation of the regex-headers check) after the ding rule. This is
23655 done by passing a parameter to @code{spam-split}:
23660 ;; @r{spam detected by @code{spam-use-regex-headers} goes to @samp{regex-spam}}
23661 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
23662 (any "ding" "ding")
23663 ;; @r{all other spam detected by spam-split goes to @code{spam-split-group}}
23665 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23670 This lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks depending on
23671 your particular needs, and target the results of those checks to a
23672 particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail into all the
23673 spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that messages to
23674 mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have resource-intensive
23675 blackhole checks performed on them. You could also specify different
23676 spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap split. Go crazy.
23678 You should set the @code{spam-use-*} variables for whatever spam back
23679 ends you intend to use. The reason is that when loading
23680 @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on what
23681 @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set. @xref{Spam Back Ends}.
23683 @c @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
23684 @c statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
23687 @node Detecting Spam in Groups
23688 @subsection Detecting Spam in Groups
23690 To detect spam when visiting a group, set the group's
23691 @code{spam-autodetect} and @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group
23692 parameters. These are accessible with @kbd{G c} or @kbd{G p}, as
23693 usual (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
23695 You should set the @code{spam-use-*} variables for whatever spam back
23696 ends you intend to use. The reason is that when loading
23697 @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on what
23698 @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set.
23700 By default, only unseen articles are processed for spam. You can
23701 force Gnus to recheck all messages in the group by setting the
23702 variable @code{spam-autodetect-recheck-messages} to @code{t}.
23704 If you use the @code{spam-autodetect} method of checking for spam, you
23705 can specify different spam detection methods for different groups.
23706 For instance, the @samp{ding} group may have @code{spam-use-BBDB} as
23707 the autodetection method, while the @samp{suspect} group may have the
23708 @code{spam-use-blacklist} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter} methods
23709 enabled. Unlike with @code{spam-split}, you don't have any control
23710 over the @emph{sequence} of checks, but this is probably unimportant.
23712 @node Spam and Ham Processors
23713 @subsection Spam and Ham Processors
23714 @cindex spam filtering
23715 @cindex spam filtering variables
23716 @cindex spam variables
23719 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
23720 Spam and ham processors specify special actions to take when you exit
23721 a group buffer. Spam processors act on spam messages, and ham
23722 processors on ham messages. At present, the main role of these
23723 processors is to update the dictionaries of dictionary-based spam back
23724 ends such as Bogofilter (@pxref{Bogofilter}) and the Spam Statistics
23725 package (@pxref{Spam Statistics Filtering}).
23727 The spam and ham processors that apply to each group are determined by
23728 the group's@code{spam-process} group parameter. If this group
23729 parameter is not defined, they are determined by the variable
23730 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups}.
23732 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
23733 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
23734 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
23735 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
23736 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
23737 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
23738 by customizing the corresponding variable
23739 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
23740 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
23741 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
23742 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
23743 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
23744 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
23745 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
23748 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
23750 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
23751 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
23752 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
23753 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
23754 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
23755 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
23756 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
23757 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
23758 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
23759 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
23760 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
23761 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
23762 processor which will study them as spam samples.
23764 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
23765 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
23766 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
23767 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
23768 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
23769 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
23770 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
23771 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
23774 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
23775 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
23776 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks (the idea is
23777 that these articles have been read, but are not spam). It can be
23778 useful to also include the tick mark in the ham marks. It is not
23779 recommended to make the unread mark a ham mark, because it normally
23780 indicates a lack of classification. But you can do it, and we'll be
23785 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
23786 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
23787 the spam mark. It is not recommended to change that, but you can if
23788 you really want to.
23791 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
23792 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
23793 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
23794 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
23795 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
23796 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
23799 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
23800 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
23801 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
23802 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
23803 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
23804 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
23805 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
23806 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
23807 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with @kbd{M-x
23808 customize-variable @key{RET} gnus-ham-process-destinations}). Each
23809 group name list is a standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize
23810 the variable manually. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
23811 parameter is not set, ham articles are left in place. If the
23812 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
23813 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
23815 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23816 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23818 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
23819 expression! This enables you to send your ham to a regular mail
23820 group and to a @emph{ham training} group.
23822 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
23823 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
23825 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
23826 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
23827 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
23828 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
23829 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
23831 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
23832 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
23833 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
23834 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
23835 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
23838 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
23839 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
23840 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
23841 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
23842 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
23843 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
23844 customize this variable with @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET}
23845 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). Each group name list is a standard
23846 Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually. If the
23847 @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set, the spam
23848 articles are only expired. The group name is fully qualified, meaning
23849 that if you see @samp{nntp:servername} before the group name in the
23850 group buffer then you need it here as well.
23852 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23853 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23855 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
23856 expression! This enables you to send your spam to multiple @emph{spam
23859 @vindex spam-log-to-registry
23860 The problem with processing ham and spam is that Gnus doesn't track
23861 this processing by default. Enable the @code{spam-log-to-registry}
23862 variable so @code{spam.el} will use @code{gnus-registry.el} to track
23863 what articles have been processed, and avoid processing articles
23864 multiple times. Keep in mind that if you limit the number of registry
23865 entries, this won't work as well as it does without a limit.
23867 @vindex spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam
23868 Set this variable if you want only unseen articles in spam groups to
23869 be marked as spam. By default, it is set. If you set it to
23870 @code{nil}, unread articles will also be marked as spam.
23872 @vindex spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group
23873 Set this variable if you want ham to be unmarked before it is moved
23874 out of the spam group. This is very useful when you use something
23875 like the tick mark @samp{!} to mark ham---the article will be placed
23876 in your @code{ham-process-destination}, unmarked as if it came fresh
23877 from the mail server.
23879 @vindex spam-autodetect-recheck-messages
23880 When autodetecting spam, this variable tells @code{spam.el} whether
23881 only unseen articles or all unread articles should be checked for
23882 spam. It is recommended that you leave it off.
23884 @node Spam Package Configuration Examples
23885 @subsection Spam Package Configuration Examples
23886 @cindex spam filtering
23887 @cindex spam filtering configuration examples
23888 @cindex spam configuration examples
23891 @subsubheading Ted's setup
23893 From Ted Zlatanov <tzz@@lifelogs.com>.
23895 ;; @r{for @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent} and spam autodetection}
23896 ;; @r{see @file{gnus-registry.el} for more information}
23897 (gnus-registry-initialize)
23900 ;; @r{I like @kbd{C-s} for marking spam}
23901 (define-key gnus-summary-mode-map "\C-s" 'gnus-summary-mark-as-spam)
23904 spam-log-to-registry t ; @r{for spam autodetection}
23906 spam-use-regex-headers t ; @r{catch X-Spam-Flag (SpamAssassin)}
23907 ;; @r{all groups with @samp{spam} in the name contain spam}
23908 gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
23909 '(("spam" gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
23910 ;; @r{see documentation for these}
23911 spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only nil
23912 spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam t
23913 spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group t
23914 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
23915 ;; @r{understand what this does before you copy it to your own setup!}
23916 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
23917 ;; @r{trace references to parents and put in their group}
23918 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
23919 ;; @r{this will catch server-side SpamAssassin tags}
23920 (: spam-split 'spam-use-regex-headers)
23921 (any "ding" "ding")
23922 ;; @r{note that spam by default will go to @samp{spam}}
23924 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23927 ;; @r{my parameters, set with @kbd{G p}}
23929 ;; @r{all nnml groups, and all nnimap groups except}
23930 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} and}
23931 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam}: any spam goes to nnimap training,}
23932 ;; @r{because it must have been detected manually}
23934 ((spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
23936 ;; @r{all @acronym{NNTP} groups}
23937 ;; @r{autodetect spam with the blacklist and ham with the BBDB}
23938 ((spam-autodetect-methods spam-use-blacklist spam-use-BBDB)
23939 ;; @r{send all spam to the training group}
23940 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
23942 ;; @r{only some @acronym{NNTP} groups, where I want to autodetect spam}
23943 ((spam-autodetect . t))
23945 ;; @r{my nnimap @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam} group}
23947 ;; @r{this is a spam group}
23948 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam)
23950 ;; @r{any spam (which happens when I enter for all unseen messages,}
23951 ;; @r{because of the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} setting above), goes to}
23952 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} unless I mark it as ham}
23954 (spam-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train")
23956 ;; @r{any ham goes to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail} folder, but}
23957 ;; @r{also to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham} folder for training}
23959 (ham-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail"
23960 "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham")
23961 ;; @r{in this group, only @samp{!} marks are ham}
23963 (gnus-ticked-mark))
23964 ;; @r{remembers senders in the blacklist on the way out---this is}
23965 ;; @r{definitely not needed, it just makes me feel better}
23966 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist)))
23968 ;; @r{Later, on the @acronym{IMAP} server I use the @samp{train} group for training}
23969 ;; @r{SpamAssassin to recognize spam, and the @samp{trainham} group fora}
23970 ;; @r{recognizing ham---but Gnus has nothing to do with it.}
23974 @subsubheading Using @code{spam.el} on an IMAP server with a statistical filter on the server
23975 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
23977 My provider has set up bogofilter (in combination with @acronym{DCC}) on
23978 the mail server (@acronym{IMAP}). Recognized spam goes to
23979 @samp{spam.detected}, the rest goes through the normal filter rules,
23980 i.e. to @samp{some.folder} or to @samp{INBOX}. Training on false
23981 positives or negatives is done by copying or moving the article to
23982 @samp{training.ham} or @samp{training.spam} respectively. A cron job on
23983 the server feeds those to bogofilter with the suitable ham or spam
23984 options and deletes them from the @samp{training.ham} and
23985 @samp{training.spam} folders.
23987 With the following entries in @code{gnus-parameters}, @code{spam.el}
23988 does most of the job for me:
23991 ("nnimap:spam\\.detected"
23992 (gnus-article-sort-functions '(gnus-article-sort-by-chars))
23993 (ham-process-destination "nnimap:INBOX" "nnimap:training.ham")
23994 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
23995 ("nnimap:\\(INBOX\\|other-folders\\)"
23996 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap:training.spam")
23997 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham))
24002 @item @b{The Spam folder:}
24004 In the folder @samp{spam.detected}, I have to check for false positives
24005 (i.e. legitimate mails, that were wrongly judged as spam by
24006 bogofilter or DCC).
24008 Because of the @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam} entry, all
24009 messages are marked as spam (with @code{$}). When I find a false
24010 positive, I mark the message with some other ham mark
24011 (@code{ham-marks}, @ref{Spam and Ham Processors}). On group exit,
24012 those messages are copied to both groups, @samp{INBOX} (where I want
24013 to have the article) and @samp{training.ham} (for training bogofilter)
24014 and deleted from the @samp{spam.detected} folder.
24016 The @code{gnus-article-sort-by-chars} entry simplifies detection of
24017 false positives for me. I receive lots of worms (sweN, @dots{}), that all
24018 have a similar size. Grouping them by size (i.e. chars) makes finding
24019 other false positives easier. (Of course worms aren't @i{spam}
24020 (@acronym{UCE}, @acronym{UBE}) strictly speaking. Anyhow, bogofilter is
24021 an excellent tool for filtering those unwanted mails for me.)
24023 @item @b{Ham folders:}
24025 In my ham folders, I just hit @kbd{S x}
24026 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) whenever I see an unrecognized spam
24027 mail (false negative). On group exit, those messages are moved to
24028 @samp{training.spam}.
24031 @subsubheading Reporting spam articles in Gmane groups with @code{spam-report.el}
24033 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
24035 With following entry in @code{gnus-parameters}, @kbd{S x}
24036 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) marks articles in @code{gmane.*}
24037 groups as spam and reports the to Gmane at group exit:
24041 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane)))
24044 Additionally, I use @code{(setq spam-report-gmane-use-article-number nil)}
24045 because I don't read the groups directly from news.gmane.org, but
24046 through my local news server (leafnode). I.e. the article numbers are
24047 not the same as on news.gmane.org, thus @code{spam-report.el} has to check
24048 the @code{X-Report-Spam} header to find the correct number.
24050 @node Spam Back Ends
24051 @subsection Spam Back Ends
24052 @cindex spam back ends
24054 The spam package offers a variety of back ends for detecting spam.
24055 Each back end defines a set of methods for detecting spam
24056 (@pxref{Filtering Incoming Mail}, @pxref{Detecting Spam in Groups}),
24057 and a pair of spam and ham processors (@pxref{Spam and Ham
24061 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
24062 * BBDB Whitelists::
24063 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
24064 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
24066 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
24068 * SpamAssassin back end::
24069 * ifile spam filtering::
24070 * Spam Statistics Filtering::
24074 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
24075 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
24076 @cindex spam filtering
24077 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
24078 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
24081 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
24083 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
24084 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
24085 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
24086 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
24091 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
24093 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
24094 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
24095 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
24096 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
24097 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24101 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
24103 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
24104 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
24105 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
24109 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
24111 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24112 customizing the group parameters or the
24113 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24114 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24115 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
24119 Instead of the obsolete
24120 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist}, it is recommended
24121 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-blacklist)}. Everything will work
24122 the same way, we promise.
24126 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
24128 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24129 customizing the group parameters or the
24130 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24131 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24132 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
24137 Instead of the obsolete
24138 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist}, it is recommended
24139 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-whitelist)}. Everything will work
24140 the same way, we promise.
24144 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
24145 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
24146 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
24147 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
24148 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
24150 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
24151 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
24152 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
24153 Emacs regular expression syntax.
24155 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
24156 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
24157 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
24158 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
24159 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
24160 @file{blacklist} respectively.
24162 @node BBDB Whitelists
24163 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
24164 @cindex spam filtering
24165 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
24166 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
24169 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
24171 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
24172 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
24173 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
24174 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
24175 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
24176 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
24177 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24181 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
24183 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
24184 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
24185 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
24186 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
24187 classified as spammers.
24189 While @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} @emph{can} be used as an alias
24190 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} as far as @code{spam.el} is concerned, it is
24191 @emph{not} a separate back end. If you set
24192 @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} to t, @emph{all} your BBDB splitting
24197 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
24199 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24200 customizing the group parameters or the
24201 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24202 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24203 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
24208 Instead of the obsolete
24209 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB}, it is recommended
24210 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-BBDB)}. Everything will work
24211 the same way, we promise.
24215 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
24216 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
24217 @cindex spam reporting
24218 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
24219 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
24222 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
24224 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24225 customizing the group parameters or the
24226 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24227 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
24228 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
24231 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
24235 Instead of the obsolete
24236 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane}, it is recommended
24237 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-gmane)}. Everything will work the
24238 same way, we promise.
24242 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
24244 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
24245 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
24246 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
24247 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
24248 @code{spam-report.el} will fetch the number from the article headers.
24252 @defvar spam-report-user-mail-address
24254 Mail address exposed in the User-Agent spam reports to Gmane. It allows
24255 the Gmane administrators to contact you in case of misreports. The
24256 default is @code{user-mail-address}.
24260 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
24261 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
24262 @cindex spam filtering
24263 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
24266 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
24268 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
24269 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
24270 instead of the sender address. Messages without a hashcash payment
24271 token will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an explicit
24272 filter, meaning that unless a hashcash token is found, the messages
24273 are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24278 @subsubsection Blackholes
24279 @cindex spam filtering
24280 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
24283 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
24285 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
24286 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
24287 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
24288 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
24289 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
24290 contains outdated servers.
24292 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
24293 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
24294 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
24295 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
24296 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
24297 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
24301 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
24303 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
24307 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
24309 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
24310 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
24314 @defvar spam-use-dig
24316 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
24317 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
24321 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
24322 ham processor for blackholes.
24324 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
24325 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
24326 @cindex spam filtering
24327 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
24330 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
24332 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
24333 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
24334 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
24335 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
24336 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
24337 message is spam or ham, respectively.
24341 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
24343 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
24344 the message, positively identify it as spam.
24348 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
24350 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
24351 the message, positively identify it as ham.
24355 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
24356 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
24359 @subsubsection Bogofilter
24360 @cindex spam filtering
24361 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
24364 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
24366 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
24369 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
24370 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
24371 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
24372 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
24373 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
24374 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
24376 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
24377 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
24380 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
24381 processing will be turned off.
24383 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
24392 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
24393 Get the Bogofilter spamicity score (@code{spam-bogofilter-score}).
24396 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
24398 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
24399 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
24400 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
24401 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
24402 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
24403 installation documents for details.
24405 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
24409 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
24410 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24411 customizing the group parameters or the
24412 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24413 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
24414 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
24418 Instead of the obsolete
24419 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
24420 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
24421 the same way, we promise.
24424 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
24425 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24426 customizing the group parameters or the
24427 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24428 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
24429 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
24430 of non-spam messages.
24434 Instead of the obsolete
24435 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
24436 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
24437 the same way, we promise.
24440 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
24442 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
24443 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
24444 database directory.
24448 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
24449 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
24450 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
24451 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
24452 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
24453 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
24455 @node SpamAssassin back end
24456 @subsubsection SpamAssassin back end
24457 @cindex spam filtering
24458 @cindex spamassassin, spam filtering
24461 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin
24463 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use SpamAssassin.
24465 SpamAssassin assigns a score to each article based on a set of rules
24466 and tests, including a Bayesian filter. The Bayesian filter can be
24467 trained by associating the @samp{$} mark for spam articles. The
24468 spam score can be viewed by using the command @kbd{S t} in summary
24471 If you set this variable, each article will be processed by
24472 SpamAssassin when @code{spam-split} is called. If your mail is
24473 preprocessed by SpamAssassin, and you want to just use the
24474 SpamAssassin headers, set @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}
24477 You should not enable this if you use
24478 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}.
24482 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin-headers
24484 Set this variable if your mail is preprocessed by SpamAssassin and
24485 want @code{spam-split} to split based on the SpamAssassin headers.
24487 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-spamassassin}.
24491 @defvar spam-spamassassin-path
24493 This variable points to the SpamAssassin executable. If you have
24494 @code{spamd} running, you can set this variable to the @code{spamc}
24495 executable for faster processing. See the SpamAssassin documentation
24496 for more information on @code{spamd}/@code{spamc}.
24500 SpamAssassin is a powerful and flexible spam filter that uses a wide
24501 variety of tests to identify spam. A ham and a spam processors are
24502 provided, plus the @code{spam-use-spamassassin} and
24503 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers} variables to indicate to
24504 spam-split that SpamAssassin should be either used, or has already
24505 been used on the article. The 2.63 version of SpamAssassin was used
24506 to test this functionality.
24508 @node ifile spam filtering
24509 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
24510 @cindex spam filtering
24511 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
24514 @defvar spam-use-ifile
24516 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
24517 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
24521 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
24523 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
24524 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
24525 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
24529 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
24531 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
24532 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
24533 the default value of @samp{spam}.
24536 @defvar spam-ifile-database-path
24538 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
24539 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
24543 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
24544 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
24545 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
24546 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
24549 @node Spam Statistics Filtering
24550 @subsubsection Spam Statistics Filtering
24551 @cindex spam filtering
24552 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
24556 This back end uses the Spam Statistics Emacs Lisp package to perform
24557 statistics-based filtering (@pxref{Spam Statistics Package}). Before
24558 using this, you may want to perform some additional steps to
24559 initialize your Spam Statistics dictionary. @xref{Creating a
24560 spam-stat dictionary}.
24562 @defvar spam-use-stat
24566 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
24567 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24568 customizing the group parameters or the
24569 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24570 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
24571 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
24575 Instead of the obsolete
24576 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
24577 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
24578 the same way, we promise.
24581 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
24582 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24583 customizing the group parameters or the
24584 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24585 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
24586 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
24587 of non-spam messages.
24591 Instead of the obsolete
24592 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
24593 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
24594 the same way, we promise.
24597 This enables @code{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
24598 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
24599 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
24600 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
24601 @code{spam-split} are provided.
24604 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
24605 @cindex spam filtering
24609 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
24610 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
24611 installed separately.
24613 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
24614 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
24615 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
24616 mail as a spam mail or not.
24618 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
24619 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
24620 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
24622 The easiest method is to make @file{spam.el} (@pxref{Spam Package})
24625 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
24626 To enable SpamOracle usage by @code{spam.el}, set the variable
24627 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
24628 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}. @xref{Spam
24629 Package}. In this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is
24630 filtered using SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be
24631 moved to @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham
24632 messages stay in @samp{INBOX}:
24635 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
24636 spam-split-group "Junk"
24637 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
24638 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
24639 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
24642 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
24643 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
24647 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
24648 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
24649 user's PATH. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
24653 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
24654 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
24655 store its analysis. This is controlled by the variable
24656 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
24657 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
24658 database to live somewhere special, set
24659 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
24662 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
24663 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
24664 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns
24665 the characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
24666 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
24667 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary
24668 buffer and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using
24669 @file{spam.el}'s spam- and ham-processors, which is much more
24670 convenient. For a detailed description of spam- and ham-processors,
24671 @xref{Spam Package}.
24673 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
24674 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24675 customizing the group parameter or the
24676 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
24677 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
24678 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
24682 Instead of the obsolete
24683 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
24684 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
24685 the same way, we promise.
24688 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
24689 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24690 customizing the group parameter or the
24691 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
24692 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
24693 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
24698 Instead of the obsolete
24699 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
24700 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
24701 the same way, we promise.
24704 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of a group that has been
24705 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
24708 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
24709 (spam-process ((ham spam-use-spamoracle)
24710 (spam spam-use-spamoracle))))
24712 For this group the @code{spam-use-spamoracle} is installed for both
24713 ham and spam processing. If the group contains spam message
24714 (e.g. because SpamOracle has not had enough sample messages yet) and
24715 the user marks some messages as spam messages, these messages will be
24716 processed by SpamOracle. The processor sends the messages to
24717 SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
24719 @node Extending the Spam package
24720 @subsection Extending the Spam package
24721 @cindex spam filtering
24722 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
24723 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
24725 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
24726 incoming mail, provide the following:
24734 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
24735 "True if blackbox should be used.")
24738 Write @code{spam-check-blackbox} if Blackbox can check incoming mail.
24740 Write @code{spam-blackbox-register-routine} and
24741 @code{spam-blackbox-unregister-routine} using the bogofilter
24742 register/unregister routines as a start, or other restister/unregister
24743 routines more appropriate to Blackbox, if Blackbox can
24744 register/unregister spam and ham.
24749 The @code{spam-check-blackbox} function should return @samp{nil} or
24750 @code{spam-split-group}, observing the other conventions. See the
24751 existing @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can
24752 do, and stick to the template unless you fully understand the reasons
24757 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
24764 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
24765 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
24767 Also, ham and spam processors are being phased out as single
24768 variables. Instead the form @code{(spam spam-use-blackbox)} or
24769 @code{(ham spam-use-blackbox)} is favored. For now, spam/ham
24770 processor variables are still around but they won't be for long.
24773 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-spam"
24774 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
24775 Only applicable to spam groups.")
24777 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-ham"
24778 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
24779 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
24788 (const :tag "Spam: Blackbox" (spam spam-use-blackbox))
24789 (const :tag "Ham: Blackbox" (ham spam-use-blackbox))
24791 to the @code{spam-process} group parameter in @code{gnus.el}. Make
24792 sure you do it twice, once for the parameter and once for the
24793 variable customization.
24797 (variable-item spam-use-blackbox)
24799 to the @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameter in
24800 @code{gnus.el} if Blackbox can check incoming mail for spam contents.
24802 Finally, use the appropriate @code{spam-install-*-backend} function in
24803 @code{spam.el}. Here are the available functions.
24809 @code{spam-install-backend-alias}
24811 This function will simply install an alias for a back end that does
24812 everything like the original back end. It is currently only used to
24813 make @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} act like @code{spam-use-BBDB}.
24816 @code{spam-install-nocheck-backend}
24818 This function installs a back end that has no check function, but can
24819 register/unregister ham or spam. The @code{spam-use-gmane} back end is
24823 @code{spam-install-checkonly-backend}
24825 This function will install a back end that can only check incoming mail
24826 for spam contents. It can't register or unregister messages.
24827 @code{spam-use-blackholes} and @code{spam-use-hashcash} are such
24831 @code{spam-install-statistical-checkonly-backend}
24833 This function installs a statistical back end (one which requires the
24834 full body of a message to check it) that can only check incoming mail
24835 for contents. @code{spam-use-regex-body} is such a filter.
24838 @code{spam-install-statistical-backend}
24840 This function install a statistical back end with incoming checks and
24841 registration/unregistration routines. @code{spam-use-bogofilter} is
24845 @code{spam-install-backend}
24847 This is the most normal back end installation, where a back end that can
24848 check and register/unregister messages is set up without statistical
24849 abilities. The @code{spam-use-BBDB} is such a back end.
24852 @code{spam-install-mover-backend}
24854 Mover back ends are internal to @code{spam.el} and specifically move
24855 articles around when the summary is exited. You will very probably
24856 never install such a back end.
24861 @node Spam Statistics Package
24862 @subsection Spam Statistics Package
24863 @cindex Paul Graham
24864 @cindex Graham, Paul
24865 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
24866 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
24867 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
24869 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
24870 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
24871 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
24872 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
24873 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
24874 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
24875 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
24876 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
24877 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
24880 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
24881 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
24882 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
24883 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
24884 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
24885 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
24886 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
24887 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
24889 The Spam Statistics package adds support to Gnus for this kind of
24890 filtering. It can be used as one of the back ends of the Spam package
24891 (@pxref{Spam Package}), or by itself.
24893 Before using the Spam Statistics package, you need to set it up.
24894 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
24895 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
24896 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
24897 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
24900 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
24901 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
24902 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
24905 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
24906 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
24908 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
24909 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
24910 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
24911 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
24912 need several hundred emails in both collections.
24914 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
24915 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
24916 per mail. Use the following:
24918 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
24919 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
24920 is treated as one spam mail.
24923 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
24924 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
24925 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
24928 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
24929 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds to
24930 the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
24931 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
24932 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds to the group
24933 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
24935 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
24936 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
24937 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
24938 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
24939 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
24942 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
24943 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
24944 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
24945 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
24948 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
24949 reset the dictionary.
24951 @defun spam-stat-reset
24952 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
24955 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
24956 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
24957 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
24958 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
24959 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
24960 only non-spam mails.
24962 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
24963 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
24964 to update the dictionary incrementally.
24967 @defun spam-stat-save
24968 Save the dictionary.
24971 @defvar spam-stat-file
24972 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
24973 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
24976 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
24977 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
24979 This section describes how to use the Spam statistics
24980 @emph{independently} of the @xref{Spam Package}.
24982 First, add the following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
24985 (require 'spam-stat)
24989 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
24992 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
24993 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
24994 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
24995 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
24997 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
24998 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
24999 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
25000 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
25003 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25004 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25008 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
25009 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
25012 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
25013 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
25014 expression are considered potential spam.
25017 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25018 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
25019 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25023 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
25024 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
25025 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
25026 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
25027 mails, when creating the dictionary!
25030 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25031 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25032 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
25036 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
25037 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
25038 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
25039 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
25040 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
25044 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25045 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
25046 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25047 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
25052 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
25053 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
25055 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
25057 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
25058 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
25059 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
25062 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
25063 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
25064 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
25067 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
25068 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
25069 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
25070 already been processed as non-spam.
25073 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
25074 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
25075 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
25076 been processed as spam.
25079 @defun spam-stat-save
25080 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
25081 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
25084 @defun spam-stat-load
25085 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
25086 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
25089 @defun spam-stat-score-word
25090 Return the spam score for a word.
25093 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
25094 Return the spam score for a buffer.
25097 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
25098 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
25099 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
25102 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
25103 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
25106 (require 'spam-stat)
25110 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
25113 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
25114 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25115 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25116 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25117 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
25118 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
25119 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25120 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25121 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
25122 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25123 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
25124 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
25125 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25126 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25129 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
25132 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
25133 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25134 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25135 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
25136 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
25137 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25141 @section Interaction with other modes
25146 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} provides some useful functions for dired
25147 buffers. It is enabled with
25149 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
25154 @findex gnus-dired-attach
25155 @cindex attachments, selection via dired
25156 Send dired's marked files as an attachment (@code{gnus-dired-attach}).
25157 You will be prompted for a message buffer.
25160 @findex gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap
25161 Visit a file according to the appropriate mailcap entry
25162 (@code{gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap}). With prefix, open file in a new
25166 @findex gnus-dired-print
25167 Print file according to the mailcap entry (@code{gnus-dired-print}). If
25168 there is no print command, print in a PostScript image.
25171 @node Various Various
25172 @section Various Various
25178 @item gnus-home-directory
25179 @vindex gnus-home-directory
25180 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
25181 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
25183 @item gnus-directory
25184 @vindex gnus-directory
25185 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
25186 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
25187 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
25189 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{~/.gnus.el} file is read.
25190 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
25191 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
25192 @file{~/.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
25194 @item gnus-default-directory
25195 @vindex gnus-default-directory
25196 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
25197 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
25198 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
25199 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
25200 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
25201 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
25204 @vindex gnus-verbose
25205 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
25206 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
25207 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
25208 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
25209 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
25211 @item gnus-verbose-backends
25212 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
25213 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
25214 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
25216 @item nnheader-max-head-length
25217 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
25218 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
25219 as little as possible. This variable (default 8192) specifies
25220 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
25221 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
25222 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
25223 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
25224 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
25225 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
25227 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
25228 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
25229 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
25230 read when doing the operation described above.
25232 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
25233 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
25235 @cindex invalid characters in file names
25236 @cindex characters in file names
25237 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
25238 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
25239 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
25243 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
25248 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
25249 Windows (phooey) systems.
25251 @item gnus-hidden-properties
25252 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
25253 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
25254 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
25255 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
25257 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
25258 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
25259 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
25260 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
25261 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
25263 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
25264 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
25265 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
25267 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
25268 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
25270 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
25271 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
25272 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
25273 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
25276 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
25284 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
25285 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
25287 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
25289 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
25295 Not because of victories @*
25298 but for the common sunshine,@*
25300 the largess of the spring.
25304 but for the day's work done@*
25305 as well as I was able;@*
25306 not for a seat upon the dais@*
25307 but at the common table.@*
25312 @chapter Appendices
25315 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
25316 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
25317 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
25318 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
25319 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
25320 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
25321 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
25322 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
25323 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
25330 @cindex installing under XEmacs
25332 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
25333 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
25334 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{mail-lib}, @samp{xemacs-base},
25335 @samp{eterm}, @samp{sh-script}, @samp{net-utils}, @samp{os-utils},
25336 @samp{dired}, @samp{mh-e}, @samp{sieve}, @samp{ps-print}, @samp{W3},
25337 @samp{pgg}, @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{ecrypto}, and @samp{sasl}.
25344 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
25345 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
25347 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
25348 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
25349 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
25350 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
25351 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
25353 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
25354 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
25355 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
25356 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
25357 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
25358 appropriate name, don't you think?)
25360 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
25361 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
25362 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
25363 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
25366 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
25367 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
25368 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
25369 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
25370 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
25371 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
25372 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
25373 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
25374 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
25378 @node Gnus Versions
25379 @subsection Gnus Versions
25381 @cindex September Gnus
25383 @cindex Quassia Gnus
25384 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
25387 @cindex Gnus versions
25389 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
25390 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
25391 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
25393 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
25394 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
25396 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
25397 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
25399 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
25400 It was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
25402 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
25403 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
25406 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun and was released as
25407 Gnus 5.10 on May 1st 2003 (24 releases).
25409 On the January 4th 2004, No Gnus was begun.
25411 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
25412 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
25413 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'', ``No Gnus'' -- don't panic.
25414 Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever
25415 you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach.
25416 Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
25419 @node Other Gnus Versions
25420 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
25423 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
25424 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
25425 Japan. It's based on a library called @acronym{SEMI}, which provides
25426 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
25428 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
25429 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
25430 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
25431 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
25438 What's the point of Gnus?
25440 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
25441 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
25442 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
25443 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
25444 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
25445 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
25446 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
25447 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
25448 keep track of millions of people who post?
25450 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
25451 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
25452 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
25453 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
25454 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
25455 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
25456 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
25457 every one of you to explore and invent.
25459 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
25460 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
25463 @node Compatibility
25464 @subsection Compatibility
25466 @cindex compatibility
25467 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
25468 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
25469 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
25474 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
25478 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
25481 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
25484 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
25485 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
25486 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
25487 important variables have their values copied into their global
25488 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
25489 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
25491 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
25492 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
25493 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
25494 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
25495 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
25499 @cindex highlighting
25500 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
25501 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
25502 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
25503 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
25504 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
25505 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
25508 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
25509 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
25510 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
25511 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
25513 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
25514 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
25515 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
25516 to stop doing it the old way.
25518 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
25520 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
25522 @cindex reporting bugs
25524 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
25525 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
25526 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
25528 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
25529 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
25530 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
25531 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
25536 @subsection Conformity
25538 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
25539 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
25547 There are no known breaches of this standard.
25551 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
25553 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
25554 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
25555 We do have some breaches to this one.
25561 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
25562 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
25563 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
25564 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
25565 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
25570 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
25571 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
25572 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
25573 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
25575 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
25576 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
25577 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
25579 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
25580 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
25582 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
25585 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
25586 published as an informational RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
25587 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
25588 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
25589 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
25592 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
25593 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
25594 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RFC 1991/2440 format.
25595 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
25597 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
25598 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
25600 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
25601 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
25602 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
25603 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
25604 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
25605 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
25606 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
25607 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
25611 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
25612 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
25617 @subsection Emacsen
25623 Gnus should work on:
25631 XEmacs 21.4 and up.
25635 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
25636 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
25637 Emacs versions. Particularly, Gnus 5.10.8 should also work on Emacs
25638 20.7 and XEmacs 21.1.
25640 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
25641 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
25642 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
25646 @node Gnus Development
25647 @subsection Gnus Development
25649 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
25650 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
25651 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
25652 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
25653 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
25654 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
25655 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
25656 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
25658 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
25659 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
25660 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
25661 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
25662 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
25665 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
25666 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
25667 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
25668 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
25669 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
25671 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
25672 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
25673 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
25674 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
25675 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
25676 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
25677 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
25678 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
25679 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
25680 can't be assumed to do so.
25685 @subsection Contributors
25686 @cindex contributors
25688 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
25689 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
25690 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
25691 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
25692 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
25693 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
25694 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
25695 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
25696 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
25697 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
25699 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
25705 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
25708 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
25709 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
25710 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
25711 functionality and stuff.
25714 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
25715 well as numerous other things).
25718 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
25721 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
25724 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
25727 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
25730 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
25731 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
25734 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
25737 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section.
25740 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
25743 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
25746 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
25749 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
25752 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
25753 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
25756 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
25759 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
25762 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
25765 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
25769 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
25772 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
25775 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
25778 Fran@,{c}ois Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
25779 well as autoconf support.
25783 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
25784 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
25786 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
25801 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
25803 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
25807 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
25817 Alexei V. Barantsev,
25832 Massimo Campostrini,
25837 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
25838 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
25842 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
25845 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
25851 Michael Welsh Duggan,
25856 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
25860 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
25868 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
25870 Michelangelo Grigni,
25874 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
25876 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
25878 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
25885 Fran@,{c}ois Felix Ingrand,
25886 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
25887 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
25889 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
25899 Peter Skov Knudsen,
25900 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
25902 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
25903 Thor Kristoffersen,
25906 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
25924 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
25925 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
25932 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
25937 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
25941 John McClary Prevost,
25947 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
25952 Christian von Roques,
25955 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
25962 Philippe Schnoebelen,
25964 Randal L. Schwartz,
25978 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
25983 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
26003 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
26004 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
26005 (550kB and counting).
26007 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
26010 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
26011 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
26015 @subsection New Features
26016 @cindex new features
26019 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
26020 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
26021 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
26022 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
26023 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
26024 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
26025 * No Gnus:: Very punny.
26028 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
26029 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
26030 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
26033 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
26035 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
26040 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
26041 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
26044 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
26045 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
26048 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
26051 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
26052 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
26053 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
26056 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
26057 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
26058 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
26059 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
26062 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
26063 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
26066 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
26067 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
26068 (@pxref{The Active File}).
26071 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
26072 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
26075 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
26076 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
26077 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
26080 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
26081 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
26082 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
26085 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
26086 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
26089 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
26090 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
26093 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
26094 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
26097 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
26098 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
26101 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
26102 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
26105 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
26106 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
26109 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
26112 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
26113 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
26116 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
26117 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
26120 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
26121 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
26124 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
26127 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
26128 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
26131 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
26135 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
26139 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
26140 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
26143 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
26149 @node September Gnus
26150 @subsubsection September Gnus
26154 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
26158 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
26163 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
26164 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
26168 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
26169 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
26173 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
26177 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
26178 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
26181 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
26185 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions.
26188 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
26191 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
26194 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
26198 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
26199 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
26202 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
26206 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
26210 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
26214 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
26218 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
26221 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
26222 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
26225 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
26229 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
26230 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
26233 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
26236 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
26237 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
26238 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
26241 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
26245 The Gnus cache is much faster.
26248 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
26252 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
26253 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
26256 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
26257 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
26260 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
26261 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
26264 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
26265 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
26266 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
26269 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
26270 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
26273 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
26276 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
26279 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
26282 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
26285 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
26286 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
26289 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
26293 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
26296 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
26301 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
26304 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
26308 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
26311 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
26315 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
26318 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
26321 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
26322 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
26325 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
26326 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
26330 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
26331 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
26334 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
26338 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
26339 buffer to allow easier treatment.
26342 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
26345 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
26349 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
26353 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
26354 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
26357 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
26361 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
26362 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
26365 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
26366 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
26369 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
26373 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
26376 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
26379 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
26385 @subsubsection Red Gnus
26387 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
26391 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
26398 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
26401 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
26402 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
26405 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
26406 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
26410 Article washing status can be displayed in the
26411 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
26414 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
26417 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
26418 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
26421 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
26425 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
26426 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
26430 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
26431 Server Internals}).
26434 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
26438 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
26441 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
26442 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
26445 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
26446 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
26447 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
26450 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
26451 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
26454 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
26455 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
26458 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
26462 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
26463 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
26466 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
26467 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
26470 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
26474 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
26477 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
26481 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
26482 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
26485 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
26486 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
26489 A new command for reading collections of documents
26490 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
26491 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
26494 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
26498 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
26499 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
26502 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
26503 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
26504 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
26507 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
26508 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
26512 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
26516 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
26520 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
26525 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
26529 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
26533 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
26534 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
26537 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
26543 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
26545 New features in Gnus 5.6:
26550 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
26551 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
26552 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
26555 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
26556 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
26557 group, which is created automatically.
26560 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
26564 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
26567 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
26568 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
26571 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
26575 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
26578 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
26579 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
26582 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
26585 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
26589 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
26590 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
26593 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
26594 control over simplification.
26597 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
26600 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
26604 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
26607 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
26610 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
26611 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
26612 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
26615 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
26616 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
26619 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
26623 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
26624 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
26627 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
26628 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
26631 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
26635 A history of where mails have been split is available.
26638 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
26641 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
26642 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
26645 A new function for citing in Message has been
26646 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
26649 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
26652 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
26656 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
26657 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
26660 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
26661 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
26664 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
26667 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
26671 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
26672 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
26674 New features in Gnus 5.8:
26679 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
26680 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
26682 If you used procmail like in
26685 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
26686 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
26687 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
26688 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
26691 this now has changed to
26695 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
26699 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
26702 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
26703 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
26706 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
26707 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
26710 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
26711 called to position point.
26714 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
26715 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
26718 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
26719 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
26722 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
26723 subtly different manner.
26726 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
26727 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
26728 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
26731 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
26736 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
26739 New features in Gnus 5.10:
26743 @item Installation changes
26744 @c ***********************
26748 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
26750 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
26751 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
26752 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
26753 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
26754 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
26755 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
26756 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
26757 isn't save in general.
26760 Lisp files are now installed in @file{.../site-lisp/gnus/} by default.
26761 It defaulted to @file{.../site-lisp/} formerly. In addition to this,
26762 the new installer issues a warning if other Gnus installations which
26763 will shadow the latest one are detected. You can then remove those
26764 shadows manually or remove them using @code{make
26765 remove-installed-shadows}.
26768 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
26770 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
26771 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
26772 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, iff you want
26773 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
26774 the second parameter.
26776 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
26777 automatic recognition of XEmacs and GNU Emacs, generates
26778 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
26779 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
26780 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
26781 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
26782 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
26783 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
26784 cycle used under Unix systems.
26786 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} and @file{xemacs.mak}
26787 superfluous, so they have been removed.
26790 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
26792 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
26793 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
26796 @c FIXME: `gnus-load' is mentioned in README, which is not included in
26797 @c CVS. We should find a better place for this item.
26799 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
26801 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
26802 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
26803 lisp directory into load-path.
26805 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
26806 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
26810 @item New packages and libraries within Gnus
26811 @c *****************************************
26816 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
26817 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
26820 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
26822 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
26823 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS. The old
26824 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} support via (external third party)
26825 @file{ssl.el} and OpenSSL still works.
26828 Improved anti-spam features.
26830 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
26831 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
26832 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
26833 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
26834 are also new. @ref{Thwarting Email Spam} and @ref{Spam Package}.
26835 @c FIXME: @xref{Spam Package}?. Should this be under Misc?
26838 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
26840 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
26841 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
26842 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
26843 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
26844 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
26848 @item Changes in group mode
26849 @c ************************
26854 @code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group} can be called interactively,
26858 Retrieval of charters and control messages
26860 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
26861 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
26864 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
26866 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
26867 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
26868 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
26869 variable in @file{~/.gnus.el} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
26870 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
26873 (setq gnus-parameters
26875 (gnus-show-threads nil)
26876 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
26877 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
26878 (to-group . "\\1"))))
26882 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
26884 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
26885 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
26886 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
26887 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
26888 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
26889 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
26890 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
26891 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
26892 when getting new mail, remove the function.
26895 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
26897 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
26898 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
26899 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
26902 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
26903 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
26905 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
26906 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
26907 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
26909 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
26914 @item Changes in summary and article mode
26915 @c **************************************
26920 @kbd{F} (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}) and @kbd{R}
26921 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}) only yank the text in the
26922 region if the region is active.
26925 In draft groups, @kbd{e} is now bound to @code{gnus-draft-edit-message}.
26926 Use @kbd{B w} for @code{gnus-summary-edit-article} instead.
26931 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
26932 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
26933 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
26934 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
26937 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
26942 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
26943 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
26945 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
26946 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
26950 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
26951 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
26954 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
26957 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
26958 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
26961 Warn about email replies to news
26963 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
26964 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
26968 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
26969 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
26973 The new @code{recent} mark @samp{.} indicates newly arrived messages (as
26974 opposed to old but unread messages).
26977 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
26978 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
26981 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
26982 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
26985 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
26986 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
26989 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
26991 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
26992 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
26993 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
26994 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
26997 The new command @kbd{W Y f}
26998 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}) allows deuglifying broken
26999 Outlook (Express) articles.
27002 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
27004 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
27005 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
27006 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
27007 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
27009 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
27010 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
27011 message cited below.
27014 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now displayed graphically in
27017 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.gnus.el} to
27021 Face headers handling. @xref{Face}.
27024 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
27025 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
27028 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
27031 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
27033 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
27034 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
27035 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
27036 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
27037 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
27041 Deleting of attachments.
27043 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
27044 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
27045 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
27046 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
27047 that support editing.
27050 @code{gnus-default-charset}
27052 The default value is determined from the
27053 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
27054 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
27055 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
27058 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
27060 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
27061 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
27062 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
27065 Extended format specs.
27067 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
27068 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
27069 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
27070 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
27071 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
27072 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
27075 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
27076 @c FIXME: Was this a user-visible change?
27078 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
27079 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
27080 out other articles.
27083 Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
27085 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
27086 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
27087 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
27088 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
27091 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
27095 @item Changes in Message mode and related Gnus features
27096 @c ****************************************************
27103 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
27104 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
27105 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
27108 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
27109 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
27112 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
27113 Gcc articles as read.
27116 Externalizing of attachments
27118 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
27119 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
27120 local files as external parts.
27123 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
27124 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
27127 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
27129 Earlier it was generated iff the user configurable email address was
27130 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
27131 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
27132 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
27133 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
27134 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
27135 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
27136 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
27137 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
27140 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
27142 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
27143 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
27144 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
27145 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
27146 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
27147 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
27150 References and X-Draft-From headers are no longer generated when you
27151 start composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
27155 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers. @xref{X-Face}.
27158 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
27160 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
27161 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
27162 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
27163 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
27164 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
27165 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
27166 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
27167 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
27168 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
27169 was inserted directly.
27172 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
27174 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
27175 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
27176 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
27177 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
27180 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
27182 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
27184 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
27185 'bbdb-complete-name)
27189 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
27191 Add a new format of match like
27193 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
27194 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
27196 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
27198 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
27199 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
27203 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
27205 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
27206 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
27207 need add those two headers too.
27210 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
27211 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
27212 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
27216 The option @code{mm-fill-flowed} can be used to disable treatment of
27217 ``format=flowed'' messages. Also, flowed text is disabled when sending
27218 inline PGP signed messages. @xref{Flowed text, , Flowed text,
27219 emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
27220 @c This entry is also present in the node "No Gnus".
27223 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
27225 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
27228 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
27230 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
27234 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
27236 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
27237 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
27238 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
27239 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
27240 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
27241 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
27242 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
27243 The behavior can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
27246 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
27247 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
27249 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
27250 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
27251 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
27252 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
27255 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
27258 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
27259 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
27262 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to the symbol
27265 The behavior for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
27266 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
27267 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
27268 invalidate the digital signature.
27271 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
27272 decompressed when activated.
27273 @c FIXME: Does this affect article or message mode?
27276 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
27278 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
27279 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
27280 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
27281 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
27282 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
27285 @item You can now drag and drop attachments to the Message buffer.
27286 See @code{mml-dnd-protocol-alist} and @code{mml-dnd-attach-options}.
27287 @xref{MIME, ,MIME, message, Message Manual}.
27288 @c New in 5.10.9 / 5.11
27292 @item Changes in back ends
27293 @c ***********************
27297 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
27300 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
27303 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
27305 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
27308 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
27310 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
27311 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
27312 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
27313 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
27314 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
27315 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
27316 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
27317 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
27318 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
27319 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
27320 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
27330 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
27331 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
27334 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
27335 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
27336 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
27337 message, Message Manual}).
27340 The tool bars have been updated to use GNOME icons in Group, Summary and
27341 Message mode. You can also customize the tool bars. This is a new
27342 feature in Gnus 5.10.9. (Only for Emacs, not in XEmacs.)
27344 @item The tool bar icons are now (de)activated correctly
27345 in the group buffer, see the variable @code{gnus-group-update-tool-bar}.
27346 Its default value depends on your Emacs version. This is a new feature
27351 @item Miscellaneous changes
27352 @c ************************
27359 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
27360 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
27361 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
27362 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
27363 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
27364 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
27365 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
27366 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
27367 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
27368 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
27369 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
27370 behavior of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
27371 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
27372 is not needed any more.
27375 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
27377 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
27378 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
27379 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
27384 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} (see @ref{Other modes}) installs key
27385 bindings in dired buffers to send a file as an attachment, open a file
27386 using the appropriate mailcap entry, and print a file using the mailcap
27390 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
27393 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
27395 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
27402 @subsubsection No Gnus
27405 New features in No Gnus:
27406 @c FIXME: Gnus 5.12?
27408 @include gnus-news.texi
27414 @section The Manual
27418 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
27419 either @code{texi2dvi}
27421 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
27422 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
27424 to get what you hold in your hands now.
27426 The following conventions have been used:
27431 This is a @samp{string}
27434 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
27437 This is a @file{file}
27440 This is a @code{symbol}
27444 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
27448 (setq flargnoze "yes")
27451 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
27454 (setq flumphel 'yes)
27457 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
27458 ever get them confused.
27462 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
27463 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
27464 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
27465 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
27466 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
27467 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
27468 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
27474 @node On Writing Manuals
27475 @section On Writing Manuals
27477 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
27478 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
27479 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
27480 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
27481 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
27482 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
27485 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
27486 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
27487 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
27490 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
27491 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
27496 @section Terminology
27498 @cindex terminology
27503 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
27504 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
27505 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
27506 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
27507 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
27511 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
27512 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
27513 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
27514 not posting, and replying is not following up.
27518 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
27522 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
27527 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
27528 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
27529 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
27530 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
27531 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
27532 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
27533 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
27534 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
27535 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
27538 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
27539 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
27540 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
27541 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
27542 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
27543 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
27545 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
27546 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
27547 access the articles.
27549 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
27550 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
27551 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
27556 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
27557 default, way of getting news.
27561 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
27562 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
27567 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
27568 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
27572 A message that has been posted as news.
27575 @cindex mail message
27576 A message that has been mailed.
27580 A mail message or news article
27584 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
27589 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
27594 A line from the head of an article.
27598 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
27599 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
27601 @item @acronym{NOV}
27602 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
27603 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
27604 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
27605 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
27606 normal @sc{head} format.
27610 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
27611 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
27612 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
27613 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
27614 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
27615 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
27617 @item killed groups
27618 @cindex killed groups
27619 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
27620 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
27622 @item zombie groups
27623 @cindex zombie groups
27624 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
27627 @cindex active file
27628 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
27629 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
27630 is rather large, as you might surmise.
27633 @cindex bogus groups
27634 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
27635 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
27636 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
27639 @cindex activating groups
27640 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
27641 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
27642 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
27646 News servers store their articles locally in one fashion or other.
27647 One old-fashioned storage method is to have just one file per
27648 article. That's called a ``traditional spool''.
27652 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
27654 @item select method
27655 @cindex select method
27656 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
27659 @item virtual server
27660 @cindex virtual server
27661 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
27662 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
27663 whole is a virtual server.
27667 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
27668 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
27671 @item ephemeral groups
27672 @cindex ephemeral groups
27673 @cindex temporary groups
27674 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
27675 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
27676 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
27679 @cindex solid groups
27680 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
27681 group buffer are solid groups.
27683 @item sparse articles
27684 @cindex sparse articles
27685 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
27686 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
27690 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
27691 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
27695 @cindex thread root
27696 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
27697 articles in the thread.
27701 An article that has responses.
27705 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
27709 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
27710 specified by RFC 1153.
27713 @cindex splitting, terminology
27714 @cindex mail sorting
27715 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
27716 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
27717 incorrectly called mail filtering.
27723 @node Customization
27724 @section Customization
27725 @cindex general customization
27727 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
27728 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
27729 for some quite common situations.
27732 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
27733 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
27734 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
27735 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
27739 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
27740 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
27742 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
27743 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
27744 Gnus has to get from the @acronym{NNTP} server.
27748 @item gnus-read-active-file
27749 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
27750 entire active file from the server. This file is often very large. You
27751 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
27752 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
27753 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
27755 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
27756 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
27757 the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast. Not all @acronym{NNTP} servers
27758 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
27762 @node Slow Terminal Connection
27763 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
27765 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
27766 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
27767 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
27771 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
27772 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
27773 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
27774 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
27775 horizontal and vertical recentering.
27777 @item gnus-visible-headers
27778 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
27779 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
27780 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
27781 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
27783 Use the following to enable all the available hiding features:
27785 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
27786 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
27787 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
27790 @item gnus-use-full-window
27791 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
27792 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
27793 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
27794 want to read them anyway.
27796 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
27797 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
27801 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
27802 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
27803 lines, which might save some time.
27807 @node Little Disk Space
27808 @subsection Little Disk Space
27811 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
27812 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
27816 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
27817 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
27818 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
27819 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
27822 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
27823 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
27824 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
27825 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
27828 @item gnus-save-killed-list
27829 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
27830 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
27831 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
27832 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
27838 @subsection Slow Machine
27839 @cindex slow machine
27841 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
27842 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
27844 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
27845 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
27847 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
27848 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
27849 summary buffer faster.
27853 @node Troubleshooting
27854 @section Troubleshooting
27855 @cindex troubleshooting
27857 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
27865 Make sure your computer is switched on.
27868 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
27869 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
27873 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
27874 like @samp{Gnus v5.10.6} you have the right files loaded. Otherwise
27875 you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
27878 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
27879 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
27882 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
27883 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
27884 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
27885 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
27886 something like that.
27889 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
27892 @cindex reporting bugs
27894 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
27896 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
27897 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
27898 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
27899 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
27901 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
27902 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
27903 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
27904 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
27907 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
27908 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
27909 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
27910 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
27911 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
27912 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
27914 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
27915 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
27916 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
27920 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
27921 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
27924 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
27925 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
27926 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
27927 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
27928 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
27929 you discover some weird behavior when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
27930 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
27931 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
27932 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
27933 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
27934 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
27935 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
27936 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
27937 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
27942 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
27943 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
27944 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
27945 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
27946 helps isolating the real problem areas).
27948 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
27949 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
27950 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
27951 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
27952 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
27953 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
27954 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
27955 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
27956 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
27957 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
27958 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
27959 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
27960 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
27963 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
27964 @cindex ding mailing list
27965 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
27966 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
27967 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
27968 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
27972 @node Gnus Reference Guide
27973 @section Gnus Reference Guide
27975 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
27976 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
27977 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
27978 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
27981 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
27982 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
27983 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
27984 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
27985 and general methods of operation.
27988 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
27989 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
27990 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
27991 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
27992 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
27993 * Group Info:: The group info format.
27994 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
27995 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
27996 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
28000 @node Gnus Utility Functions
28001 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
28002 @cindex Gnus utility functions
28003 @cindex utility functions
28005 @cindex internal variables
28007 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
28008 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
28009 Below is a list of the most common ones.
28013 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
28014 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
28015 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
28017 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
28018 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
28019 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
28021 @item gnus-group-real-name
28022 @findex gnus-group-real-name
28023 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
28026 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
28027 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
28028 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
28029 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
28031 @item gnus-get-info
28032 @findex gnus-get-info
28033 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
28035 @item gnus-group-unread
28036 @findex gnus-group-unread
28037 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
28041 @findex gnus-active
28042 The active entry for @var{group}.
28044 @item gnus-set-active
28045 @findex gnus-set-active
28046 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
28048 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
28049 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
28050 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
28053 @item gnus-continuum-version
28054 @findex gnus-continuum-version
28055 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
28056 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
28059 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
28060 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
28061 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
28063 @item gnus-news-group-p
28064 @findex gnus-news-group-p
28065 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
28067 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
28068 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
28069 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
28071 @item gnus-server-to-method
28072 @findex gnus-server-to-method
28073 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
28075 @item gnus-server-equal
28076 @findex gnus-server-equal
28077 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
28079 @item gnus-group-native-p
28080 @findex gnus-group-native-p
28081 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
28083 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
28084 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
28085 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
28087 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
28088 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
28089 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
28091 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
28092 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
28093 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
28094 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
28096 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
28097 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
28098 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
28100 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
28101 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
28102 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
28104 @item gnus-check-backend-function
28105 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
28106 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
28107 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
28110 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
28114 @item gnus-read-method
28115 @findex gnus-read-method
28116 Prompts the user for a select method.
28121 @node Back End Interface
28122 @subsection Back End Interface
28124 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
28125 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
28126 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
28127 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
28128 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
28129 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
28131 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
28132 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
28133 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
28134 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
28135 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
28136 been opened, the function should fail.
28138 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
28139 name. Take this example:
28143 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
28144 (nntp-port-number 4324))
28147 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
28148 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
28150 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
28151 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
28152 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
28154 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
28155 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
28156 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
28158 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
28159 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
28160 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
28161 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
28162 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
28163 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
28166 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
28167 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
28168 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
28169 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
28172 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
28173 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
28174 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
28175 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
28176 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
28177 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
28178 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
28179 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
28180 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
28181 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
28183 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
28184 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
28185 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
28186 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
28187 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
28188 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
28189 of numbers as long as possible.
28191 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
28192 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
28193 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
28195 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
28198 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
28201 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
28202 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
28203 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
28204 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
28205 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
28206 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
28210 @node Required Back End Functions
28211 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
28215 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
28217 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
28218 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
28219 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
28220 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
28222 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
28223 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
28224 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
28225 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
28227 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
28228 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
28229 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
28230 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
28231 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
28232 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
28233 number, do maximum fetches.
28235 Here's an example HEAD:
28238 221 1056 Article retrieved.
28239 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
28240 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
28241 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
28242 Subject: Re: Something very droll
28243 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
28244 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
28246 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
28247 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
28248 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
28252 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
28253 these in the data buffer.
28255 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
28259 head = error / valid-head
28260 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
28261 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
28262 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
28263 header = <text> eol
28267 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
28269 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
28270 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
28274 nov-buffer = *nov-line
28275 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
28276 field = <text except TAB>
28279 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
28283 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
28285 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
28286 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
28288 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
28289 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
28290 server. In fact, it should do so.
28292 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
28293 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
28296 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
28298 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
28299 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
28302 There should be no data returned.
28305 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
28307 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
28308 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
28309 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
28310 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
28312 There should be no data returned.
28315 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
28317 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
28318 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
28319 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
28320 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
28322 There should be no data returned.
28325 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
28327 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
28329 There should be no data returned.
28332 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
28334 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
28335 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
28336 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
28337 it would be nice if that were possible.
28339 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
28340 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
28341 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
28342 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
28343 into its article buffer.
28345 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
28346 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
28347 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
28348 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
28349 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
28350 on successful article retrieval.
28353 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
28355 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
28356 making @var{group} the current group.
28358 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
28361 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
28364 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
28367 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
28368 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
28369 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
28370 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
28371 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
28372 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
28373 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
28374 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
28375 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
28379 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
28380 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
28381 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
28385 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
28387 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
28388 a no-op on most back ends.
28390 There should be no data returned.
28393 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
28395 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
28398 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
28401 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
28402 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
28405 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
28406 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
28407 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
28408 and the highest as 0.
28411 active-file = *active-line
28412 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
28414 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
28417 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
28418 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
28419 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
28422 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
28424 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
28425 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
28426 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
28427 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
28428 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
28429 clear if the posting could not be completed.
28431 There should be no result data from this function.
28436 @node Optional Back End Functions
28437 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
28441 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
28443 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
28444 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
28445 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
28447 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
28448 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
28449 former is in the same format as the data from
28450 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
28451 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
28454 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
28458 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
28460 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
28461 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
28462 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
28463 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
28464 should return a non-@code{nil} value (exceptionally,
28465 @code{nntp-request-update-info} always returns @code{nil} not to waste
28466 the network resources).
28468 There should be no result data from this function.
28471 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
28473 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
28474 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
28475 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
28476 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
28477 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
28478 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
28479 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
28480 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
28482 There should be no result data from this function.
28485 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
28487 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
28488 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
28489 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
28490 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
28491 propagate the mark information to the server.
28493 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
28496 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
28499 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
28500 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
28501 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
28502 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
28503 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
28504 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
28505 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
28506 possible, not limit itself to these.
28508 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
28509 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
28510 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
28511 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
28513 An example action list:
28516 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
28517 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
28518 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
28521 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
28522 mark on (currently not used for anything).
28524 There should be no result data from this function.
28526 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
28528 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
28529 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
28530 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
28531 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
28532 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
28534 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
28535 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
28536 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
28539 There should be no result data from this function.
28542 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
28544 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
28545 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
28546 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
28547 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
28548 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
28549 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
28550 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
28551 local if that's practical.
28553 There should be no result data from this function.
28556 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
28558 The result data from this function should be a description of
28562 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
28564 description = <text>
28567 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
28569 The result data from this function should be the description of all
28570 groups available on the server.
28573 description-buffer = *description-line
28577 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
28579 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
28580 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
28581 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
28582 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
28583 in the active buffer format.
28585 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
28586 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
28587 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
28588 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
28589 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
28590 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
28591 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
28594 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
28596 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
28598 There should be no return data.
28601 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
28603 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
28604 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
28605 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
28606 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
28607 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
28610 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
28613 There should be no result data returned.
28616 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
28618 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
28619 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
28621 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
28622 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
28623 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
28624 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
28625 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
28626 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
28628 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
28629 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
28632 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
28633 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
28635 There should be no data returned.
28638 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
28640 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
28641 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
28642 this function in short order.
28644 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
28645 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
28647 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
28648 article for that group.
28650 There should be no data returned.
28653 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
28655 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
28656 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
28658 There should be no data returned.
28661 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
28663 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
28664 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
28665 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
28667 There should be no data returned.
28670 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
28672 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
28673 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
28675 There should be no data returned.
28680 @node Error Messaging
28681 @subsubsection Error Messaging
28683 @findex nnheader-report
28684 @findex nnheader-get-report
28685 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
28686 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
28687 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
28688 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
28689 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
28690 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
28693 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
28695 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
28698 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
28699 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
28700 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
28701 takes one argument---the server symbol.
28703 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
28704 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
28705 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
28708 @node Writing New Back Ends
28709 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
28711 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
28712 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
28713 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
28714 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
28715 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
28718 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
28719 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
28720 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
28722 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
28723 package called @code{nnoo}.
28725 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
28726 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
28732 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
28733 parameters. For instance:
28736 (nnoo-declare nndir
28740 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
28741 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
28744 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
28745 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
28746 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
28748 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
28749 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
28750 a function in those back ends.
28753 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
28754 "Where nndir will look for groups."
28755 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
28758 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
28759 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
28760 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
28762 @item nnoo-define-basics
28763 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
28767 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
28771 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
28772 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
28773 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
28775 @item nnoo-map-functions
28776 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
28777 functions from the parent back ends.
28780 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
28781 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
28782 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
28785 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
28786 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
28787 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
28788 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
28791 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
28792 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
28793 haven't already been defined.
28799 nnmh-request-newgroups)
28803 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
28804 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
28805 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
28810 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
28813 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
28814 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
28818 (require 'nnheader)
28822 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
28824 (nnoo-declare nndir
28827 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
28828 "Where nndir will look for groups."
28829 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
28831 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
28832 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
28835 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
28837 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
28838 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
28839 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
28841 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
28842 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
28844 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
28846 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
28848 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
28849 (setq nndir-directory
28850 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
28852 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
28853 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
28854 (push `(nndir-current-group
28855 ,(file-name-nondirectory
28856 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
28858 (push `(nndir-top-directory
28859 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
28861 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
28863 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
28864 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
28865 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
28866 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
28867 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
28871 nnmh-status-message
28873 nnmh-request-newgroups))
28879 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
28880 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
28882 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
28883 @findex gnus-declare-backend
28884 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
28885 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
28886 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
28888 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
28889 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
28894 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
28897 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
28899 The abilities can be:
28903 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
28905 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
28907 This back end supports both mail and news.
28909 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
28912 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
28913 articles and groups.
28915 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
28916 true for almost all back ends.
28917 @item prompt-address
28918 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
28919 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
28920 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
28924 @node Mail-like Back Ends
28925 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
28927 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
28928 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
28929 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
28930 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
28933 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
28934 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
28935 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
28938 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
28939 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
28942 This function takes four parameters.
28946 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
28949 @item exit-function
28950 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
28952 @item temp-directory
28953 Where the temporary files should be stored.
28956 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
28957 performed for one group only.
28960 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
28961 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
28962 find the article number assigned to this article.
28964 The function also uses the following variables:
28965 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
28966 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
28967 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
28968 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
28972 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
28973 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
28977 @node Score File Syntax
28978 @subsection Score File Syntax
28980 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
28981 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
28982 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
28984 Here's a typical score file:
28988 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
28995 BNF definition of a score file:
28998 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
28999 element = rule / atom
29000 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
29001 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
29002 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
29003 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
29005 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
29006 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
29007 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
29008 date-header = "date"
29009 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
29010 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
29011 score = "nil" / <integer>
29012 date = "nil" / <natural number>
29013 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
29014 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
29015 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
29016 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
29017 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
29018 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
29019 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
29020 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
29021 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
29022 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
29023 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
29024 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
29025 exclude-files / read-only / touched
29026 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
29027 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
29028 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
29029 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
29030 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
29031 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
29032 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
29033 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
29034 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
29035 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
29036 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
29037 eval = "eval" space <form>
29038 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
29041 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
29044 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
29045 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
29046 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
29047 one looong line, then that's ok.
29049 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
29050 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
29054 @subsection Headers
29056 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
29057 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
29058 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
29059 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
29061 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
29062 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
29063 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
29064 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
29065 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
29066 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
29067 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
29069 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
29070 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
29071 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
29072 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
29073 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
29075 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
29076 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
29082 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
29083 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
29085 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
29086 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
29087 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
29088 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
29090 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
29094 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
29097 is transformed into
29100 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
29103 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
29104 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
29107 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
29110 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
29111 is slightly tricky:
29114 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
29120 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
29123 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
29129 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
29136 and is equal to the previous range.
29138 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
29139 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
29140 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
29144 range = simple-range / normal-range
29145 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
29146 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
29147 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
29148 number *[ " " contents ]
29151 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
29152 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
29153 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
29154 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
29155 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
29160 @subsection Group Info
29162 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
29163 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
29164 describes the group.
29166 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
29167 second is a more complex one:
29170 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
29172 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
29173 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
29175 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
29178 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
29179 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
29180 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
29181 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
29182 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
29183 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
29184 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
29185 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
29186 this section is about.
29188 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
29189 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
29190 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
29192 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
29195 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
29196 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
29197 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
29198 group = quote <string> quote
29199 ralevel = rank / level
29200 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
29201 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
29202 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
29204 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
29205 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
29206 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
29207 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
29210 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
29211 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
29214 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
29215 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
29218 @item gnus-info-group
29219 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
29220 @findex gnus-info-group
29221 @findex gnus-info-set-group
29222 Get/set the group name.
29224 @item gnus-info-rank
29225 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
29226 @findex gnus-info-rank
29227 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
29228 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
29230 @item gnus-info-level
29231 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
29232 @findex gnus-info-level
29233 @findex gnus-info-set-level
29234 Get/set the group level.
29236 @item gnus-info-score
29237 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
29238 @findex gnus-info-score
29239 @findex gnus-info-set-score
29240 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
29242 @item gnus-info-read
29243 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
29244 @findex gnus-info-read
29245 @findex gnus-info-set-read
29246 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
29248 @item gnus-info-marks
29249 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
29250 @findex gnus-info-marks
29251 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
29252 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
29254 @item gnus-info-method
29255 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
29256 @findex gnus-info-method
29257 @findex gnus-info-set-method
29258 Get/set the group select method.
29260 @item gnus-info-params
29261 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
29262 @findex gnus-info-params
29263 @findex gnus-info-set-params
29264 Get/set the group parameters.
29267 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
29268 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
29270 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
29271 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
29272 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
29273 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
29276 @node Extended Interactive
29277 @subsection Extended Interactive
29278 @cindex interactive
29279 @findex gnus-interactive
29281 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
29282 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
29283 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
29286 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
29287 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
29292 The best thing to do would have been to implement
29293 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
29294 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
29295 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
29296 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
29297 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
29298 @code{interactive}.
29300 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
29305 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
29306 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
29310 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
29311 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
29312 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
29315 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
29319 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
29323 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
29329 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
29330 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
29334 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
29335 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
29336 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
29338 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
29339 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
29340 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
29341 Gnus, that's very useful.
29343 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
29344 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
29345 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
29346 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
29347 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
29348 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
29349 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
29350 following function:
29353 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
29357 (,function ,@@args))
29361 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
29362 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
29363 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
29366 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
29367 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
29368 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
29370 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
29371 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
29372 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
29375 @node Various File Formats
29376 @subsection Various File Formats
29379 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
29380 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
29384 @node Active File Format
29385 @subsubsection Active File Format
29387 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
29388 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
29391 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
29394 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
29395 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
29396 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
29397 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
29398 no.general 1000 900 y
29401 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
29404 active = *group-line
29405 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
29406 group = <non-white-space string>
29408 high-number = <non-negative integer>
29409 low-number = <positive integer>
29410 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
29413 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
29414 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
29417 @node Newsgroups File Format
29418 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
29420 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
29421 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
29422 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
29425 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
29426 Here's the definition:
29430 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
29431 group = <non-white-space string>
29433 description = <string>
29438 @node Emacs for Heathens
29439 @section Emacs for Heathens
29441 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
29442 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
29443 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
29444 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
29445 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
29446 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
29447 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
29451 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
29452 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
29457 @subsection Keystrokes
29461 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
29464 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
29467 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
29468 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
29469 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
29470 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
29471 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
29472 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
29474 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
29475 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
29476 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
29477 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
29478 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
29479 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
29480 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
29482 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
29483 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
29484 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
29485 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
29486 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
29487 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
29488 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
29490 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
29491 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
29492 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
29493 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
29494 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
29500 @subsection Emacs Lisp
29502 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
29503 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
29504 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
29505 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
29507 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
29508 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
29509 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
29510 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
29511 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
29512 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
29513 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{~/.gnus.el}
29514 file to customize Gnus. (You can also use the @file{~/.emacs} file, but
29515 in order to set things of Gnus up, it is much better to use the
29516 @file{~/.gnus.el} file, @xref{Startup Files}.)
29518 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
29519 write the following:
29522 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
29525 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
29526 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
29527 you can go and fill your @file{~/.gnus.el} file with lots of these to
29528 change how Gnus works.
29530 If you have put that thing in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, it will be
29531 read and @code{eval}ed (which is Lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
29532 start Gnus. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
29533 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
29534 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
29536 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
29537 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
29538 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
29542 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
29546 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
29549 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
29550 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
29553 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
29556 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
29557 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
29560 @include gnus-faq.texi
29580 @c Local Variables:
29582 @c coding: iso-8859-1
29586 arch-tag: c9fa47e7-78ca-4681-bda9-9fef45d1c819