1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*- -*- coding: iso-latin-1 -*-
10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
15 @setchapternewpage odd
19 \documentclass[twoside,a4paper,openright,11pt]{book}
20 \usepackage[latin1]{inputenc}
21 \usepackage{pagestyle}
24 \input{gnusconfig.tex}
26 \ifx\pdfoutput\undefined
28 \usepackage[pdftex,bookmarks]{hyperref}
35 \newcommand{\gnusversionname}{Oort Gnus v.}
36 \newcommand{\gnuschaptername}{}
37 \newcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
39 \newcommand{\gnusbackslash}{/}
41 \newcommand{\gnusref}[1]{``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
42 \ifx\pdfoutput\undefined
43 \newcommand{\gnusuref}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
45 \newcommand{\gnusuref}[1]{\href{#1}{\gnustt{#1}}}
47 \newcommand{\gnusxref}[1]{See ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
48 \newcommand{\gnuspxref}[1]{see ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
50 \newcommand{\gnuskindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
51 \newcommand{\gnusindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
53 \newcommand{\gnustt}[1]{{\gnusselectttfont{}#1}}
54 \newcommand{\gnuscode}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
55 \newcommand{\gnussamp}[1]{``{\fontencoding{OT1}\gnusselectttfont{}#1}''}
56 \newcommand{\gnuslisp}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
57 \newcommand{\gnuskbd}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
58 \newcommand{\gnusfile}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
59 \newcommand{\gnusdfn}[1]{\textit{#1}}
60 \newcommand{\gnusi}[1]{\textit{#1}}
61 \newcommand{\gnusstrong}[1]{\textbf{#1}}
62 \newcommand{\gnusemph}[1]{\textit{#1}}
63 \newcommand{\gnusvar}[1]{{\fontsize{10pt}{10}\selectfont\textsl{\textsf{#1}}}}
64 \newcommand{\gnussc}[1]{\textsc{#1}}
65 \newcommand{\gnustitle}[1]{{\huge\textbf{#1}}}
66 \newcommand{\gnusversion}[1]{{\small\textit{#1}}}
67 \newcommand{\gnusauthor}[1]{{\large\textbf{#1}}}
68 \newcommand{\gnusresult}[1]{\gnustt{=> #1}}
70 \newcommand{\gnusbullet}{{${\bullet}$}}
71 \newcommand{\gnusdollar}{\$}
72 \newcommand{\gnusampersand}{\&}
73 \newcommand{\gnuspercent}{\%}
74 \newcommand{\gnushash}{\#}
75 \newcommand{\gnushat}{\symbol{"5E}}
76 \newcommand{\gnusunderline}{\symbol{"5F}}
77 \newcommand{\gnusnot}{$\neg$}
78 \newcommand{\gnustilde}{\symbol{"7E}}
79 \newcommand{\gnusless}{{$<$}}
80 \newcommand{\gnusgreater}{{$>$}}
81 \newcommand{\gnusbraceleft}{{$>$}}
82 \newcommand{\gnusbraceright}{{$>$}}
84 \newcommand{\gnushead}{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-head,height=1cm}}}
85 \newcommand{\gnusinteresting}{
86 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\gnushead]{\gnushead}
89 \newcommand{\gnuscleardoublepage}{\ifodd\count0\mbox{}\clearpage\thispagestyle{empty}\mbox{}\clearpage\else\clearpage\fi}
91 \newcommand{\gnuspagechapter}[1]{
98 \newcommand{\gnuschapter}[2]{
100 \ifdim \gnusdimen = 0pt\setcounter{page}{1}\pagestyle{gnus}\pagenumbering{arabic} \gnusdimen 1pt\fi
102 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
103 \renewcommand{\gnuschaptername}{#2}
104 \thispagestyle{empty}
106 \begin{picture}(500,500)(0,0)
107 \put(480,350){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{#1}}
108 \put(40,300){\makebox(500,50)[bl]{{\Huge\bf{#2}}}}
113 \newcommand{\gnusfigure}[3]{
115 \mbox{}\ifodd\count0\hspace*{-0.8cm}\else\hspace*{-3cm}\fi\begin{picture}(440,#2)
122 \newcommand{\gnusicon}[1]{
123 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\raisebox{-1.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/#1-up,height=1.5cm}}]{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/#1-up,height=1cm}}}
126 \newcommand{\gnuspicon}[1]{
127 \margindex{\epsfig{figure=#1,width=2cm}}
130 \newcommand{\gnusxface}[2]{
131 \margindex{\epsfig{figure=#1,width=1cm}\epsfig{figure=#2,width=1cm}}
134 \newcommand{\gnussmiley}[2]{
135 \margindex{\makebox[2cm]{\hfill\epsfig{figure=#1,width=0.5cm}\hfill\epsfig{figure=#2,width=0.5cm}\hfill}}
138 \newcommand{\gnusitemx}[1]{\mbox{}\vspace*{-\itemsep}\vspace*{-\parsep}\item#1}
140 \newcommand{\gnussection}[1]{
141 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{#1}
145 \newenvironment{codelist}%
150 \newenvironment{kbdlist}%
156 \newenvironment{dfnlist}%
161 \newenvironment{stronglist}%
166 \newenvironment{samplist}%
171 \newenvironment{varlist}%
176 \newenvironment{emphlist}%
181 \newlength\gnusheadtextwidth
182 \setlength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{\headtextwidth}
183 \addtolength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{1cm}
185 \newpagestyle{gnuspreamble}%
190 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\mbox{}}\textbf{\hfill\roman{page}}}
194 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\roman{page}\hfill\mbox{}}}
203 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
205 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
210 \newpagestyle{gnusindex}%
215 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\gnuschaptername\hfill\arabic{page}}}}
219 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}
227 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
229 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
239 \makebox[12cm]{\hspace*{3.1cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{chapter}.\arabic{section}} \textbf{\gnussectionname\hfill\arabic{page}}}}}
243 \makebox[12cm]{\hspace*{-2.95cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}}
251 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
253 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=1cm}}
258 \pagenumbering{roman}
259 \pagestyle{gnuspreamble}
269 %\addtolength{\oddsidemargin}{-5cm}
270 %\addtolength{\evensidemargin}{-5cm}
272 \addtolength{\textheight}{2cm}
274 \gnustitle{\gnustitlename}\hfill\gnusversion{\gnusversionname}\\
277 \hspace*{0cm}\epsfig{figure=ps/gnus-big-logo,height=15cm}
280 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
287 \thispagestyle{empty}
289 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
290 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
293 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
294 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
295 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
296 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
297 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
298 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
299 License'' in the Emacs manual.
301 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
302 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
303 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
305 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
306 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
307 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
308 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
316 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
318 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
319 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
321 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
322 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
323 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
324 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
325 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
326 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
327 License'' in the Emacs manual.
329 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
330 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
331 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
333 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
334 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
335 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
336 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
344 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
347 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
348 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
349 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
351 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
352 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
353 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
354 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
355 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
356 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
357 License'' in the Emacs manual.
359 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
360 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
361 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
363 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
364 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
365 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
366 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
375 @top The Gnus Newsreader
379 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
380 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
381 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
384 This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v.
395 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
396 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
398 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
399 being accused of plagiarism:
401 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
402 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
403 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
404 can even read news with it!
406 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
407 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
408 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
409 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
410 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
416 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
417 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
418 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
419 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
420 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
421 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
422 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
423 * Various:: General purpose settings.
424 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
425 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
426 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
427 * Key Index:: Key Index.
430 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
434 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
435 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
436 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
437 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
438 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
439 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
440 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
441 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
442 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
443 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
444 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
448 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
449 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
450 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
454 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
455 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
456 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
457 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
458 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
459 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
460 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
461 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
462 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
463 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
464 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
465 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
466 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
467 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
468 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
469 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
470 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
474 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
475 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
476 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
480 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
481 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
482 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
483 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
484 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
488 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
489 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
490 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
491 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
495 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
496 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
497 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
498 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
499 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
501 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
502 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
503 * Threading:: How threads are made.
504 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
505 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
506 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
507 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
508 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
509 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
510 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
511 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
512 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
513 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
514 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
515 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
516 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
517 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
518 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
519 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
520 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
521 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
522 or reselecting the current group.
523 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
524 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
525 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
526 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
528 Summary Buffer Format
530 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
531 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
532 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
533 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
537 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
538 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
540 Reply, Followup and Post
542 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
543 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
544 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
545 * Canceling and Superseding::
549 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
550 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
551 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
553 * Generic Marking Commands::
554 * Setting Process Marks::
558 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
559 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
560 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
564 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
565 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
567 Customizing Threading
569 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
570 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
571 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
572 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
576 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
577 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
578 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
579 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
580 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
581 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
585 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
586 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
587 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
591 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
592 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
593 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
594 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
595 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
596 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
597 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
598 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
600 Alternative Approaches
602 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
603 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
605 Various Summary Stuff
607 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
608 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
609 * Summary Generation Commands::
610 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
614 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
615 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
616 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
617 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
618 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
622 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
623 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
624 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
625 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
626 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
627 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
628 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
629 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
633 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
634 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
635 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
636 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
637 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
638 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
639 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
640 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
644 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
645 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
646 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
647 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
648 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
649 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
650 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
654 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
655 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
659 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
660 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
661 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
665 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
666 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
667 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
668 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
669 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
670 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
671 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
672 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
673 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
674 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
675 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
676 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
677 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
678 * Archiving Mail:: How to backup your mail.
682 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
683 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
684 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
686 Choosing a Mail Back End
688 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
689 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
690 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
691 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
692 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
693 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
697 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
698 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
699 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
700 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
701 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
702 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
706 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
707 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
708 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
712 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
713 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
714 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
715 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
716 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
720 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
724 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
725 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
726 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
730 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
731 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
735 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
736 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
737 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
738 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
739 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
740 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
741 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
742 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
743 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
744 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
748 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
749 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
750 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
754 * Group Agent Commands::
755 * Summary Agent Commands::
756 * Server Agent Commands::
760 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
761 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
762 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
763 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
764 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
765 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
766 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
767 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
768 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
769 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
770 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
771 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
772 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
773 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
774 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
775 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
776 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
780 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
781 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
782 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
783 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
787 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
788 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
789 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
793 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
794 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
795 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
796 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
797 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
798 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
799 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
800 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
801 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
802 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
803 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
804 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
805 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
806 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
807 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
808 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
809 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
810 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
814 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
815 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
816 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
817 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
818 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
819 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
820 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
821 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
825 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
826 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
827 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
828 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
832 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
833 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
834 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
835 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
836 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
840 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
841 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
842 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
843 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
844 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
845 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
846 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
850 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
851 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
852 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
853 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
854 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
855 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
856 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
857 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
858 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
862 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
863 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
864 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
865 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
866 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
870 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
871 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
872 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
873 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
877 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
878 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
879 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
880 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
881 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
882 * Group Info:: The group info format.
883 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
884 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
885 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
889 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
890 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
891 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
892 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
893 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
894 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
898 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
899 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
903 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
904 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
910 @chapter Starting Gnus
915 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
916 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
919 @findex gnus-other-frame
920 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
921 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
922 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
924 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
925 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
926 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
928 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
929 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
932 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
933 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
934 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
935 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
936 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
937 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
938 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
939 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
940 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
941 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
942 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
946 @node Finding the News
947 @section Finding the News
950 @vindex gnus-select-method
952 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
953 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
954 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
955 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
958 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
959 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
962 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
965 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
968 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
971 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
972 certainly be much faster.
974 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
976 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
977 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
978 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
979 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
980 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
981 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
983 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
984 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
985 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
986 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
988 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
989 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
990 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
991 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
992 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
993 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
994 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
995 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
996 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
999 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1001 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1002 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1003 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1004 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1005 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1006 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1008 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1010 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1011 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1012 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1013 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1014 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1015 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1018 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1019 you would typically set this variable to
1022 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1026 @node The First Time
1027 @section The First Time
1028 @cindex first time usage
1030 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
1031 be subscribed by default.
1033 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1034 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1035 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1036 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1039 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1040 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1041 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1043 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1044 help you with most common problems.
1046 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1047 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1051 @node The Server is Down
1052 @section The Server is Down
1053 @cindex server errors
1055 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1056 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1057 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1059 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1060 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1061 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1062 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1063 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1064 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1065 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1067 @findex gnus-no-server
1068 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1070 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1071 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1072 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1073 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1074 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1075 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1076 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1080 @section Slave Gnusae
1083 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1084 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1085 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1086 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1088 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1089 @code{.newsrc} file.
1091 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1092 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1093 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1094 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1095 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1096 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1097 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1099 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1100 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1101 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1102 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1103 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1104 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1105 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1106 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1108 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1109 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1112 @node Fetching a Group
1113 @section Fetching a Group
1114 @cindex fetching a group
1116 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1117 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1118 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1119 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1120 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1121 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1127 @cindex subscription
1129 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1130 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1131 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1132 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1133 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1134 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1135 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1136 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1137 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1140 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1141 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1142 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1146 @node Checking New Groups
1147 @subsection Checking New Groups
1149 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1150 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1151 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1152 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1153 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1154 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1155 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1156 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1157 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1158 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1160 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1161 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1162 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1163 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1164 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1165 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1166 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1167 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1168 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1169 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1170 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1172 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1173 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1174 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1175 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1176 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1177 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1180 @node Subscription Methods
1181 @subsection Subscription Methods
1183 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1184 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1185 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1187 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1188 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1190 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1194 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1195 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1196 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1197 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1198 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1200 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1201 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1202 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1203 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1205 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1206 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1207 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1209 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1210 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1211 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1212 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1213 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1214 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1215 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1216 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1217 up. Or something like that.
1219 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1220 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1221 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1222 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1223 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1225 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1226 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1227 Kill all new groups.
1229 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1230 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1231 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1232 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1233 topic parameter that looks like
1239 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1242 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1247 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1248 A closely related variable is
1249 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1250 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1251 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1252 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1255 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1256 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1257 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1258 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1261 @node Filtering New Groups
1262 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1264 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1265 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1266 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1269 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1272 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1273 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1274 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1275 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1276 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1277 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1278 subscribing these groups.
1279 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1280 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1282 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1283 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1284 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1285 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1286 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1287 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1288 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1289 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1291 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1292 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1293 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1294 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1295 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1296 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1297 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1298 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1299 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1300 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1302 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1303 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1306 @node Changing Servers
1307 @section Changing Servers
1308 @cindex changing servers
1310 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1311 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1312 very flaky and you want to use another.
1314 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1315 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1319 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1320 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1321 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1322 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1325 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1326 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1327 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1328 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1330 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1331 @findex gnus-change-server
1332 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1333 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1334 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1335 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1336 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1338 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1339 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1340 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1341 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1342 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1344 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1345 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1346 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1347 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1348 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1349 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1351 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1352 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1353 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1357 @section Startup Files
1358 @cindex startup files
1363 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1364 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1366 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1367 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1368 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1369 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1370 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1371 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1372 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1374 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1375 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1376 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1377 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1378 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1379 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1381 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1382 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1383 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1384 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1385 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1386 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1387 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1388 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1389 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1390 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1392 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1393 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1394 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1395 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1396 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1397 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1398 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1399 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1400 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1401 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1402 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1403 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1405 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1406 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1407 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1408 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1410 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1411 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1412 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1413 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1414 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1415 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1416 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1417 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1418 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1419 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1422 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1423 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1425 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1426 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1429 @vindex gnus-init-file
1430 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1431 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1432 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1433 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1434 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1435 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1436 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1437 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1438 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1444 @cindex dribble file
1447 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1448 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1449 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1450 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1451 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1454 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1455 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1458 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1459 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1460 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1462 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1463 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1464 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1465 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1466 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1467 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1469 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1470 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1471 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1474 @node The Active File
1475 @section The Active File
1477 @cindex ignored groups
1479 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1480 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1481 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1483 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1484 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1485 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1486 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1487 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1488 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1489 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1492 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1493 @c if you set it to anything else.
1495 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1497 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1498 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1499 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1501 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1502 you actually subscribe to.
1504 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1505 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1506 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1507 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1509 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1510 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1511 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1512 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1513 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1514 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1516 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1517 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1518 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1521 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1522 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1523 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1524 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1525 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1526 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1528 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1529 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1531 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1532 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1534 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1535 secondary select methods.
1538 @node Startup Variables
1539 @section Startup Variables
1543 @item gnus-load-hook
1544 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1545 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1546 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1547 times you start Gnus.
1549 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1550 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1551 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1553 @item gnus-startup-hook
1554 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1555 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1557 @item gnus-started-hook
1558 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1559 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1562 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1563 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1564 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1565 generating the group buffer.
1567 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1568 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1569 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1570 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1571 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1572 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1573 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1574 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1576 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1577 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1578 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1579 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1580 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1581 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1583 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1584 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1585 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1587 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1588 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1589 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1591 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1592 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1593 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1594 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1600 @chapter Group Buffer
1601 @cindex group buffer
1603 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1605 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1606 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1607 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1608 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1609 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1610 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1611 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1612 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1613 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1614 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1615 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1616 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1617 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1618 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1619 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1620 @c human rights at 9...
1623 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1624 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1625 long as Gnus is active.
1629 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1630 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1631 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1632 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1633 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1634 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1635 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1636 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1642 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1643 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1644 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1645 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1646 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1647 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1648 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1649 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1650 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1651 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1652 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1653 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1654 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1655 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1656 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1657 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1658 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1662 @node Group Buffer Format
1663 @section Group Buffer Format
1666 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1667 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1668 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1672 @node Group Line Specification
1673 @subsection Group Line Specification
1674 @cindex group buffer format
1676 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1677 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1679 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1682 25: news.announce.newusers
1683 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1688 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1689 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1690 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1691 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1693 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1694 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1695 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1696 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1697 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1698 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1700 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1702 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1703 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1704 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1705 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1708 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1709 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1710 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1712 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1717 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1720 Whether the group is subscribed.
1723 Level of subscribedness.
1726 Number of unread articles.
1729 Number of dormant articles.
1732 Number of ticked articles.
1735 Number of read articles.
1738 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1739 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1741 Gnus uses this estimation because the NNTP protocol provides efficient
1742 access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting the true
1743 unread message count is not possible efficiently. For hysterical
1744 raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of unread
1745 messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1746 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the
1747 back end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1748 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1751 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1754 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1763 Newsgroup description.
1766 @samp{m} if moderated.
1769 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1778 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1782 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1785 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1786 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1787 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1788 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1789 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1792 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1794 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1798 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1801 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1805 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1806 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1807 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1808 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1809 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1810 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1815 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1816 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1817 group, or a bogus native group.
1820 @node Group Modeline Specification
1821 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1822 @cindex group modeline
1824 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1825 The mode line can be changed by setting
1826 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1827 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1831 The native news server.
1833 The native select method.
1837 @node Group Highlighting
1838 @subsection Group Highlighting
1839 @cindex highlighting
1840 @cindex group highlighting
1842 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1843 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1844 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1845 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1846 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1848 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1852 (cond (window-system
1853 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1854 (defface my-group-face-1
1855 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1856 (defface my-group-face-2
1857 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1858 (defface my-group-face-3
1859 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1860 (defface my-group-face-4
1861 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1862 (defface my-group-face-5
1863 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1865 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1866 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1867 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1868 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1869 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1870 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1873 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1875 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1882 The number of unread articles in the group.
1886 Whether the group is a mail group.
1888 The level of the group.
1890 The score of the group.
1892 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1894 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1895 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1897 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1898 topic being inserted.
1901 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1902 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1903 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1905 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1906 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1907 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1908 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1909 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1912 @node Group Maneuvering
1913 @section Group Maneuvering
1914 @cindex group movement
1916 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1917 expected, hopefully.
1923 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1924 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1925 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1931 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1932 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1933 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1937 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1938 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1942 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1943 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1947 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1948 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1949 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1953 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1954 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1955 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1958 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1964 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1965 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1966 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1971 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1972 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1973 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1977 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1978 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1979 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1982 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1983 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1984 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1985 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1989 @node Selecting a Group
1990 @section Selecting a Group
1991 @cindex group selection
1996 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1997 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1998 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1999 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2000 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2001 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2002 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2003 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2004 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2005 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2007 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2008 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2009 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2011 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2012 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2017 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2018 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2019 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2020 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2021 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2025 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2026 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2027 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2028 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2029 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2030 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2031 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2032 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2033 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2034 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2037 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2038 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2039 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2040 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2041 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2044 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
2045 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2046 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2047 doing any processing of its contents
2048 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2049 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2050 manner will have no permanent effects.
2054 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2055 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
2056 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2057 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2058 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2059 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2060 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2061 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2064 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2065 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2066 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
2067 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2072 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
2073 full summary buffer.
2076 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
2079 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
2084 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2085 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
2086 Useful functions include:
2089 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2090 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2091 don't select the article.
2093 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2094 Select the first unread article.
2096 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2097 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2101 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2102 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2103 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2107 @node Subscription Commands
2108 @section Subscription Commands
2109 @cindex subscription
2117 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2118 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2119 Toggle subscription to the current group
2120 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2126 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2127 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2128 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2129 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2135 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2136 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2137 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2143 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2144 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2147 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2148 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2149 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2150 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2151 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2157 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2158 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2162 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2163 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2166 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2167 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2168 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2169 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2170 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2171 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2172 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2173 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2174 @file{.newsrc} file.
2178 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2188 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2189 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2190 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2191 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2192 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2193 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2198 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2199 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2200 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2204 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2205 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2206 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2208 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2209 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2210 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2211 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2212 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2213 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2220 @section Group Levels
2224 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2225 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2226 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2227 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2228 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2230 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2236 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2237 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2238 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2239 prompted for a level.
2242 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2243 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2244 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2245 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2246 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2247 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2248 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2249 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2250 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2251 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2252 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2253 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2254 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2255 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2256 reasons of efficiency.
2258 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2259 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2261 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2262 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2263 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2264 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2265 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2266 groups are hidden, in a way.
2268 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2269 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2270 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2271 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2272 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2273 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2275 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2276 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2277 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2278 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2279 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2280 list of killed groups.)
2282 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2283 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2284 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2286 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2287 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2288 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2289 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2290 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2291 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2292 relevant valid ranges.
2294 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2295 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2296 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2297 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2298 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2299 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2302 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2303 one with the best level.
2305 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2306 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2307 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2310 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2311 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2312 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2313 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2316 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2317 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2318 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2319 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2321 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2322 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2323 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2324 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2325 to 5. The default is 6.
2329 @section Group Score
2334 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2335 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2336 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2339 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2340 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2341 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2342 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2343 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2344 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2345 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2346 least significant part.))
2348 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2349 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2350 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2351 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2352 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2353 action after each summary exit, you can add
2354 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2355 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2356 slow things down somewhat.
2359 @node Marking Groups
2360 @section Marking Groups
2361 @cindex marking groups
2363 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2364 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2365 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2366 bidding on those groups.
2368 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2369 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2370 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2378 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2379 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2385 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2386 Remove the mark from the current group
2387 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2391 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2392 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2396 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2397 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2401 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2402 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2406 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2407 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2408 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2411 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2413 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2414 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2415 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2416 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2417 the command to be executed.
2420 @node Foreign Groups
2421 @section Foreign Groups
2422 @cindex foreign groups
2424 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2425 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2426 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2427 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2434 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2435 @cindex making groups
2436 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2437 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2438 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2442 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2443 @cindex renaming groups
2444 Rename the current group to something else
2445 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2446 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2452 @findex gnus-group-customize
2453 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2457 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2458 @cindex renaming groups
2459 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2460 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2464 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2465 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2466 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2470 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2471 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2472 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2476 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2478 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2479 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2484 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2485 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2489 @cindex (ding) archive
2490 @cindex archive group
2491 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2492 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2493 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2494 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2495 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2496 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2497 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2501 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2503 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2504 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2505 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2506 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2510 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2512 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2513 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2514 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2518 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2519 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2521 Make a group based on some file or other
2522 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2523 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2524 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2525 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2526 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2527 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2528 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2529 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2530 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2534 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2535 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2536 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2537 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2541 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2546 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2547 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2548 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2549 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2550 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2551 @xref{Web Searches}.
2553 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2554 to a particular group by using a match string like
2555 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2558 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2559 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2560 This function will delete the current group
2561 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2562 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2563 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2564 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2565 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2569 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2570 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2571 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2575 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2576 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2577 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2580 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2583 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2584 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2585 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2586 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2587 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2588 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2592 @node Group Parameters
2593 @section Group Parameters
2594 @cindex group parameters
2596 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2597 Here's an example group parameter list:
2600 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2604 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2605 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2606 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2607 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2609 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2610 is an alist of regexps and values.
2612 The following group parameters can be used:
2617 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2620 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2623 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2624 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2625 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2626 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2627 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2629 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2630 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2631 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2632 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2633 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2634 list address instead.
2636 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2640 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2643 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2646 It is totally ignored
2647 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2648 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2650 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2651 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2652 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2653 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2654 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2656 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2657 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2658 sending the message.
2660 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2661 @cindex Mail List Groups
2662 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2663 entering summary buffer.
2665 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2669 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2670 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2671 of whether it has any unread articles.
2673 @item broken-reply-to
2674 @cindex broken-reply-to
2675 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2676 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2677 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2678 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2679 broken behavior. So there!
2683 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2684 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2688 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2689 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2690 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2695 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2696 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2697 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2698 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2699 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2700 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2701 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2705 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2706 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2707 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2709 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2712 @cindex total-expire
2713 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2714 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2715 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2716 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2719 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2723 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2724 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2725 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2726 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2727 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2728 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2731 @cindex score file group parameter
2732 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2733 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2734 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2737 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2738 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2739 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2740 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2743 @cindex admin-address
2744 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2745 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2746 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2747 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2751 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2752 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2756 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2759 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2763 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2765 Here are some examples:
2769 Display only read articles.
2772 Display everything except expirable articles.
2774 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2775 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2779 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2780 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2781 @code{read}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2782 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2783 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{seen} and @code{recent}.
2787 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2788 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2789 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2793 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2794 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2795 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2800 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2801 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2802 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2804 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2806 @item ignored-charsets
2807 @cindex ignored-charset
2808 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2809 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2810 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2812 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2815 @cindex posting-style
2816 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2817 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2818 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2819 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2820 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2822 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2823 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2824 like this in the group parameters:
2829 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2834 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2835 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2839 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2840 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2841 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2842 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2843 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2845 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2846 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2847 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2848 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2849 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2850 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2851 @code{eval}ed there.
2853 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2854 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2855 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2856 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2857 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2861 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2862 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2863 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2864 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2865 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2867 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2868 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2872 (setq gnus-parameters
2874 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2875 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2876 (gnus-summary-line-format
2877 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2881 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2885 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2889 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2892 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2893 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2896 @node Listing Groups
2897 @section Listing Groups
2898 @cindex group listing
2900 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2908 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2909 List all groups that have unread articles
2910 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2911 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2912 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2913 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2920 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2921 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2922 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2923 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2924 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2925 unsubscribed groups).
2929 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2930 List all unread groups on a specific level
2931 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2932 with no unread articles.
2936 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2937 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2938 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2939 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2944 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2945 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2949 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2950 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2951 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2955 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2956 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2960 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2961 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2962 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2963 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2964 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2965 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2966 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2967 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2971 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2972 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2973 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2977 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2978 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2979 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2983 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
2984 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
2988 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
2989 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
2993 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
2994 List groups limited within the current selection
2995 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
2999 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3000 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3004 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3005 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3009 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3010 @cindex visible group parameter
3011 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3012 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3013 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3014 get the same effect.
3016 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3017 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3018 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3019 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3020 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3023 @node Sorting Groups
3024 @section Sorting Groups
3025 @cindex sorting groups
3027 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3028 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3029 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3030 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3031 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3032 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3037 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3038 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3039 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3041 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3042 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3043 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3045 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3046 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3047 Sort by group level.
3049 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3050 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3051 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3053 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3054 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3055 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3056 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3058 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3059 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3060 Sort by number of unread articles.
3062 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3063 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3064 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3066 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3067 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3068 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3073 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3074 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3078 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3079 some sorting criteria:
3083 @kindex G S a (Group)
3084 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3085 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3086 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3089 @kindex G S u (Group)
3090 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3091 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3092 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3095 @kindex G S l (Group)
3096 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3097 Sort the group buffer by group level
3098 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3101 @kindex G S v (Group)
3102 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3103 Sort the group buffer by group score
3104 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3107 @kindex G S r (Group)
3108 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3109 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3110 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3113 @kindex G S m (Group)
3114 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3115 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3116 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3120 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3121 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3123 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3124 commands will sort in reverse order.
3126 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3130 @kindex G P a (Group)
3131 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3132 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3133 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3136 @kindex G P u (Group)
3137 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3138 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3139 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3142 @kindex G P l (Group)
3143 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3144 Sort the groups by group level
3145 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3148 @kindex G P v (Group)
3149 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3150 Sort the groups by group score
3151 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3154 @kindex G P r (Group)
3155 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3156 Sort the groups by group rank
3157 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3160 @kindex G P m (Group)
3161 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3162 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3163 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3167 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3171 @node Group Maintenance
3172 @section Group Maintenance
3173 @cindex bogus groups
3178 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3179 Find bogus groups and delete them
3180 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3184 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3185 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3186 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3187 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3188 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3192 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3193 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3194 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3195 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3196 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3197 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3200 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
3201 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3202 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3203 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3208 @node Browse Foreign Server
3209 @section Browse Foreign Server
3210 @cindex foreign servers
3211 @cindex browsing servers
3216 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3217 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3218 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3219 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3222 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3223 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3224 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3225 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3227 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3232 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3233 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3237 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3238 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3241 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3242 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3243 Enter the current group and display the first article
3244 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3247 @kindex RET (Browse)
3248 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3249 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3253 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3254 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3255 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3261 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3262 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3266 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3267 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3268 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3273 @section Exiting Gnus
3274 @cindex exiting Gnus
3276 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3281 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3282 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3283 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3284 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3288 @findex gnus-group-exit
3289 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3290 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3294 @findex gnus-group-quit
3295 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3296 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3299 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3300 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3301 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3302 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3303 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3308 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3309 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3310 trying to customize meta-variables.
3315 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3316 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3317 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3323 @section Group Topics
3326 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3327 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3328 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3329 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3330 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3331 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3335 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3336 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3347 2: alt.religion.emacs
3350 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3352 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3353 13: comp.sources.unix
3356 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3358 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3359 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3360 is a toggling command.)
3362 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3363 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3364 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3365 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3368 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3369 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3370 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3373 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3377 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3378 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3379 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3380 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3381 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3385 @node Topic Commands
3386 @subsection Topic Commands
3387 @cindex topic commands
3389 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3390 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3391 definitions slightly.
3393 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3394 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3395 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3396 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3397 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3398 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3400 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3407 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3408 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3409 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3413 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3415 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3416 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3417 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3418 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3421 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3422 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3423 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3424 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3428 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3429 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3430 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3431 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3437 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3438 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3439 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3443 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3444 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3445 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3448 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3449 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3450 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3451 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3452 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3454 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3455 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3459 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3460 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3467 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3469 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3470 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3471 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3472 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3473 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3474 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3478 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3484 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3485 Move the current group to some other topic
3486 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3487 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3491 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3492 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3496 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3497 Copy the current group to some other topic
3498 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3499 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3503 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3504 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3505 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3509 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3510 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3511 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3515 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3516 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3517 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3518 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3519 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3520 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3521 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3524 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3525 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3529 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3530 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3531 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3535 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3536 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3537 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3541 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3542 Toggle hiding empty topics
3543 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3547 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3548 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3549 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3552 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3553 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3554 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3555 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3558 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3559 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3560 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3561 expiry process (if any)
3562 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3566 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3567 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3570 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3571 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3572 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3576 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3577 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3578 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3582 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3583 @cindex group parameters
3584 @cindex topic parameters
3586 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3587 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3592 @node Topic Variables
3593 @subsection Topic Variables
3594 @cindex topic variables
3596 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3597 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3599 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3600 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3601 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3614 Number of groups in the topic.
3616 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3618 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3621 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3622 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3623 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3626 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3627 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3629 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3630 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3631 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3635 @subsection Topic Sorting
3636 @cindex topic sorting
3638 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3644 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3645 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3646 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3647 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3650 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3651 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3652 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3653 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3656 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3657 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3658 Sort the current topic by group level
3659 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3662 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3663 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3664 Sort the current topic by group score
3665 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3668 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3669 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3670 Sort the current topic by group rank
3671 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3674 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3675 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3676 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3677 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3680 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3681 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3682 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3683 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3687 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3690 @node Topic Topology
3691 @subsection Topic Topology
3692 @cindex topic topology
3695 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3701 2: alt.religion.emacs
3704 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3706 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3707 13: comp.sources.unix
3710 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3711 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3712 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3717 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3718 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3722 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3723 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3724 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3725 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3726 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3727 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3729 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3730 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3731 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3734 @node Topic Parameters
3735 @subsection Topic Parameters
3736 @cindex topic parameters
3738 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3739 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3740 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3742 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3747 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3748 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3749 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3754 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3755 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3756 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3757 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3763 2: alt.religion.emacs
3767 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3769 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3770 13: comp.sources.unix
3774 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3775 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3776 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3777 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3778 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3779 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3781 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3782 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3783 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3784 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3785 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3787 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3788 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3789 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3790 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3791 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3792 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3793 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3794 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3797 @node Misc Group Stuff
3798 @section Misc Group Stuff
3801 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3802 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3803 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3804 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3811 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3812 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3813 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3817 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3818 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3819 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3823 @findex gnus-group-mail
3824 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3828 Variables for the group buffer:
3832 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3833 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3834 is called after the group buffer has been
3837 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3838 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3839 is called after the group buffer is
3840 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3843 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3844 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3845 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3846 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3848 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3849 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3850 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3851 whether they are empty or not.
3853 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3854 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3855 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3856 non-ASCII group names.
3860 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3861 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3864 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3865 @cindex UTF-8 group names
3866 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3867 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
3868 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
3869 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is nil.
3873 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3874 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3879 @node Scanning New Messages
3880 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3881 @cindex new messages
3882 @cindex scanning new news
3888 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3889 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3890 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3891 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3892 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3893 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3898 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3899 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3900 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3901 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3902 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3903 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3904 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3906 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3907 @cindex activating groups
3909 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3910 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3915 @findex gnus-group-restart
3916 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3917 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3918 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
3922 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3923 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3925 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3926 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3930 @node Group Information
3931 @subsection Group Information
3932 @cindex group information
3933 @cindex information on groups
3940 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3941 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3944 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3945 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3946 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3947 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3948 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3949 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3950 for fetching the file.
3952 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
3953 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3957 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3959 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3960 @cindex describing groups
3961 @cindex group description
3962 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3963 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3964 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3968 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3969 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3970 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3977 @findex gnus-version
3978 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3982 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3983 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3986 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3989 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3990 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3994 @node Group Timestamp
3995 @subsection Group Timestamp
3997 @cindex group timestamps
3999 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4000 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4001 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4004 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4007 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4009 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4010 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4013 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4014 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4017 This will result in lines looking like:
4020 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4021 0: custom 19961002T012713
4024 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4025 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4029 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4030 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4035 @subsection File Commands
4036 @cindex file commands
4042 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4043 @vindex gnus-init-file
4044 @cindex reading init file
4045 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4046 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4050 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4051 @cindex saving .newsrc
4052 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4053 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4054 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4057 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4058 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4059 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4064 @node Summary Buffer
4065 @chapter Summary Buffer
4066 @cindex summary buffer
4068 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4069 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4071 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4072 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4074 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4077 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4078 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4079 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4080 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4081 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4082 * Delayed Articles::
4083 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4084 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4085 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4086 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4087 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4088 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4089 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4090 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4091 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4092 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4093 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4094 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4095 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4096 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4097 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4098 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4099 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4100 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4101 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4102 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4103 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4104 or reselecting the current group.
4105 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4106 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4107 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4108 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4112 @node Summary Buffer Format
4113 @section Summary Buffer Format
4114 @cindex summary buffer format
4118 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4119 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4120 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4126 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4127 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4128 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4129 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4132 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4133 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4134 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4135 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4136 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4137 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4138 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4139 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4140 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4141 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4142 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4145 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4146 'mail-extract-address-components)
4149 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4150 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4151 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4152 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4155 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4156 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4158 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4159 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4160 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4161 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4162 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4164 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4165 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4166 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4167 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4168 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4170 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%) %s\n}.
4172 The following format specification characters and extended format
4173 specification(s) are understood:
4179 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4180 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4182 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4183 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4184 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4186 Full @code{From} header.
4188 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4190 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
4191 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
4193 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4194 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4195 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4196 may be more thorough.
4198 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4201 Number of lines in the article.
4203 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4204 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4206 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4208 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4211 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4212 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4214 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4215 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4217 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4218 for adopted articles.
4220 One space for each thread level.
4222 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4227 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4228 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4232 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4234 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4235 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4236 default level. If the difference between
4237 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4238 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4246 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4248 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4254 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4255 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4257 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4258 article has any children.
4264 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4265 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4267 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4268 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4269 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4270 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4271 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4272 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4275 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4276 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4277 There can only be one such area.
4279 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4280 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4281 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4282 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4283 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4284 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4286 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4287 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4289 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4292 @node To From Newsgroups
4293 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4297 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4298 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4299 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4300 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4301 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4305 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4306 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4307 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4311 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4312 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4315 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4316 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4319 @findex gnus-extra-header
4320 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4321 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4322 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4325 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4329 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4330 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4331 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4332 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4333 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4334 headers are used instead.
4338 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4339 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4340 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4341 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4344 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4345 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4346 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4347 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4349 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4353 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4355 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4356 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4357 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4358 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4362 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4363 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4370 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4371 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4374 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4375 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4377 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4378 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4379 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4380 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4382 Here are the elements you can play with:
4388 Unprefixed group name.
4390 Current article number.
4392 Current article score.
4396 Number of unread articles in this group.
4398 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4401 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4402 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4403 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4404 and no unselected ones.
4406 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4407 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4409 Subject of the current article.
4411 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4413 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4415 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4417 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4419 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4421 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4425 @node Summary Highlighting
4426 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4430 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4431 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4432 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4433 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4434 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4436 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4437 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4438 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4439 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4441 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4442 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4443 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4444 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4446 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4447 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4448 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4449 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4450 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4451 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4454 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4455 ((> score default) . bold))
4457 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4458 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4462 @node Summary Maneuvering
4463 @section Summary Maneuvering
4464 @cindex summary movement
4466 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4467 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4469 None of these commands select articles.
4474 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4475 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4476 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4477 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4478 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4482 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4483 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4484 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4485 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4486 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4489 @kindex G g (Summary)
4490 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4491 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4492 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4495 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4496 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4497 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4498 to the group buffer.
4500 Variables related to summary movement:
4504 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4505 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4506 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4507 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4508 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4509 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4510 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4511 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4512 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
4513 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4514 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4515 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4516 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4517 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4519 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4520 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4521 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4522 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4523 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4524 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4525 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4527 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4529 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4530 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4531 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4532 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4533 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4535 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4536 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4537 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4538 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4539 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4540 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4541 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4542 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4545 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4546 the given number of lines from the top.
4551 @node Choosing Articles
4552 @section Choosing Articles
4553 @cindex selecting articles
4556 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4557 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4561 @node Choosing Commands
4562 @subsection Choosing Commands
4564 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4565 and they all select and display an article.
4567 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4568 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4572 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4573 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4574 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4575 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4580 @kindex G n (Summary)
4581 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4582 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4583 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4588 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4589 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4590 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4595 @kindex G N (Summary)
4596 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4597 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4602 @kindex G P (Summary)
4603 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4604 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4607 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4608 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4609 Go to the next article with the same subject
4610 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4613 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4614 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4615 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4616 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4620 @kindex G f (Summary)
4622 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4623 Go to the first unread article
4624 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4628 @kindex G b (Summary)
4630 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4631 Go to the article with the highest score
4632 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4637 @kindex G l (Summary)
4638 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4639 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4642 @kindex G o (Summary)
4643 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4645 @cindex article history
4646 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4647 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4648 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4649 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4650 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4651 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4656 @kindex G j (Summary)
4657 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4658 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4659 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4664 @node Choosing Variables
4665 @subsection Choosing Variables
4667 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4670 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4671 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4672 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4673 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4674 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4675 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4677 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4678 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4679 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4680 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4682 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4683 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4684 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4685 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4686 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4687 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4688 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4689 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4690 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4691 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4692 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4693 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4694 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4695 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4700 @node Paging the Article
4701 @section Scrolling the Article
4702 @cindex article scrolling
4707 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4708 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4709 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4710 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4711 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4714 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4715 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4716 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4719 @kindex RET (Summary)
4720 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4721 Scroll the current article one line forward
4722 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4725 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4726 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4727 Scroll the current article one line backward
4728 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4732 @kindex A g (Summary)
4734 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4735 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4736 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4737 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4738 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4739 the way it came from the server.
4741 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4742 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4743 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4746 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4751 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4756 @kindex A < (Summary)
4757 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4758 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4759 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4764 @kindex A > (Summary)
4765 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4766 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4770 @kindex A s (Summary)
4772 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4773 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4774 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4778 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4779 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4784 @node Reply Followup and Post
4785 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4788 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4789 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4790 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4791 * Canceling and Superseding::
4795 @node Summary Mail Commands
4796 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4798 @cindex composing mail
4800 Commands for composing a mail message:
4806 @kindex S r (Summary)
4808 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4809 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4810 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4811 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4812 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4817 @kindex S R (Summary)
4818 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4819 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4820 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4821 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4822 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4825 @kindex S w (Summary)
4826 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4827 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4828 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4829 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4830 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4833 @kindex S W (Summary)
4834 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4835 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4836 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4837 the process/prefix convention.
4840 @kindex S v (Summary)
4841 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
4842 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
4843 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
4844 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4845 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
4846 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
4850 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4851 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
4852 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4853 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4854 Forward the current article to some other person
4855 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
4856 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
4857 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
4858 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
4859 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
4860 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
4861 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
4862 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
4863 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
4868 @kindex S m (Summary)
4869 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4870 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4871 Send a mail to some other person
4872 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4875 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4876 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4877 @cindex bouncing mail
4878 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4879 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4880 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4881 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4882 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4883 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
4884 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4885 very well fail, though.
4888 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4889 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4890 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4891 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4892 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4893 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4894 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4895 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4896 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4897 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4899 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4900 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4901 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4902 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4903 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4905 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4906 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4909 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4910 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
4911 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4912 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
4913 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4916 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4917 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4918 @cindex crossposting
4919 @cindex excessive crossposting
4920 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4921 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4923 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4924 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4925 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4926 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4927 command understands the process/prefix convention
4928 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4932 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
4933 Manual}, for more information.
4936 @node Summary Post Commands
4937 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4939 @cindex composing news
4941 Commands for posting a news article:
4947 @kindex S p (Summary)
4948 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4949 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4950 Post an article to the current group
4951 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4956 @kindex S f (Summary)
4957 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4958 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4959 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4963 @kindex S F (Summary)
4965 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4966 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4967 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4968 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4969 process/prefix convention.
4972 @kindex S n (Summary)
4973 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4974 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4975 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4978 @kindex S N (Summary)
4979 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4980 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4981 message through mail and include the original message
4982 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4983 the process/prefix convention.
4986 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4987 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4988 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4989 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
4990 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
4991 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
4992 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
4993 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
4994 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
4995 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
4996 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
4997 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
4998 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
5001 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5002 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5004 @cindex making digests
5005 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5006 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
5007 process/prefix convention.
5010 @kindex S u (Summary)
5011 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5012 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5013 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5014 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5017 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5018 Manual}, for more information.
5021 @node Summary Message Commands
5022 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5026 @kindex S y (Summary)
5027 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5028 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5029 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5030 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5031 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5036 @node Canceling and Superseding
5037 @subsection Canceling Articles
5038 @cindex canceling articles
5039 @cindex superseding articles
5041 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5042 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5044 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5046 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5048 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5049 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5050 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5051 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5052 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5053 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5055 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5056 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5059 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5060 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5061 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5063 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5064 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5065 your original article.
5067 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5069 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5070 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5071 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5074 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5075 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5076 have posted almost the same article twice.
5078 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5079 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5080 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5081 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5082 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5083 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5084 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5085 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5086 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5087 canceled/superseded.
5089 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5091 @node Delayed Articles
5092 @section Delayed Articles
5093 @cindex delayed sending
5094 @cindex send delayed
5096 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5097 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5098 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5099 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5102 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5105 @findex gnus-delay-article
5106 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5107 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5108 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5109 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5113 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5114 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5115 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5116 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5119 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5120 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5121 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5124 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5125 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5126 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5127 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5128 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5129 that means a time tomorrow.
5132 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5133 couple of variables:
5136 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5137 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5138 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5139 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5141 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5142 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5143 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5144 formats described above.
5146 @item gnus-delay-group
5147 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5148 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5149 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5150 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5152 @item gnus-delay-header
5153 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5154 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5155 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5156 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5159 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5160 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5161 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5162 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5163 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5165 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5166 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts}
5167 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5168 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5169 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5170 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts} function.
5173 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5174 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5175 By default, this function installs the @kbd{C-c C-j} key binding in
5176 Message mode and @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts} in
5177 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts two optional arguments,
5178 @code{no-keymap} and @code{no-check}. If @code{no-keymap} is non-nil,
5179 the @kbd{C-c C-j} binding is not intalled. If @code{no-check} is
5180 non-nil, @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed.
5182 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to change the
5183 keymap but not to change @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. Presumably, you
5184 want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles. Just don't
5185 forget to set that up :-)
5189 @node Marking Articles
5190 @section Marking Articles
5191 @cindex article marking
5192 @cindex article ticking
5195 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5197 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5198 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5199 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5201 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5204 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5205 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5206 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5210 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5214 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5215 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5216 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5220 @node Unread Articles
5221 @subsection Unread Articles
5223 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5228 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5229 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5231 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5232 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5233 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5234 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5235 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5236 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5237 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5240 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5241 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5243 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5244 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5245 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5246 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5250 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5251 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5253 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5258 @subsection Read Articles
5259 @cindex expirable mark
5261 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5266 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5267 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5268 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5271 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5272 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5275 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5276 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5277 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5280 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5281 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5284 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5285 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5288 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5289 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5292 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5293 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5296 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5297 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5300 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5301 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5304 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5305 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5309 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5310 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5311 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5315 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5316 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5318 One more special mark, though:
5322 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5323 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5325 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5326 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5327 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5328 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5334 @subsection Other Marks
5335 @cindex process mark
5338 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5344 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5345 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5346 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5347 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5348 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5351 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5352 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5353 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5354 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5356 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5357 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5358 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5360 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5361 Articles that are ``recently'' arrived in the group will be marked
5362 with an @samp{N} in the second column (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Most
5363 back end doesn't support the mark, in which case it's not shown.
5366 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5367 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5368 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5371 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5372 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5373 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5374 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5377 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5378 Articles that according to the back end haven't been seen by the user
5379 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5380 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all back ends support this
5381 mark, in which case it simply never appear.
5384 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5385 Articles that haven't been seen by the user before are marked with a
5386 @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5389 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5390 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5391 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5392 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5393 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5396 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5397 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5398 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5399 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5400 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5401 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5405 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5406 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5407 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5409 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5410 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5411 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5415 @subsection Setting Marks
5416 @cindex setting marks
5418 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5423 @kindex M c (Summary)
5424 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5425 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5426 @cindex mark as unread
5427 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5428 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5434 @kindex M t (Summary)
5435 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5436 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5437 @xref{Article Caching}.
5442 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5443 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5444 Mark the current article as dormant
5445 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5449 @kindex M d (Summary)
5451 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5452 Mark the current article as read
5453 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5457 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5458 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5459 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5464 @kindex M k (Summary)
5465 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5466 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5467 and then select the next unread article
5468 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5472 @kindex M K (Summary)
5473 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5474 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5475 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5476 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5479 @kindex M C (Summary)
5480 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5481 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5482 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5485 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5486 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5487 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5488 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5491 @kindex M H (Summary)
5492 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5493 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5494 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5497 @kindex M h (Summary)
5498 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5499 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5500 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5503 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5504 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5505 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5506 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5509 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5510 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5511 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5512 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5516 @kindex M e (Summary)
5518 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5519 Mark the current article as expirable
5520 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5523 @kindex M b (Summary)
5524 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5525 Set a bookmark in the current article
5526 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5529 @kindex M B (Summary)
5530 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5531 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5532 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5535 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5536 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5537 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5538 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5541 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5542 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5543 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5544 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5547 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5548 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5549 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5550 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5551 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5554 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5555 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5556 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5557 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5558 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5559 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5560 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5561 The default is @code{t}.
5564 @node Generic Marking Commands
5565 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5567 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5568 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5569 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5570 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5571 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5574 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5575 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5578 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5579 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5580 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5581 to list in this manual.
5583 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5584 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5585 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5586 article, you could say something like:
5589 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5590 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5591 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5597 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5598 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5602 @node Setting Process Marks
5603 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5604 @cindex setting process marks
5611 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5612 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5613 Mark the current article with the process mark
5614 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5615 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5619 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5620 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5621 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5622 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5625 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5626 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5627 Remove the process mark from all articles
5628 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5631 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5632 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5633 Invert the list of process marked articles
5634 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5637 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5638 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5639 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5640 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5643 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5644 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5645 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5646 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5649 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5650 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5651 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5654 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5655 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5656 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5657 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5660 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5661 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5662 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5663 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5666 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5667 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5668 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5669 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5672 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5673 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5674 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5677 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5678 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5679 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5680 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5683 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5684 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5685 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5688 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5689 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5690 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5691 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5694 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5695 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5696 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5697 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5700 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5701 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5702 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5703 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5706 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5707 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5708 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5709 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5713 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5714 set process marks based on article body contents.
5721 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5722 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5723 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5726 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5727 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5728 additional articles.
5734 @kindex / / (Summary)
5735 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5736 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5737 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
5740 @kindex / a (Summary)
5741 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5742 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5743 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
5746 @kindex / x (Summary)
5747 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5748 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5749 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5750 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}).
5754 @kindex / u (Summary)
5756 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5757 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5758 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5759 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5760 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5763 @kindex / m (Summary)
5764 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5765 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5766 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5769 @kindex / t (Summary)
5770 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5771 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5772 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5773 articles younger than that number of days.
5776 @kindex / n (Summary)
5777 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5778 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5779 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5780 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5783 @kindex / w (Summary)
5784 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5785 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5786 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5790 @kindex / v (Summary)
5791 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5792 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5793 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5796 @kindex / p (Summary)
5797 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter
5798 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
5799 group parameter predicate
5800 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter}). See @pxref{Group
5801 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
5805 @kindex M S (Summary)
5806 @kindex / E (Summary)
5807 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5808 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5809 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5812 @kindex / D (Summary)
5813 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5814 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5815 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5818 @kindex / * (Summary)
5819 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5820 Include all cached articles in the limit
5821 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5824 @kindex / d (Summary)
5825 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5826 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5827 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5830 @kindex / M (Summary)
5831 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5832 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5835 @kindex / T (Summary)
5836 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5837 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5840 @kindex / c (Summary)
5841 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5842 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5843 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5846 @kindex / C (Summary)
5847 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5848 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5849 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5850 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5853 @kindex / N (Summary)
5854 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
5855 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
5856 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
5859 @kindex / o (Summary)
5860 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
5861 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
5862 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
5870 @cindex article threading
5872 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
5873 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
5874 hierarchical fashion.
5876 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
5877 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
5878 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
5879 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
5880 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
5881 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
5882 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
5884 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
5888 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
5891 A tree-like article structure.
5894 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
5897 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
5898 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
5899 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
5900 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
5901 called loose threads.
5903 @item thread gathering
5904 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
5906 @item sparse threads
5907 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
5908 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
5914 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
5915 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
5919 @node Customizing Threading
5920 @subsection Customizing Threading
5921 @cindex customizing threading
5924 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
5925 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
5926 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
5927 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
5932 @subsubsection Loose Threads
5935 @cindex loose threads
5938 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
5939 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
5940 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
5941 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
5942 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
5943 read or killed the root in a previous session.
5945 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
5946 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
5947 There are four possible values:
5951 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
5952 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
5953 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
5954 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
5955 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
5960 @cindex adopting articles
5965 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
5966 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
5967 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
5968 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
5971 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
5972 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
5973 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
5974 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
5975 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
5976 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
5977 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5980 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
5981 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
5982 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
5986 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
5987 display them after one another.
5990 Don't gather loose threads.
5993 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5994 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5995 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
5996 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
5997 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
5998 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
5999 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6000 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6001 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6002 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6003 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6005 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6006 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6007 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6010 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6011 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6012 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6013 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6014 simplification is used.
6016 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6017 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6018 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6019 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6021 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6023 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6029 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6030 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6031 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6032 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6037 (mapconcat 'identity
6038 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6040 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6043 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6046 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6047 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6048 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6049 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6050 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6051 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6053 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6056 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6057 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6058 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6060 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6061 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6064 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6065 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6066 Remove excessive whitespace.
6069 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6072 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6073 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6074 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6075 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6076 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6077 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6078 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6079 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6081 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6082 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6083 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6084 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6085 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6086 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6087 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6088 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6089 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6093 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6094 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6095 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6096 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6098 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6099 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6100 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6103 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6107 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6108 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6114 @node Filling In Threads
6115 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6118 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6119 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6120 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6121 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6122 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6123 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6124 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6125 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6126 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6127 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
6128 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
6129 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
6131 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6132 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6133 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6135 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6136 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6137 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6138 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6139 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6140 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6141 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6142 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6143 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6144 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6145 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6146 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6147 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6148 @code{nil} by default.
6150 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6151 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6152 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6153 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6154 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6155 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6156 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6158 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6159 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6160 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6165 @node More Threading
6166 @subsubsection More Threading
6169 @item gnus-show-threads
6170 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6171 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6172 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6173 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6174 slower and more awkward.
6176 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6177 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6178 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6181 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6182 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6183 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6184 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6185 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6186 threads are expunged.
6188 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6189 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6190 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6193 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6194 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6195 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6196 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6197 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6198 result in a new thread.
6200 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6201 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6202 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6205 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6206 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6207 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6208 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6209 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6210 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6211 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6212 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6213 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6214 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6215 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6220 @node Low-Level Threading
6221 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6225 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6226 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6227 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6229 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6230 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6231 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6232 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6233 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6234 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6235 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6236 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6237 meaningful. Here's one example:
6240 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6242 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6243 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6245 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6247 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6254 @node Thread Commands
6255 @subsection Thread Commands
6256 @cindex thread commands
6262 @kindex T k (Summary)
6263 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
6264 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6265 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6266 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6267 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6272 @kindex T l (Summary)
6273 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
6274 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6275 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6276 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6279 @kindex T i (Summary)
6280 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6281 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6282 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6285 @kindex T # (Summary)
6286 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6287 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6288 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6291 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6292 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6293 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6294 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6297 @kindex T T (Summary)
6298 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6299 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6302 @kindex T s (Summary)
6303 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6304 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6305 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6308 @kindex T h (Summary)
6309 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6310 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6313 @kindex T S (Summary)
6314 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6315 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6318 @kindex T H (Summary)
6319 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6320 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6323 @kindex T t (Summary)
6324 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6325 Re-thread the current article's thread
6326 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6327 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6330 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6331 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6332 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6333 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6337 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6338 understand the numeric prefix.
6343 @kindex T n (Summary)
6345 @kindex M-C-n (Summary)
6347 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6348 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6349 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6352 @kindex T p (Summary)
6354 @kindex M-C-p (Summary)
6356 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6357 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6358 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6361 @kindex T d (Summary)
6362 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6363 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6366 @kindex T u (Summary)
6367 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6368 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6371 @kindex T o (Summary)
6372 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6373 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6376 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6377 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6378 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6379 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6380 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6381 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6382 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6383 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6384 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6385 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6386 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6387 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6391 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6392 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6394 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6395 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6396 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6397 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6398 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6399 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6400 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6401 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6402 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6403 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6404 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6406 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6407 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6408 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6409 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
6410 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6412 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6413 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6414 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6416 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6417 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6418 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6419 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6420 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6421 ascending article order.
6423 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6424 by number, you could do something like:
6427 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6428 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6429 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6430 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6433 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6434 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6435 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6436 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6437 which the articles arrived.
6439 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6443 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6445 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6446 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6449 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6450 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6451 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6452 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6455 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6456 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6457 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6458 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6459 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6460 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6461 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6462 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6463 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6464 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6465 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6466 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6467 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6469 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6473 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6474 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6475 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6480 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6481 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6482 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6483 @cindex article pre-fetch
6486 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6487 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6488 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6489 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6490 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6492 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6493 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
6495 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6496 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6497 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6498 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6499 connection is blocked.
6501 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6502 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6503 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6504 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
6506 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6507 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6508 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6509 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6512 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6515 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6516 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6517 happen automatically.
6519 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6520 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6521 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6522 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6523 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6524 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6525 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6527 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6528 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6529 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6530 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6531 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6532 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6533 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6534 data structure as the only parameter.
6536 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6539 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6540 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6541 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6542 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6545 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6548 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6549 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
6550 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6552 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6553 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6554 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6555 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6559 Remove articles when they are read.
6562 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6565 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6567 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6568 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6569 @c from the next group.
6572 @node Article Caching
6573 @section Article Caching
6574 @cindex article caching
6577 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6578 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6579 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6580 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6581 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6583 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6585 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6586 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6587 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6588 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6589 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6590 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6591 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6592 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6594 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6595 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6596 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6597 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6598 as dormant, and don't worry.
6600 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6602 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6603 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6604 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6605 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6606 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6607 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6608 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6609 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6610 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6611 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6613 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6614 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6615 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6616 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6617 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6618 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6619 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6620 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6621 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6622 not then be downloaded by this command.
6624 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6625 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6626 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6627 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6628 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6629 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6631 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6632 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6633 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6634 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6635 variables, the group is not cached.
6637 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6638 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6639 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6640 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6641 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6642 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
6643 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6644 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6645 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6649 @node Persistent Articles
6650 @section Persistent Articles
6651 @cindex persistent articles
6653 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6654 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6655 useful in my opinion.
6657 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6658 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6659 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6660 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6661 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6662 the expiry going on at the news server.
6664 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6665 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6666 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6672 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6673 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6676 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6677 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6678 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6679 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6683 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6685 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6686 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6687 interested in persistent articles:
6690 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6694 @node Article Backlog
6695 @section Article Backlog
6697 @cindex article backlog
6699 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6700 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6701 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
6702 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6703 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6704 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6705 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
6706 increase memory usage some.
6708 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6709 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
6710 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6711 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
6712 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6713 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6714 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6716 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6719 @node Saving Articles
6720 @section Saving Articles
6721 @cindex saving articles
6723 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6724 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6725 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6726 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6727 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6729 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6730 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
6731 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6733 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6734 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6735 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6736 deleted before saving.
6742 @kindex O o (Summary)
6744 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6745 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6746 Save the current article using the default article saver
6747 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6750 @kindex O m (Summary)
6751 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6752 Save the current article in mail format
6753 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6756 @kindex O r (Summary)
6757 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6758 Save the current article in rmail format
6759 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6762 @kindex O f (Summary)
6763 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6764 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6765 Save the current article in plain file format
6766 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6769 @kindex O F (Summary)
6770 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6771 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6772 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6775 @kindex O b (Summary)
6776 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6777 Save the current article body in plain file format
6778 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6781 @kindex O h (Summary)
6782 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6783 Save the current article in mh folder format
6784 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6787 @kindex O v (Summary)
6788 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6789 Save the current article in a VM folder
6790 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6794 @kindex O p (Summary)
6796 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6797 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6798 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6801 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6802 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6803 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6804 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6805 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6806 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6807 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6808 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6809 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6810 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6811 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6812 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6816 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6817 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6818 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6819 functions below, or you can create your own.
6823 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6824 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6825 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6826 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6827 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6828 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6829 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6831 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6832 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6833 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6834 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6835 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6836 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6838 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6839 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6840 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6841 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6842 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6843 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6844 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6846 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6847 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6848 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6849 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6850 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6852 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6853 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6854 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
6855 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
6856 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
6859 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
6860 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
6861 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
6862 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
6863 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
6865 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6866 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6867 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
6868 reader to use this setting.
6871 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
6872 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
6873 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
6874 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
6877 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
6878 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
6879 available functions that generate names:
6883 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
6884 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
6885 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6887 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
6888 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6889 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6891 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
6892 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
6893 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6895 @item gnus-plain-save-name
6896 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6897 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6899 @item gnus-sender-save-name
6900 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
6901 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
6904 @vindex gnus-split-methods
6905 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
6906 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
6907 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
6908 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
6912 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
6913 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
6914 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
6915 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
6918 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
6919 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
6920 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
6921 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
6922 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
6923 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
6924 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
6925 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
6926 called returns a string or a list of strings.
6928 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
6929 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
6930 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
6931 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
6933 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
6934 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
6935 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
6938 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
6939 lots of mail groups called things like
6940 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
6941 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
6942 following will do just that:
6945 (defun my-save-name (group)
6946 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
6947 (substring group (match-end 0))))
6949 (setq gnus-split-methods
6950 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
6955 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6956 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
6957 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
6958 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
6959 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
6960 all the files in the top level directory
6961 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
6962 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
6963 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
6964 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
6966 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
6967 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
6968 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
6969 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
6970 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
6973 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
6977 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
6978 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
6979 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
6982 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
6983 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
6984 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
6985 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
6988 @node Decoding Articles
6989 @section Decoding Articles
6990 @cindex decoding articles
6992 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
6993 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
6996 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
6997 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
6998 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
6999 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7000 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7001 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7005 @cindex article series
7006 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7007 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7008 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7009 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7010 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7012 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7013 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7014 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7016 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7017 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7018 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7020 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7021 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7022 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7025 @node Uuencoded Articles
7026 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7028 @cindex uuencoded articles
7033 @kindex X u (Summary)
7034 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7035 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7036 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7039 @kindex X U (Summary)
7040 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7041 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7042 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7045 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7046 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7047 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7050 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7051 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7052 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7053 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7057 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7058 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7059 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7060 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7061 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7063 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7064 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7065 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7066 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7069 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7070 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7071 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7072 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7073 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7074 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7078 @node Shell Archives
7079 @subsection Shell Archives
7081 @cindex shell archives
7082 @cindex shared articles
7084 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7085 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7086 some commands to deal with these:
7091 @kindex X s (Summary)
7092 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7093 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7096 @kindex X S (Summary)
7097 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7098 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7101 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7102 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7103 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7106 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7107 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7108 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7109 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7113 @node PostScript Files
7114 @subsection PostScript Files
7120 @kindex X p (Summary)
7121 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7122 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7125 @kindex X P (Summary)
7126 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7127 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7128 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7131 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7132 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7133 View the current PostScript series
7134 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7137 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7138 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7139 View and save the current PostScript series
7140 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7145 @subsection Other Files
7149 @kindex X o (Summary)
7150 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7151 Save the current series
7152 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7155 @kindex X b (Summary)
7156 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7157 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7158 doesn't really work yet.
7162 @node Decoding Variables
7163 @subsection Decoding Variables
7165 Adjective, not verb.
7168 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7169 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7170 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7174 @node Rule Variables
7175 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7176 @cindex rule variables
7178 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7179 variables are of the form
7182 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7189 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7190 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7192 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7193 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7196 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7197 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7200 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7201 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7202 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7203 user and default view rules.
7205 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7206 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7207 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7212 @node Other Decode Variables
7213 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7216 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7218 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7219 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7220 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7221 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7222 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7226 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7227 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7230 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7231 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7232 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7235 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7236 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7237 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7238 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7239 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7242 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7243 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7244 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7246 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7247 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7248 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7249 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7250 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7253 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7254 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7255 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7257 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7258 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7259 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7260 looking for files to display.
7262 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7263 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7264 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7267 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7268 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7269 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7272 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7273 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7274 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7277 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7278 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7279 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7282 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7283 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7284 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7285 decoded articles as unread.
7287 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7288 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7289 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7290 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7292 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7293 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7294 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7296 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7297 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7299 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7300 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7301 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7302 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7304 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7305 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7306 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7307 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7308 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7309 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7310 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7311 simply dropped them.
7316 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7317 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7321 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7322 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7323 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7324 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7325 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7326 for you when you post the article.
7328 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7329 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7330 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7331 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7333 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7334 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7335 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7336 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7337 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7338 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7339 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7341 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7342 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7343 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7344 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7345 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7346 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7347 Default is @code{t}.
7353 @subsection Viewing Files
7354 @cindex viewing files
7355 @cindex pseudo-articles
7357 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7358 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7359 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7360 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7361 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7362 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7363 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7365 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7366 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7367 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7368 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7370 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7371 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7372 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7374 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7375 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7376 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7377 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7378 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7380 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7381 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7382 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7383 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7384 a list of parameters to that command.
7386 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7387 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7388 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7390 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7391 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7392 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7395 @node Article Treatment
7396 @section Article Treatment
7398 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7399 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7400 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7401 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7402 these articles easier.
7405 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7406 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7407 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7408 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7409 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7410 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7411 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7412 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7416 @node Article Highlighting
7417 @subsection Article Highlighting
7418 @cindex highlighting
7420 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7421 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7426 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7427 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7428 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7429 Do much highlighting of the current article
7430 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7431 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7434 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7435 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7436 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7437 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7438 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7439 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7440 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7441 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7442 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7443 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7444 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7445 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7448 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7449 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7450 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7452 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7455 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7457 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7458 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7459 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7461 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7462 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7463 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7465 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7466 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7467 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7468 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7469 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7470 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7472 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7473 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7474 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7476 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7477 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7478 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7480 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7481 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7482 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7483 that it's a citation.
7485 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7486 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7487 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7489 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7490 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7491 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7493 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7494 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7495 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7496 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7502 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7503 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7504 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7505 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7506 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7507 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7508 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7509 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7514 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7517 @node Article Fontisizing
7518 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7520 @cindex article emphasis
7522 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7523 @kindex W e (Summary)
7524 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7525 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7526 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7527 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7529 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7530 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7531 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7532 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7533 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7534 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7535 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7536 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7540 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7541 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7542 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7551 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7552 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7553 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7554 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7555 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7556 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7557 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7558 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7559 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7560 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7561 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7562 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7563 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7565 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7566 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7567 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7571 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7574 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7576 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7577 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7578 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7579 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7581 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7584 @node Article Hiding
7585 @subsection Article Hiding
7586 @cindex article hiding
7588 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7589 too much cruft in most articles.
7594 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7595 @findex gnus-article-hide
7596 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7597 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7598 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7601 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7602 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
7603 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7607 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7608 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7609 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7610 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7613 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7614 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7615 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7619 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7620 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7621 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7622 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7623 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7624 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7625 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7626 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7630 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7631 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7632 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7633 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7638 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7639 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7640 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7641 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7642 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7643 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7644 articles that have signatures in them do:
7646 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7648 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7650 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7651 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7653 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7656 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7661 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7662 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7663 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7664 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7667 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7668 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7671 @cindex stripping advertisements
7672 @cindex advertisements
7673 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7674 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7675 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7676 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7677 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7678 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7679 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7680 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7681 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7682 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7686 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7687 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7688 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7689 customizing the hiding:
7693 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7694 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7695 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7696 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7697 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7698 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7699 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7704 Starting point of the hidden text.
7706 Ending point of the hidden text.
7708 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7710 Number of lines of hidden text.
7713 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7714 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7715 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7716 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7717 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7722 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7723 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7725 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7726 following two variables:
7729 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7730 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7731 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7732 50), hide the cited text.
7734 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7735 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7736 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7741 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7742 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7743 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7744 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7745 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7746 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7750 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7751 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7752 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7754 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7755 citation customization.
7757 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7761 @node Article Washing
7762 @subsection Article Washing
7764 @cindex article washing
7766 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7767 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7769 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7770 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7773 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
7774 articles by default.
7779 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
7780 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
7784 @kindex W l (Summary)
7785 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7786 Remove page breaks from the current article
7787 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7791 @kindex W r (Summary)
7792 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7793 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7794 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7795 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7796 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7797 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7799 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7800 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7801 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7802 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7806 @kindex W t (Summary)
7808 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
7809 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7810 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
7813 @kindex W v (Summary)
7814 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7815 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7816 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7819 @kindex W o (Summary)
7820 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7821 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7824 @kindex W d (Summary)
7825 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7826 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7828 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
7830 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7831 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7832 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7833 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7836 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
7837 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
7838 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
7839 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
7842 @kindex W w (Summary)
7843 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7844 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7846 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7850 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7851 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7852 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
7855 @kindex W C (Summary)
7856 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
7857 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
7858 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
7861 @kindex W c (Summary)
7862 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
7863 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
7864 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
7865 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
7866 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
7869 @kindex W q (Summary)
7870 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
7871 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
7872 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
7873 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
7874 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
7875 readable to me. Note that the this is usually done automatically by
7876 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
7877 header that says that this encoding has been done.
7878 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
7881 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
7882 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
7883 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
7884 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
7885 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
7886 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
7887 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
7889 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
7892 @kindex W Z (Summary)
7893 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
7894 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
7895 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
7896 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
7899 @kindex W h (Summary)
7900 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
7901 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
7902 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
7903 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
7905 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
7908 @kindex W f (Summary)
7910 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
7911 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
7912 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
7913 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
7920 Look for and display any X-Face headers
7921 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
7922 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
7923 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
7924 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
7925 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
7926 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
7927 The default action under Emacs is to fork off the @code{display}
7928 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For the
7929 @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
7930 like `compface' or `faces-xface' on a GNU/Linux system.}
7931 to view the face. Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image
7932 support, the default action is to display the face before the
7933 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
7934 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
7935 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
7936 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
7937 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
7938 like @code{netpbm} or @code{libgr-progs}.}) If you
7939 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
7943 @kindex W b (Summary)
7944 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
7945 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
7946 @xref{Article Buttons}.
7949 @kindex W B (Summary)
7950 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
7951 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
7952 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
7955 @kindex W p (Summary)
7956 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
7957 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
7958 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
7959 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
7960 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
7961 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
7962 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
7965 @kindex W W H (Summary)
7966 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
7967 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
7968 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
7971 @kindex W E l (Summary)
7972 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
7973 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
7974 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
7977 @kindex W E m (Summary)
7978 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
7979 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
7980 lines with a single empty line.
7981 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
7984 @kindex W E t (Summary)
7985 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
7986 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
7987 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
7990 @kindex W E a (Summary)
7991 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
7992 Do all the three commands above
7993 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
7996 @kindex W E A (Summary)
7997 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
7998 Remove all blank lines
7999 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8002 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8003 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8004 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8005 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8008 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8009 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8010 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8011 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8015 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8018 @node Article Buttons
8019 @subsection Article Buttons
8022 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8023 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8024 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8025 button on these references.
8027 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8028 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
8029 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
8034 @item gnus-button-alist
8035 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8036 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8039 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8045 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
8046 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
8047 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
8050 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8051 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8052 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8055 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8056 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8057 avoid false matches.
8060 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8063 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8064 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8068 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8071 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8074 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8075 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8076 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8077 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8078 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8081 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8084 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8086 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8087 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8088 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8089 default values of the variables above.
8091 @item gnus-article-button-face
8092 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8093 Face used on buttons.
8095 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8096 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8097 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8101 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8105 @subsection Article Date
8107 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8108 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8109 when the article was sent.
8114 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8115 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8116 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8117 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8120 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8121 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8123 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8124 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8127 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8128 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8129 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8132 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8133 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8134 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8135 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8138 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8139 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8140 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8141 @findex format-time-string
8142 Display the date using a user-defined format
8143 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8144 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8145 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8146 for a list of possible format specs.
8149 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8150 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8151 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8152 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8153 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8154 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8157 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8160 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8161 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8164 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8165 into wonderful absurdities.
8167 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8170 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8173 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8174 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8178 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8179 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8180 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8181 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8182 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8183 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8184 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8188 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8189 preferred format automatically.
8192 @node Article Signature
8193 @subsection Article Signature
8195 @cindex article signature
8197 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8198 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8199 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8200 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8201 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8202 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8203 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8204 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8205 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8208 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8209 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8210 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8211 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8212 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8213 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8214 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8215 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8218 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8221 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8222 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8223 signature when displaying articles.
8227 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8230 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8233 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8234 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8236 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8237 in question is not a signature.
8240 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8241 listed above. Here's an example:
8244 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8245 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8248 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8249 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8250 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8251 signature after all.
8254 @node Article Miscellania
8255 @subsection Article Miscellania
8259 @kindex A t (Summary)
8260 @findex gnus-article-babel
8261 Translate the article from one language to another
8262 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8268 @section @sc{mime} Commands
8269 @cindex MIME decoding
8271 @cindex viewing attachments
8273 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8274 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8280 @kindex K v (Summary)
8281 View the @sc{mime} part.
8284 @kindex K o (Summary)
8285 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8288 @kindex K c (Summary)
8289 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8292 @kindex K e (Summary)
8293 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8296 @kindex K i (Summary)
8297 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8300 @kindex K | (Summary)
8301 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8304 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8309 @kindex K b (Summary)
8310 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8311 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8315 @kindex K m (Summary)
8316 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8317 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8318 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8319 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8320 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8323 @kindex X m (Summary)
8324 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8325 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8326 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8327 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8330 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8331 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
8332 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8333 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8336 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8337 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8338 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8341 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8342 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8343 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8345 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8346 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8347 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8348 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
8349 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
8350 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8353 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8354 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8355 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8362 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8363 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8364 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8365 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8368 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8371 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8375 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8376 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8377 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8378 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8379 displayed or this variable is overriden by
8380 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8383 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8384 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8385 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8386 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8387 displayed. This variable overrides
8388 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8390 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8391 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8392 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} to the default value.
8394 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8395 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8396 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8397 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8398 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8399 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8400 save all jpegs into some directory).
8402 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8405 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8406 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8408 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8409 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8410 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8411 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8412 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8415 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8416 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8417 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8419 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8420 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8421 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8422 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8424 Ready-made functions include@*
8425 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8426 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8427 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8428 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8429 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8430 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8431 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8432 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8433 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8434 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8435 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8436 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8438 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8439 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8441 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8442 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8443 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8446 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8447 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8448 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8449 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
8453 to your @file{.gnus} file.
8462 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8463 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8464 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8465 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8466 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8467 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8468 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8470 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8471 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8472 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
8473 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8475 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8476 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
8477 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
8478 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
8479 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
8480 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
8481 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
8482 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
8484 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8485 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8486 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8487 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8488 quoted-printable header encoding.
8490 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8491 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8492 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8496 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8499 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8500 means encode all charsets),
8502 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8503 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8504 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8511 @cindex coding system aliases
8512 @cindex preferred charset
8514 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8516 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8517 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8520 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8521 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8524 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8525 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8527 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8530 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8533 This will almost do the right thing.
8535 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8539 (codepage-setup 1251)
8540 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8544 @node Article Commands
8545 @section Article Commands
8552 @kindex A P (Summary)
8553 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8554 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8555 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8556 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
8557 run just before printing the buffer.
8562 @node Summary Sorting
8563 @section Summary Sorting
8564 @cindex summary sorting
8566 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8567 can't really see why you'd want that.
8572 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8573 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8574 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8577 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8578 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8579 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8582 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8583 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8584 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8587 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8588 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8589 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8592 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8593 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8594 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8597 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8598 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8599 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8602 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8603 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8604 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8607 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
8608 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
8609 Sort using the default sorting method
8610 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
8613 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8614 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8615 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8616 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8617 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8621 @node Finding the Parent
8622 @section Finding the Parent
8623 @cindex parent articles
8624 @cindex referring articles
8629 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8630 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8631 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8632 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8633 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8634 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8635 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8636 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8637 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8639 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8640 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8641 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
8642 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8643 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8647 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8648 @kindex A R (Summary)
8649 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8650 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8653 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8654 @kindex A T (Summary)
8655 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8656 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8657 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8658 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8659 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8660 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8661 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8663 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8664 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8665 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8666 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8667 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8668 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8671 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8672 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8674 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8675 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8676 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8677 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8678 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8679 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8680 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8683 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8684 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8685 by giving this command a prefix.
8687 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8688 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
8689 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8690 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8691 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8692 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8695 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8696 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8697 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8700 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8701 then ask Deja if that fails:
8704 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8706 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8709 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
8710 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox}
8711 and @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8712 @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder} and @code{nnimap}1 are only able to locate
8713 articles that have been posted to the current group. (Anything else
8714 would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at
8718 @node Alternative Approaches
8719 @section Alternative Approaches
8721 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8722 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8725 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8726 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8731 @subsection Pick and Read
8732 @cindex pick and read
8734 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8735 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8736 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8737 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8739 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8740 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8741 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8742 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8743 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8744 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8746 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8751 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8752 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8753 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8754 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8755 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8756 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8757 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8758 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8761 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8762 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8763 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8764 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8768 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8769 Unpick the thread or article
8770 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8771 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8772 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8773 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8774 the thread or article at that line.
8778 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8779 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8780 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8781 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8782 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8783 will still be visible when you are reading.
8787 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8788 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8789 which is mapped to the same function
8790 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8792 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8795 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8798 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8799 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8801 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8802 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8803 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8805 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8806 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8807 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8808 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8809 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8810 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8811 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8815 @subsection Binary Groups
8816 @cindex binary groups
8818 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8819 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8820 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8821 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8822 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8823 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8824 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8827 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8828 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8829 command, when you have turned on this mode
8830 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8832 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8833 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8837 @section Tree Display
8840 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8841 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
8842 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8843 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8846 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
8849 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
8850 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
8851 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
8853 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8854 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8855 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
8856 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
8857 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
8859 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
8860 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
8861 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
8862 default is @code{modeline}.
8864 @item gnus-tree-line-format
8865 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
8866 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
8867 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
8868 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
8869 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
8870 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
8876 The name of the poster.
8878 The @code{From} header.
8880 The number of the article.
8882 The opening bracket.
8884 The closing bracket.
8889 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
8891 Variables related to the display are:
8894 @item gnus-tree-brackets
8895 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
8896 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
8897 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
8898 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
8899 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
8901 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8902 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8903 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
8904 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
8908 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
8909 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
8910 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
8911 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
8912 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
8913 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
8914 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
8915 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
8916 other windows displayed next to it.
8918 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
8919 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
8920 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8921 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
8922 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
8923 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
8924 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
8928 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
8931 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
8941 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
8945 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
8946 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
8948 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
8950 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
8955 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
8956 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
8957 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
8960 (setq gnus-use-trees t
8961 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8962 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
8963 (gnus-add-configuration
8967 (summary 0.75 point)
8972 @xref{Window Layout}.
8975 @node Mail Group Commands
8976 @section Mail Group Commands
8977 @cindex mail group commands
8979 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
8980 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
8982 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
8983 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8988 @kindex B e (Summary)
8989 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
8990 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
8991 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
8992 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
8993 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
8996 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
8997 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
8998 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
8999 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9000 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9001 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9004 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9005 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9006 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9007 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9008 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9009 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9012 @kindex B m (Summary)
9014 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9015 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9016 Move the article from one mail group to another
9017 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9018 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9021 @kindex B c (Summary)
9023 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9024 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9025 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9026 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9027 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9030 @kindex B B (Summary)
9031 @cindex crosspost mail
9032 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9033 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9034 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9035 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9036 be properly updated.
9039 @kindex B i (Summary)
9040 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9041 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9042 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9043 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9046 @kindex B r (Summary)
9047 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9048 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9049 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9050 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9051 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9052 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9053 (which is the default).
9057 @kindex B w (Summary)
9059 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9060 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9061 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9062 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9063 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9064 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9067 @kindex B q (Summary)
9068 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9069 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9070 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9071 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9074 @kindex B t (Summary)
9075 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9076 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9077 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9080 @kindex B p (Summary)
9081 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9082 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9083 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9084 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9085 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9086 article from your news server (or rather, from
9087 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9088 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9089 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9090 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9091 just not have arrived yet.
9095 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9096 @cindex moving articles
9097 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
9098 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9099 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9100 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9101 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9102 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9103 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9106 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9107 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9108 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9109 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9113 @node Various Summary Stuff
9114 @section Various Summary Stuff
9117 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9118 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9119 * Summary Generation Commands::
9120 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9124 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9125 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9126 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9128 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9129 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9130 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9131 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9132 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9133 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9136 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9137 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9138 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9139 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9140 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9142 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9143 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9144 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9147 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9148 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9149 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9150 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9151 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9152 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9153 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
9154 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9155 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9156 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9158 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9159 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9160 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9161 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9162 list of articles to be selected.
9164 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9165 the list in one particular group:
9168 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9169 (if (string= group "some.group")
9170 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9177 @node Summary Group Information
9178 @subsection Summary Group Information
9183 @kindex H f (Summary)
9184 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9185 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9186 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9187 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9188 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9189 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9190 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9191 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9192 be used for fetching the file.
9195 @kindex H d (Summary)
9196 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9197 Give a brief description of the current group
9198 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9199 rereading the description from the server.
9202 @kindex H h (Summary)
9203 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9204 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9205 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9208 @kindex H i (Summary)
9209 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9210 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9214 @node Searching for Articles
9215 @subsection Searching for Articles
9220 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9221 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9222 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9223 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9226 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9227 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9228 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9229 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9233 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9234 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9235 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9236 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9237 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9238 search backward instead.
9240 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9241 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9244 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9245 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9246 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9247 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9250 @node Summary Generation Commands
9251 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9256 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9257 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9258 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9261 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9262 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9263 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9264 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9269 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9270 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9276 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9277 @kindex A D (Summary)
9278 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9279 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9280 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9281 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9282 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9283 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9284 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9285 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9289 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
9290 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9291 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9292 several documents into one biiig group
9293 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9294 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9295 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9296 command understands the process/prefix convention
9297 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9300 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9301 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9302 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9303 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9304 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9305 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9309 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9310 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9311 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9314 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
9315 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9316 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9317 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9320 @kindex M-C-a (Summary)
9321 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9322 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9323 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9328 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9329 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9330 @cindex summary exit
9331 @cindex exiting groups
9333 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9334 group and return you to the group buffer.
9340 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9342 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9343 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9344 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9345 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9346 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9347 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9348 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9349 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9350 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9351 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9352 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9356 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9358 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9359 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9360 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9364 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9366 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9367 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9368 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9369 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9372 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9373 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9374 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9375 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9378 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9379 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9380 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9381 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9384 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9385 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9386 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9387 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9388 all articles, both read and unread.
9392 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9393 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9394 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9395 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9396 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9397 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9398 articles, both read and unread.
9401 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9402 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9403 Exit the group and go to the next group
9404 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9407 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9408 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9409 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9410 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9413 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9414 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9415 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9416 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9417 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9418 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9421 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9422 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9423 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9424 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9426 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9427 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
9428 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
9429 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
9430 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
9431 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
9432 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
9433 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
9434 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
9435 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
9436 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
9437 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
9439 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
9441 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
9442 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
9443 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
9444 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
9445 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
9446 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
9447 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
9448 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
9449 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
9452 @node Crosspost Handling
9453 @section Crosspost Handling
9457 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
9458 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
9459 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
9460 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
9461 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
9462 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
9465 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
9466 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
9467 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
9468 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
9469 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
9471 @cindex cross-posting
9474 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
9475 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
9476 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
9477 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
9478 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
9479 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
9480 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
9481 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
9482 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
9483 the cross reference mechanism.
9485 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
9486 @cindex overview.fmt
9487 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
9488 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
9489 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
9490 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
9491 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
9492 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9495 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9496 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9497 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9502 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9505 @node Duplicate Suppression
9506 @section Duplicate Suppression
9508 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9509 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9510 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9511 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9516 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9517 is evil and not very common.
9520 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9521 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9524 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9525 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9528 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9531 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9532 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9534 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9535 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9536 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9537 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9538 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9539 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9540 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9543 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9544 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9545 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9546 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9547 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9551 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9552 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9553 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9555 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9556 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9557 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9558 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9559 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
9560 session are suppressed.
9562 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9563 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9564 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9565 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9567 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9568 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9569 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9570 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9573 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
9574 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9575 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9576 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9577 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
9578 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9579 to you to figure out, I think.
9584 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
9585 The formats that are supported are PGP and S/MIME, however you need
9586 some external programs to get things to work:
9590 To verify or decrypt PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or
9591 gpg.el as well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG). @xref{Using GPG}.
9594 To verify or decrypt S/MIME message, you need to install OpenSSL.
9595 OpenSSL 0.9.6 or newer is recommended.
9599 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
9600 manual. @xref{Security, ,Security, message, The Message Manual}.
9603 @item mm-verify-option
9604 @vindex mm-verify-option
9605 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9606 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9607 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9609 @item mm-decrypt-option
9610 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9611 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9612 @code{always}, always decrypt @code{known}, only decrypt known
9613 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9618 @section Mailing List
9620 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
9621 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
9622 possibly using @kbd{A M} in the summary buffer, or say:
9625 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
9628 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
9633 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
9634 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
9635 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
9638 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
9639 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
9640 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
9643 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
9644 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
9645 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
9649 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
9650 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
9651 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
9654 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
9655 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9656 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
9659 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
9660 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9661 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
9665 @node Article Buffer
9666 @chapter Article Buffer
9667 @cindex article buffer
9669 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
9670 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
9671 tell Gnus otherwise.
9674 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
9675 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
9676 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
9677 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
9678 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
9682 @node Hiding Headers
9683 @section Hiding Headers
9684 @cindex hiding headers
9685 @cindex deleting headers
9687 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9688 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9690 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9691 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9692 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9693 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9694 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9695 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9696 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9697 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9698 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9700 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
9704 @item gnus-visible-headers
9705 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
9706 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
9707 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
9708 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
9710 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
9711 the article and the subject, you'd say:
9714 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
9717 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9720 @item gnus-ignored-headers
9721 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
9722 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
9723 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
9724 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
9725 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
9727 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
9728 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
9731 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
9734 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9737 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
9738 variable will have no effect.
9742 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
9743 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
9744 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
9745 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
9746 the headers are to be displayed.
9748 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
9749 and then the subject, you might say something like:
9752 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
9755 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
9756 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
9758 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9759 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
9760 You can hide further boring headers by setting
9761 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
9762 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
9763 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
9764 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
9767 These conditions are:
9770 Remove all empty headers.
9772 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
9773 @code{Newsgroups} header.
9775 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
9778 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
9781 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
9782 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
9784 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
9787 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
9789 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
9792 To include these three elements, you could say something like;
9795 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
9796 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9799 This is also the default value for this variable.
9803 @section Using @sc{mime}
9806 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9807 while people stand around yawning.
9809 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9810 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9812 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9813 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9814 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9816 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
9817 @findex gnus-display-mime
9818 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
9819 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
9820 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
9821 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
9823 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
9827 @findex gnus-article-press-button
9829 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
9830 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
9831 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}).
9833 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
9834 @item M-RET (Article)
9836 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
9837 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
9839 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
9841 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
9842 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
9844 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
9846 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
9847 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
9849 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
9851 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
9852 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
9854 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
9856 Prompt for a file name, then save the @sc{mime} object and strip it from
9857 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
9858 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
9859 like. The stripped @sc{mime} object will be referred via the
9860 message/external-body @sc{mime} type.
9861 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
9863 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
9865 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
9866 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
9868 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
9870 Insert the contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
9871 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
9872 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
9873 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
9874 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @pxref{Paging the
9877 @findex gnus-mime-internalize-part
9879 View the @sc{mime} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
9880 viewer is available, use an external viewer
9881 (@code{gnus-mime-internalize-part}).
9883 @findex gnus-mime-externalize-part
9885 View the @sc{mime} object with an external viewer.
9886 (@code{gnus-mime-externalize-part}).
9888 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
9890 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
9892 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
9894 Interactively run an action on the @sc{mime} object
9895 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
9899 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
9900 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs MIME
9903 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
9904 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
9905 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
9906 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
9907 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
9908 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
9909 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
9910 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
9911 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
9913 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
9915 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
9918 @node Customizing Articles
9919 @section Customizing Articles
9920 @cindex article customization
9922 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
9923 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
9924 called automatically when you select the articles.
9926 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
9927 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
9928 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
9929 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
9931 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
9932 for sensible values.
9936 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
9939 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
9942 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
9945 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
9948 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
9952 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
9953 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
9954 regexps in the list.
9957 A list where the first element is not a string:
9959 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
9960 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
9961 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
9965 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
9970 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
9971 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
9972 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
9973 considered to contain just a single part.
9975 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
9976 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
9977 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
9978 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
9979 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
9980 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
9981 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
9983 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
9984 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
9985 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
9986 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
9989 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last)
9990 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
9991 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
9992 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
9993 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
9994 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
9995 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
9996 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
9997 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
9998 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
9999 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10000 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
10001 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10002 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10003 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10004 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10005 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10006 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10007 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10008 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10009 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10010 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10011 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10012 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10013 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10014 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10015 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10016 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10017 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10018 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10019 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10020 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
10021 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10022 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10023 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10024 @item gnus-treat-translate
10027 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10028 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10029 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10030 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10031 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10035 @node Article Keymap
10036 @section Article Keymap
10038 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10039 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10040 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10041 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10044 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10049 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10050 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10051 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10054 @kindex DEL (Article)
10055 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10056 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10059 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10060 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10061 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10062 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10063 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10066 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10067 @findex gnus-article-mail
10068 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10069 given a prefix, include the mail.
10072 @kindex s (Article)
10073 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10074 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10075 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10078 @kindex ? (Article)
10079 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10080 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10081 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10084 @kindex TAB (Article)
10085 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10086 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10087 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10090 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10091 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10092 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10098 @section Misc Article
10102 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10103 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10104 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10105 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10108 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10109 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10111 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10112 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10114 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10115 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10116 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10117 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10118 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10119 the contents of the article buffer.
10121 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10122 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10123 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10125 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10126 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10127 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10128 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10130 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10131 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10132 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10133 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10134 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10140 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10141 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10142 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10147 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10150 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10153 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10154 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10155 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10158 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10161 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10164 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10169 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10173 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10175 @item gnus-break-pages
10176 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10177 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10178 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10179 paging will not be done.
10181 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10182 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10183 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10188 @node Composing Messages
10189 @chapter Composing Messages
10190 @cindex composing messages
10193 @cindex sending mail
10199 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10200 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10201 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10202 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
10203 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10204 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10207 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10208 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
10209 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10210 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10211 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10212 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10213 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10214 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
10217 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10218 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10224 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10227 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10228 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10229 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10230 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
10232 @item gnus-add-to-list
10233 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10234 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10235 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10240 @node Posting Server
10241 @section Posting Server
10243 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10244 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10246 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10248 @vindex gnus-post-method
10250 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will post using the same
10251 select method as you're reading from (which might be convenient if
10252 you're reading lots of groups from different private servers).
10253 However. If the server you're reading from doesn't allow posting,
10254 just reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
10255 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
10256 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10259 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10262 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10263 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10264 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10265 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10267 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10268 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10270 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10271 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10274 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10275 you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
10278 @node Mail and Post
10279 @section Mail and Post
10281 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10285 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10286 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10287 @cindex mailing lists
10289 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
10290 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
10291 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
10292 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
10293 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
10294 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
10295 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
10296 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
10297 still a pain, though.
10301 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
10302 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
10303 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
10306 @findex ispell-message
10308 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
10311 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
10312 you're in, you could say something like the following:
10315 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
10319 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
10320 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
10322 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
10325 Modify to suit your needs.
10328 @node Archived Messages
10329 @section Archived Messages
10330 @cindex archived messages
10331 @cindex sent messages
10333 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
10334 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
10335 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
10336 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
10339 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
10340 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
10341 use to store sent messages. The default is:
10344 (nnfolder "archive"
10345 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
10346 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
10347 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
10348 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
10351 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
10352 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
10353 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
10354 directory chosen, you could say something like:
10357 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
10358 '(nnfolder "archive"
10359 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
10360 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
10361 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
10364 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
10366 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
10367 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
10368 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
10370 This variable can be used to do the following:
10374 Messages will be saved in that group.
10376 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
10377 message will not be stored in the select method given by
10378 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
10379 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
10380 has the default value shown above. Then setting
10381 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
10382 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
10383 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
10385 @item a list of strings
10386 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
10387 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
10388 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
10390 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
10395 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
10397 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
10400 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
10402 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
10405 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
10407 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10408 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
10409 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
10410 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
10413 More complex stuff:
10415 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10416 '((if (message-news-p)
10421 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
10422 messages in one file per month:
10425 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10426 '((if (message-news-p)
10428 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
10431 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
10432 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
10434 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
10435 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
10436 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
10437 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
10438 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
10439 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
10440 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
10441 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
10442 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
10443 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
10445 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
10446 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
10447 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
10448 this will disable archiving.
10451 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
10452 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
10453 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
10454 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
10455 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
10458 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
10459 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
10460 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
10463 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
10464 but the latter is the preferred method.
10466 @item gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10467 @vindex gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10468 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
10473 @node Posting Styles
10474 @section Posting Styles
10475 @cindex posting styles
10478 All them variables, they make my head swim.
10480 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
10481 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
10482 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
10485 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
10486 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
10487 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
10488 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
10489 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
10494 (signature "Peace and happiness")
10495 (organization "What me?"))
10497 (signature "Death to everybody"))
10498 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
10499 (organization "Emacs is it")))
10502 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
10503 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
10504 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
10505 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
10506 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
10507 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
10508 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
10509 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
10511 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
10512 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
10513 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header (the
10514 next element in the match) in the original article , and compare that to
10515 the last regexp in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function
10516 will be called with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the
10517 variable will be referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be
10518 @code{eval}ed. In any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value,
10519 then the style is said to @dfn{match}.
10521 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
10522 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
10523 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
10524 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
10525 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
10526 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
10527 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
10528 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
10529 result is thrown away.
10531 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
10532 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
10533 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
10534 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
10535 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
10536 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
10538 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
10539 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
10540 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
10542 @findex message-mail-p
10543 @findex message-news-p
10545 So here's a new example:
10548 (setq gnus-posting-styles
10550 (signature-file "~/.signature")
10552 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
10553 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
10555 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
10556 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
10557 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
10559 (signature my-news-signature))
10560 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
10561 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
10562 ((posting-from-work-p)
10563 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
10564 (address "user@@bar.foo")
10565 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
10566 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
10568 (From (save-excursion
10569 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
10570 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
10572 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
10575 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
10576 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
10577 if you fill many roles.
10584 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
10585 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
10586 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
10587 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
10588 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
10590 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
10591 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
10592 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
10593 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
10594 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
10598 @vindex nndraft-directory
10599 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
10600 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
10601 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
10602 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
10603 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
10604 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
10606 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
10607 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
10610 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
10611 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
10612 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
10613 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
10614 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
10615 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
10616 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
10617 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
10618 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
10619 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
10620 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
10621 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
10622 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
10623 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
10625 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
10626 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
10627 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
10629 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
10630 @kindex D e (Draft)
10631 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
10632 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
10633 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
10635 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
10638 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
10639 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
10640 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
10641 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
10642 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
10643 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
10644 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
10647 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
10648 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
10649 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
10652 @node Rejected Articles
10653 @section Rejected Articles
10654 @cindex rejected articles
10656 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
10657 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
10658 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
10659 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
10661 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
10662 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
10663 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
10664 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
10665 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
10667 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
10668 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
10669 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
10675 Gnus has an ALPHA support to GPG that's provided by @file{gpg.el}. See
10676 @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} to enable Gnus to
10677 verify or decrypt messages accordingly.
10679 To use this correctly with GPG, you'll need the following lisp code in your
10680 @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10684 (setq mml2015-use 'gpg)
10685 (setq gpg-temp-directory (expand-file-name "~/.gnupg/tmp"))
10688 The @code{gpg-temp-directory} need to point to a directory with permissions set
10689 to 700, for your own safety.
10691 If you want to benefit of PGP2.6 compatibility, you might create a script named
10692 @file{gpg-2comp} with these instructions:
10696 exec gpg --rfc1991 "$@@"
10699 If you don't want to use such compatibility, you can add the following line to
10700 your @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10703 (setq gpg-command-default-alist (quote ((gpg . "gpg") (gpg-2comp . "gpg"))))
10706 To sign or encrypt your message you may choose to use the MML Security
10707 menu or @kbd{C-c C-m s p} to sign your message using PGP/MIME,
10708 @kbd{C-c C-m s s} to sign your message using S/MIME. There's also
10709 @kbd{C-c C-m c p} to encrypt your message with PGP/MIME and @kbd{C-c
10710 C-m c s} to encrypt using S/MIME. @xref{Security, ,Security, message,
10711 The Message Manual}.
10713 Gnus will ask for your passphrase and then it will send your message, if
10714 you've typed it correctly.
10716 @node Select Methods
10717 @chapter Select Methods
10718 @cindex foreign groups
10719 @cindex select methods
10721 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
10722 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
10723 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
10724 personal mail group.
10726 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
10727 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
10728 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
10729 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
10730 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
10731 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
10733 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
10734 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
10736 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
10739 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
10740 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
10741 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
10742 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
10743 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
10745 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
10748 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
10749 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
10750 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
10751 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
10752 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
10753 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
10754 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
10755 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
10759 @node Server Buffer
10760 @section Server Buffer
10762 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
10763 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
10764 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
10765 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
10766 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
10767 back end represents a virtual server.
10769 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
10770 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
10771 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
10772 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
10774 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
10775 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
10776 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
10777 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
10778 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
10779 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
10780 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
10782 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
10783 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
10786 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
10787 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
10788 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
10789 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
10790 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
10791 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
10792 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
10795 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
10796 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
10799 @node Server Buffer Format
10800 @subsection Server Buffer Format
10801 @cindex server buffer format
10803 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
10804 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
10805 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
10806 variable, with some simple extensions:
10811 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
10814 The name of this server.
10817 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
10820 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
10823 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
10824 The mode line can also be customized by using the
10825 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
10826 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
10836 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
10839 @node Server Commands
10840 @subsection Server Commands
10841 @cindex server commands
10847 @findex gnus-server-add-server
10848 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
10852 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
10853 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
10856 @kindex SPACE (Server)
10857 @findex gnus-server-read-server
10858 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
10862 @findex gnus-server-exit
10863 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
10867 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
10868 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
10872 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
10873 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
10877 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
10878 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
10882 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
10883 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
10887 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
10888 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
10889 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
10894 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
10895 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
10896 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
10897 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
10902 @node Example Methods
10903 @subsection Example Methods
10905 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
10908 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
10911 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
10917 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
10918 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
10921 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
10922 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
10924 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
10925 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
10929 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
10932 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
10933 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
10935 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
10936 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
10937 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
10941 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
10944 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
10947 Here's the method for a public spool:
10951 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
10952 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
10958 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
10959 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
10960 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
10961 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
10962 should probably look something like this:
10966 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
10967 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
10968 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
10969 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
10972 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
10973 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
10974 configuration to the example above:
10977 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
10980 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
10981 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
10982 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
10986 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
10987 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
10988 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
10989 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
10992 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
10993 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
10994 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
10995 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
10998 @node Creating a Virtual Server
10999 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11001 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11002 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11004 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11005 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11006 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11008 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11010 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11011 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11012 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11013 will contain the following:
11023 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11024 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11025 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11028 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11029 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11030 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11033 @node Server Variables
11034 @subsection Server Variables
11036 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11037 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11038 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11039 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11040 won't change the "derived" variables.
11042 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11043 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11044 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11045 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11046 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11047 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11048 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11049 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11050 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11054 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11055 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11056 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11060 @node Servers and Methods
11061 @subsection Servers and Methods
11063 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11064 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11065 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11066 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11070 @node Unavailable Servers
11071 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11073 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11074 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11075 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11076 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11077 actually the case or not.
11079 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11080 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11081 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11082 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11083 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11084 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11085 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11086 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11088 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11089 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11091 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11092 with the following commands:
11098 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11099 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11100 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11104 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11105 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11106 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11110 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11111 Mark the current server as unreachable
11112 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11115 @kindex M-o (Server)
11116 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11117 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11118 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11121 @kindex M-c (Server)
11122 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11123 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11124 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11128 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11129 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11130 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11136 @section Getting News
11137 @cindex reading news
11138 @cindex news back ends
11140 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11141 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11142 or it can read from a local spool.
11145 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11146 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11151 @subsection @sc{nntp}
11154 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11155 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11156 server as the, uhm, address.
11158 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11159 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11160 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11161 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11163 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11164 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11165 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11167 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11172 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11173 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11174 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11176 @cindex authentification
11177 @cindex nntp authentification
11178 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11179 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11180 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11181 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11182 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11183 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11184 present in this hook.
11186 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11187 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11188 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11189 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11190 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11191 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11192 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11193 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11194 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11195 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11196 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11197 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11201 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11204 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11206 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11207 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
11208 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
11209 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
11210 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
11211 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
11212 @samp{force} is explained below.
11216 Here's an example file:
11219 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
11220 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
11223 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
11224 have to be first, for instance.
11226 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
11227 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
11228 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
11229 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
11230 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
11231 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
11232 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
11234 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
11235 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
11241 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
11242 previously mentioned.
11244 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
11246 @item nntp-server-action-alist
11247 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
11248 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
11249 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
11250 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
11253 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
11254 '(("innd" (ding))))
11257 You probably don't want to do that, though.
11259 The default value is
11262 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
11263 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
11264 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
11267 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
11268 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
11270 @item nntp-maximum-request
11271 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
11272 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
11273 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
11274 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
11275 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
11276 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
11277 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
11279 @item nntp-connection-timeout
11280 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
11281 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
11282 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
11283 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
11284 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
11285 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
11286 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
11287 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
11288 no timeouts are done.
11290 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
11291 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
11292 @c @cindex PPP connections
11293 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
11294 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
11295 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
11296 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
11297 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
11298 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
11299 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
11300 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
11301 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
11302 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
11304 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
11305 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
11306 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
11307 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
11308 @c described above.
11310 @item nntp-server-hook
11311 @vindex nntp-server-hook
11312 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
11315 @item nntp-buggy-select
11316 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
11317 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
11319 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
11320 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
11321 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
11322 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
11325 @item nntp-xover-commands
11326 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
11329 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
11330 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
11334 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
11335 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
11336 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
11337 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
11338 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
11339 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
11340 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
11341 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
11342 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
11343 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
11344 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
11346 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
11347 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
11348 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
11350 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11351 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11352 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
11353 server closes connection.
11355 @item nntp-record-commands
11356 @vindex nntp-record-commands
11357 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
11358 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
11359 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
11360 that doesn't seem to work.
11362 @item nntp-open-connection-function
11363 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
11364 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
11365 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
11366 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
11367 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
11368 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
11369 indirect ones (two pre-made).
11373 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
11374 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
11375 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
11379 @node Direct Functions
11380 @subsubsection Direct Functions
11381 @cindex direct connection functions
11383 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
11384 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
11385 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
11386 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11389 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
11390 @item nntp-open-network-stream
11391 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
11394 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
11395 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
11396 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
11397 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
11398 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
11399 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
11400 define a server as follows:
11403 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
11405 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
11407 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
11408 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
11409 (nntp-port-number "snews")
11410 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
11413 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
11414 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
11415 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
11416 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
11417 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
11418 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
11419 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
11420 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
11424 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11425 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
11426 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
11429 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
11430 session, which is not a good idea.
11434 @node Indirect Functions
11435 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
11436 @cindex indirect connection functions
11438 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
11439 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
11440 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
11441 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
11442 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
11443 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11446 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11447 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11448 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
11449 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
11450 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
11452 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11455 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
11456 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
11457 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
11458 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
11461 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11462 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11463 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
11464 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
11466 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11469 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
11470 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
11471 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
11474 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
11475 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
11476 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
11477 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
11479 @item nntp-via-user-password
11480 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
11481 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
11483 @item nntp-via-envuser
11484 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
11485 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
11486 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
11487 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
11489 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
11490 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
11491 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
11492 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
11499 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
11504 @item nntp-via-user-name
11505 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
11506 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
11508 @item nntp-via-address
11509 @vindex nntp-via-address
11510 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
11515 @node Common Variables
11516 @subsubsection Common Variables
11518 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
11519 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
11524 @item nntp-pre-command
11525 @vindex nntp-pre-command
11526 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
11527 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
11528 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
11529 wrapper for instance.
11532 @vindex nntp-address
11533 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
11535 @item nntp-port-number
11536 @vindex nntp-port-number
11537 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
11539 @item nntp-end-of-line
11540 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
11541 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
11542 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
11543 using a non native connection function.
11545 @item nntp-telnet-command
11546 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
11547 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
11548 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
11549 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
11551 @item nntp-telnet-switches
11552 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
11553 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
11560 @subsection News Spool
11564 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
11565 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
11566 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
11569 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
11570 anything else) as the address.
11572 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
11573 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
11574 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
11575 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
11579 @item nnspool-inews-program
11580 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
11581 Program used to post an article.
11583 @item nnspool-inews-switches
11584 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
11585 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
11587 @item nnspool-spool-directory
11588 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
11589 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
11590 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
11592 @item nnspool-nov-directory
11593 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
11594 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
11595 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
11597 @item nnspool-lib-dir
11598 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
11599 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
11601 @item nnspool-active-file
11602 @vindex nnspool-active-file
11603 The path to the active file.
11605 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
11606 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
11607 The path to the group descriptions file.
11609 @item nnspool-history-file
11610 @vindex nnspool-history-file
11611 The path to the news history file.
11613 @item nnspool-active-times-file
11614 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
11615 The path to the active date file.
11617 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
11618 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
11619 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
11622 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11623 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11625 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
11626 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
11627 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
11633 @section Getting Mail
11634 @cindex reading mail
11637 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
11641 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
11642 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
11643 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
11644 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
11645 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
11646 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
11647 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
11648 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
11649 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
11650 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
11651 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
11652 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
11653 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
11654 * Archiving Mail:: How to backup your mail.
11658 @node Mail in a Newsreader
11659 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
11661 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
11662 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
11663 of a culture shock.
11665 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
11666 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
11668 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
11669 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
11670 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
11671 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
11673 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
11675 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
11676 deleted? How awful!
11678 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
11679 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
11680 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
11681 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
11684 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
11685 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
11686 they want to treat a message.
11688 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
11689 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
11690 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
11691 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
11692 archived somewhere else.
11694 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
11695 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
11696 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
11697 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
11698 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
11700 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
11701 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
11702 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
11704 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
11705 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
11708 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
11709 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
11710 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
11711 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
11712 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
11714 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
11715 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
11716 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
11717 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
11718 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
11719 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
11723 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
11724 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
11726 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
11727 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
11728 and things will happen automatically.
11730 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
11731 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
11734 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
11737 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
11738 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
11739 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
11740 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
11741 like any other group.
11743 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
11746 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11747 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11748 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11752 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
11753 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
11754 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
11757 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
11758 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
11759 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
11762 @node Splitting Mail
11763 @subsection Splitting Mail
11764 @cindex splitting mail
11765 @cindex mail splitting
11767 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
11768 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
11769 to be split into groups.
11772 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11773 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11774 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11775 ("mail.other" "")))
11778 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
11779 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
11780 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
11781 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
11782 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
11783 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
11784 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
11787 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
11790 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
11791 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
11792 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
11793 mail belongs in that group.
11795 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
11796 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
11797 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
11798 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
11799 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
11800 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
11802 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
11803 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
11804 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
11805 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
11806 thinks should carry this mail message.
11808 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
11809 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
11810 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
11811 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
11813 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
11814 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
11815 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
11816 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
11817 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
11819 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
11822 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
11823 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
11824 links. If that's the case for you, set
11825 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
11826 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
11828 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
11829 @kindex nnmail-split-history
11830 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
11831 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
11832 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
11833 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
11836 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
11837 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
11838 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
11839 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
11840 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
11841 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
11842 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
11843 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
11844 month's rent money.
11848 @subsection Mail Sources
11850 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
11851 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
11855 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
11856 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
11857 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
11861 @node Mail Source Specifiers
11862 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
11864 @cindex mail server
11867 @cindex mail source
11869 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
11870 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
11875 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
11878 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
11879 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
11880 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
11883 The following mail source types are available:
11887 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
11893 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
11894 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
11897 An example file mail source:
11900 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
11903 Or using the default path:
11909 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
11910 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
11911 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
11914 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
11918 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
11921 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
11925 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
11928 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
11930 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
11933 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
11937 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
11938 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. Setting
11939 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus to
11940 scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you want
11941 to scan mail groups at a specified level.
11947 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
11951 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
11955 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
11956 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
11957 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
11958 predicate are considered.
11962 Script run before/after fetching mail.
11966 An example directory mail source:
11969 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
11974 Get mail from a POP server.
11980 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
11981 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11984 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
11985 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
11986 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
11987 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
11988 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
11991 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
11995 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
11999 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
12000 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
12003 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12006 The valid format specifier characters are:
12010 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12011 included in this string.
12014 The name of the server.
12017 The port number of the server.
12020 The user name to use.
12023 The password to use.
12026 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12027 corresponding keywords.
12030 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12031 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12034 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12035 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12038 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
12039 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
12042 @item :authentication
12043 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
12044 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
12049 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
12050 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
12052 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
12053 default user name, and default fetcher:
12059 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
12062 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
12063 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
12066 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
12069 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
12073 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
12074 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
12075 contains exactly one mail.
12081 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12082 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12085 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12086 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12088 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12089 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12090 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
12093 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
12094 from locking problems).
12098 Two example maildir mail sources:
12101 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
12102 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
12106 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
12111 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
12112 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
12113 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
12114 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
12121 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
12122 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12125 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12126 @samp{993} for SSL connections.
12129 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
12133 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
12137 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
12138 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
12139 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
12140 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
12142 @item :authentication
12143 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
12144 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
12145 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
12146 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
12149 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
12150 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
12151 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
12157 The valid format specifier characters are:
12161 The name of the server.
12164 User name from `imap-default-user'.
12167 The port number of the server.
12170 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12171 corresponding keywords.
12174 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
12175 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
12178 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
12179 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
12180 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
12181 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
12182 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
12183 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
12186 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
12187 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
12188 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
12189 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
12192 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
12193 after finishing the fetch.
12197 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
12200 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
12202 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
12206 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
12207 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
12209 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
12212 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
12213 required for url "4.0pre.46".
12215 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
12221 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
12222 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
12225 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
12229 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
12233 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
12234 folder after finishing the fetch.
12238 An example webmail source:
12241 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
12243 :password "secret")
12248 @item Common Keywords
12249 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
12255 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
12256 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
12260 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
12265 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
12266 useful when you use local mail and news.
12271 @subsubsection Function Interface
12273 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
12274 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
12275 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
12276 consider the following mail-source setting:
12279 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
12280 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
12283 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
12284 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
12285 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
12286 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
12287 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
12289 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
12292 @node Mail Source Customization
12293 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
12295 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
12296 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
12300 @item mail-source-crash-box
12301 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
12302 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
12303 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
12305 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
12306 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
12307 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
12309 @item mail-source-directory
12310 @vindex mail-source-directory
12311 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
12312 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
12313 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
12316 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12317 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12318 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
12319 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
12320 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
12321 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
12323 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
12324 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
12325 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
12327 @item mail-source-movemail-program
12328 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
12329 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
12330 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
12335 @node Fetching Mail
12336 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
12338 @vindex mail-sources
12339 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
12340 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
12341 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
12342 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
12344 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
12345 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
12348 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
12349 mail server, you'd say something like:
12354 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12355 :password "secret")))
12358 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
12362 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
12363 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12366 :password "secret")))
12370 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
12371 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
12372 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
12373 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
12374 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
12375 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
12379 @node Mail Back End Variables
12380 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
12382 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
12386 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12387 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12388 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
12389 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
12391 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
12392 @item nnmail-split-hook
12393 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
12394 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
12395 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
12396 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
12397 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
12398 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
12399 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
12400 in the buffer will show up in any files.
12401 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
12404 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12405 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12406 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12407 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12408 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
12409 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
12410 starting to handle the new mail) and
12411 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
12412 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
12413 default file modes the new mail files get:
12416 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12417 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
12419 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12420 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
12423 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
12424 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
12425 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
12426 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
12427 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
12428 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
12429 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
12431 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
12432 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
12433 @findex delete-file
12434 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
12436 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12437 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12438 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
12439 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
12440 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
12445 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
12446 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
12447 @cindex mail splitting
12448 @cindex fancy mail splitting
12450 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
12451 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
12452 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
12453 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
12454 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
12455 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
12457 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
12460 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
12461 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
12462 ;; from real errors.
12463 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
12465 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
12466 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
12467 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
12468 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
12469 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
12470 ;; Other mailing lists...
12471 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
12472 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
12473 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
12474 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
12475 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
12476 ;; message was really cross-posted.
12477 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
12478 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
12480 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
12481 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
12485 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
12486 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
12487 the five possible split syntaxes:
12492 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
12493 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
12497 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
12498 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
12499 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
12500 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
12501 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
12502 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
12503 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
12504 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
12507 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12508 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
12509 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
12510 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
12513 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12514 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
12517 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
12518 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
12521 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
12522 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
12523 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
12524 function should return a @var{split}.
12527 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
12528 body of the messages:
12531 (defun split-on-body ()
12533 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
12534 (goto-char (point-min))
12535 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
12539 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
12540 when the @code{:} function is run.
12543 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12544 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
12545 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
12549 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
12553 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
12554 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
12555 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
12556 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
12557 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
12559 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
12560 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
12561 are expanded as specified by the variable
12562 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
12563 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
12566 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
12567 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
12568 when all this splitting is performed.
12570 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
12571 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
12572 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
12575 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
12578 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
12579 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
12581 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
12582 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
12583 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
12584 groupings 1 through 9.
12586 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
12587 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
12588 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
12589 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
12590 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
12591 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
12592 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
12593 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
12594 it once per thread.
12596 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
12597 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
12598 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
12601 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12602 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
12603 ;; other splits go here
12607 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
12608 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
12609 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
12610 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
12611 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
12612 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
12613 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
12614 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
12615 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
12616 unless the group name matches the regexp
12617 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
12618 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
12619 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
12620 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
12621 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12622 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
12623 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
12624 messages goes into the new group.
12627 @node Group Mail Splitting
12628 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
12629 @cindex mail splitting
12630 @cindex group mail splitting
12632 @findex gnus-group-split
12633 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
12634 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
12635 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
12636 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
12637 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
12638 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
12639 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
12640 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
12642 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
12643 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
12644 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
12645 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
12647 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
12648 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
12649 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
12650 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
12651 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
12652 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
12653 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
12655 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
12656 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
12657 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
12658 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
12659 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
12660 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
12661 @code{gnus-group-split}.
12663 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
12664 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
12665 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
12666 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
12667 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
12668 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
12669 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
12670 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
12671 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
12672 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
12673 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
12674 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
12675 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
12677 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
12682 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
12683 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
12685 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
12686 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
12687 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
12688 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
12690 ((split-spec . catch-all))
12693 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
12694 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
12695 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
12698 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
12699 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
12700 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
12704 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
12705 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
12706 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
12710 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
12713 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
12714 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
12715 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
12716 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
12717 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
12718 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
12719 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
12720 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
12721 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
12723 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
12724 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
12725 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
12726 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
12727 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
12728 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
12729 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
12730 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
12731 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
12733 @findex gnus-group-split-update
12734 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
12735 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
12736 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
12737 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
12738 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
12741 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
12744 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
12745 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
12746 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
12747 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
12748 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
12751 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
12752 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
12753 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
12754 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
12756 @node Incorporating Old Mail
12757 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
12758 @cindex incorporating old mail
12759 @cindex import old mail
12761 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
12762 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
12763 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
12766 Doing so can be quite easy.
12768 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
12769 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
12770 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
12771 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
12772 your @code{nnml} groups.
12778 Go to the group buffer.
12781 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
12782 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12785 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
12788 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
12789 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
12792 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
12793 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
12796 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
12797 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
12798 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
12799 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
12800 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
12802 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
12803 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
12804 using the new mail back end.
12807 @node Expiring Mail
12808 @subsection Expiring Mail
12809 @cindex article expiry
12811 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
12812 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
12813 different approach to mail reading.
12815 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
12816 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
12817 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
12818 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
12819 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
12820 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
12823 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
12824 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
12825 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
12826 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
12827 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
12828 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
12829 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
12830 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
12832 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12833 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
12834 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
12835 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
12836 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
12837 column in the summary buffer.
12839 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
12840 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
12841 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
12842 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
12845 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
12847 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
12848 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
12849 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
12852 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
12853 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
12854 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
12855 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
12856 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
12858 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
12859 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
12862 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12863 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
12866 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
12867 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
12869 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
12870 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
12871 don't really mix very well.
12873 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
12874 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
12875 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
12876 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
12879 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
12880 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
12881 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
12882 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
12885 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12887 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12889 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
12891 ((string= group "mail.junk")
12893 ((string= group "important")
12899 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
12900 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
12902 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
12903 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
12904 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
12907 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
12908 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
12910 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
12911 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
12912 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them to
12913 other groups instead of deleting them. The variable @code{nnmail-expiry-target}
12914 (and the @code{expiry-target} group parameter) controls this. The
12915 variable supplies a default value for all groups, which can be
12916 overridden for specific groups by the group parameter.
12917 default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a string (which
12918 should be the name of the group the message should be moved to), or a
12919 function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to the message in
12920 question, and with the name of the group being moved from as its
12921 parameter) which should return a target -- either a group name or
12924 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
12926 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
12930 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
12931 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
12932 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
12933 easier for procmail users.
12935 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
12936 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
12937 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
12938 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
12939 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
12940 caution. Even more dangerous is the
12941 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
12942 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
12943 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
12944 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
12945 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
12946 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
12947 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
12950 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
12952 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
12953 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
12954 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
12955 auto-expire turned on.
12959 @subsection Washing Mail
12960 @cindex mail washing
12961 @cindex list server brain damage
12962 @cindex incoming mail treatment
12964 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
12965 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
12966 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
12967 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
12968 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
12969 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
12971 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
12972 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
12973 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
12976 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
12977 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
12978 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
12979 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
12982 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12983 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12984 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
12985 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
12986 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
12989 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12990 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12991 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
12992 Emacs running on MS machines.
12996 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12997 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12998 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
12999 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
13002 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13003 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13004 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
13005 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
13007 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13008 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13009 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
13010 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
13011 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
13012 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
13013 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
13016 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
13017 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
13020 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
13021 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
13024 This can also be done non-destructively with
13025 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
13027 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
13028 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
13029 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
13031 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13032 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13034 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
13035 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
13036 @code{References} headers.
13040 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13041 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13042 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
13046 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
13047 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
13048 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
13055 @subsection Duplicates
13057 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
13058 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
13059 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
13060 @cindex duplicate mails
13061 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
13062 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
13063 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
13064 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
13065 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
13066 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
13067 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
13068 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
13069 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
13070 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
13071 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
13072 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
13073 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
13075 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
13076 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
13077 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
13078 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
13080 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
13083 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
13084 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
13088 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13089 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
13090 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
13091 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
13092 (any mail "mail.misc")
13099 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13100 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
13105 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
13106 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
13107 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
13108 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
13109 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
13112 @node Not Reading Mail
13113 @subsection Not Reading Mail
13115 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
13116 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
13117 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
13119 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
13120 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
13121 mail, which should help.
13123 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13124 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13125 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13126 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13127 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13128 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
13129 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
13130 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
13131 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
13132 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
13133 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
13135 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
13136 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
13140 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
13141 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
13143 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
13144 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
13145 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
13147 There are five different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
13148 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
13149 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
13150 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
13153 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
13154 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
13155 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
13156 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
13157 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
13158 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
13162 @node Unix Mail Box
13163 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
13165 @cindex unix mail box
13167 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13168 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13169 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
13170 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
13171 which group it belongs in.
13173 Virtual server settings:
13176 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
13177 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13178 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
13181 @item nnmbox-active-file
13182 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13183 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
13184 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
13186 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
13187 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13188 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
13189 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
13194 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
13198 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13199 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13200 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
13201 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
13202 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
13204 Virtual server settings:
13207 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
13208 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13209 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
13211 @item nnbabyl-active-file
13212 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13213 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
13214 @file{~/.rmail-active}
13216 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13217 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13218 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
13224 @subsubsection Mail Spool
13226 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
13228 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
13229 format. It should be used with some caution.
13231 @vindex nnml-directory
13232 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
13233 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
13234 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
13235 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
13237 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
13240 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
13241 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
13242 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
13243 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
13244 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
13245 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
13246 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
13247 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
13249 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
13250 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
13251 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
13252 back end when it comes to reading mail.
13254 @cindex self contained nnml servers
13255 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
13256 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13257 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13258 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
13259 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
13260 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
13261 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
13262 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
13265 Virtual server settings:
13268 @item nnml-directory
13269 @vindex nnml-directory
13270 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
13271 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
13274 @item nnml-active-file
13275 @vindex nnml-active-file
13276 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
13277 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
13279 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
13280 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
13281 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13282 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
13284 @item nnml-get-new-mail
13285 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13286 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
13289 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
13290 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
13291 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13292 default is @code{nil}.
13294 @item nnml-nov-file-name
13295 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
13296 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
13298 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13299 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13300 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
13302 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
13303 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
13304 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13305 default is @code{nil}.
13307 @item nnml-marks-file-name
13308 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
13309 The name of the @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
13313 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
13314 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
13315 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
13316 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
13317 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
13318 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
13319 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
13324 @subsubsection MH Spool
13326 @cindex mh-e mail spool
13328 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
13329 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
13330 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
13331 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
13333 Virtual server settings:
13336 @item nnmh-directory
13337 @vindex nnmh-directory
13338 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
13339 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13342 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
13343 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13344 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
13348 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
13349 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
13350 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
13351 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
13352 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
13353 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
13354 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
13359 @subsubsection Mail Folders
13361 @cindex mbox folders
13362 @cindex mail folders
13364 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
13365 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
13366 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
13369 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
13370 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
13371 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13372 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13373 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
13374 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
13375 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
13376 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
13377 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
13378 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
13379 @code{nnfolder} directory).
13381 Virtual server settings:
13384 @item nnfolder-directory
13385 @vindex nnfolder-directory
13386 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
13387 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13390 @item nnfolder-active-file
13391 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
13392 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
13394 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13395 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13396 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13397 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
13399 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
13400 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13401 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
13404 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13405 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13406 @cindex backup files
13407 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
13408 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
13409 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
13410 your @file{.emacs} file:
13413 (defun turn-off-backup ()
13414 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
13416 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
13419 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13420 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13421 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
13422 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
13423 extract some information from it before removing it.
13425 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13426 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13427 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13428 default is @code{nil}.
13430 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13431 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13432 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
13434 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
13435 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
13436 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
13437 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
13439 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13440 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13441 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13442 default is @code{nil}.
13444 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13445 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13446 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
13448 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
13449 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
13450 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
13451 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
13456 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
13457 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
13458 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
13459 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
13460 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
13461 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
13464 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
13465 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
13467 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
13468 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
13469 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
13470 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
13471 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
13473 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
13474 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
13475 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
13476 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
13477 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
13478 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
13479 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
13480 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
13483 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
13484 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
13485 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
13486 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
13491 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
13492 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
13493 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
13494 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
13495 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
13496 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
13497 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
13498 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
13499 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
13500 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
13501 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
13502 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
13503 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
13508 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
13509 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
13510 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
13511 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
13512 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
13513 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
13514 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
13515 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
13516 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
13517 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
13518 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
13519 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
13520 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
13521 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
13523 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
13524 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
13529 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
13530 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
13531 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
13532 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
13533 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
13534 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
13535 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
13536 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
13537 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
13538 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
13539 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
13540 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
13541 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
13542 provided by the active file and overviews.
13544 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
13545 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
13546 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
13547 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
13548 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
13551 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
13552 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
13557 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
13558 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
13559 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
13560 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
13561 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
13562 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
13563 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
13567 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
13568 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
13569 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
13570 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
13571 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
13572 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
13573 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
13574 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
13575 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
13577 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
13578 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
13579 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
13580 friendly mail back end all over.
13585 @node Browsing the Web
13586 @section Browsing the Web
13588 @cindex browsing the web
13592 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
13593 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
13594 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
13595 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
13596 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
13597 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
13598 even know what a news group is.
13600 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
13601 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
13602 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
13603 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
13604 you mad in the end.
13606 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
13609 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
13610 interfaces to these sources.
13613 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
13614 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
13615 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
13616 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
13617 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
13618 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
13621 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
13623 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
13624 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
13625 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
13626 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
13627 though, you should be ok.
13629 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
13630 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
13631 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
13632 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
13633 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
13635 @node Archiving Mail
13636 @subsection Archiving Mail
13637 @cindex archiving mail
13638 @cindex backup of mail
13640 Some of the back ends, notably nnml and nnfolder, now actually store
13641 the article marks with each group. For these servers, archiving and
13642 restoring a group while preserving marks is fairly simple.
13644 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
13645 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @code{.newsrc.eld} deity
13648 To archive an entire @code{nnml} or @code{nnfolder} server, take a
13649 recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need to shut down
13650 Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or similar. You
13651 restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and adding a server
13652 definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The @ref{Article
13653 Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things might interfer
13654 with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus before you
13657 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml} or
13658 @code{nnfolder} groups, while preserving marks. For @code{nnml}, you
13659 copy all files in the group's directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need
13660 to copy both the base folder file itself (@code{FOO}, say), and the
13661 marks file (@code{FOO.mrk} in this example). Restoring the group is
13662 done with @kbd{G m} from the Group buffer. The last step makes Gnus
13663 notice the new directory.
13666 @subsection Web Searches
13670 @cindex InReference
13671 @cindex Usenet searches
13672 @cindex searching the Usenet
13674 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
13675 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
13676 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
13677 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
13678 searches without having to use a browser.
13680 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
13681 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
13682 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
13683 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
13684 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
13686 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
13687 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
13688 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
13689 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
13690 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
13691 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
13692 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
13693 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
13694 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
13695 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
13698 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
13699 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
13700 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
13701 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
13702 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
13703 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
13705 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
13706 to use @code{nnweb}.
13708 Virtual server variables:
13713 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
13714 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
13718 @vindex nnweb-search
13719 The search string to feed to the search engine.
13721 @item nnweb-max-hits
13722 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
13723 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
13726 @item nnweb-type-definition
13727 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
13728 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
13729 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
13734 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
13738 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
13741 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
13744 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
13748 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
13755 @subsection Slashdot
13759 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
13760 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
13761 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
13763 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
13764 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
13767 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
13768 '((nnslashdot "")))
13771 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
13772 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
13773 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
13774 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
13775 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
13778 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
13779 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13781 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
13782 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
13783 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
13784 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
13785 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
13786 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
13789 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
13792 @item nnslashdot-threaded
13793 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
13794 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
13795 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
13796 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
13797 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
13798 but much, much slower than untreaded.
13800 @item nnslashdot-login-name
13801 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
13802 The login name to use when posting.
13804 @item nnslashdot-password
13805 @vindex nnslashdot-password
13806 The password to use when posting.
13808 @item nnslashdot-directory
13809 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
13810 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
13811 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
13813 @item nnslashdot-active-url
13814 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
13815 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
13816 news articles and comments. The default is
13817 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
13819 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
13820 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
13821 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
13823 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
13825 @item nnslashdot-article-url
13826 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
13827 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
13829 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
13831 @item nnslashdot-threshold
13832 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
13833 The score threshold. The default is -1.
13835 @item nnslashdot-group-number
13836 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
13837 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
13838 updated. The default is 0.
13845 @subsection Ultimate
13847 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
13849 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
13850 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
13851 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
13852 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
13854 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
13855 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
13856 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
13857 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
13858 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
13859 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
13860 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
13862 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
13865 @item nnultimate-directory
13866 @vindex nnultimate-directory
13867 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
13868 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
13873 @subsection Web Archive
13875 @cindex Web Archive
13877 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
13878 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
13879 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
13880 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13883 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
13884 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
13885 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
13886 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
13887 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
13888 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
13889 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
13891 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
13894 @item nnwarchive-directory
13895 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
13896 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
13897 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
13899 @item nnwarchive-login
13900 @vindex nnwarchive-login
13901 The account name on the web server.
13903 @item nnwarchive-passwd
13904 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
13905 The password for your account on the web server.
13913 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
13914 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
13915 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13918 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
13919 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
13922 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
13925 @item nnrss-directory
13926 @vindex nnrss-directory
13927 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
13928 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
13932 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
13933 the summary buffer.
13936 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
13937 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
13939 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
13941 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
13942 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
13945 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
13948 (require 'browse-url)
13950 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
13952 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
13955 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
13956 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
13958 (browse-url (cdr url))
13959 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
13961 (eval-after-load "gnus"
13962 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
13963 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
13964 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
13967 @node Customizing w3
13968 @subsection Customizing w3
13974 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
13975 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
13976 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
13978 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
13979 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
13980 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
13983 (eval-after-load "w3"
13985 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
13986 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
13987 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
13988 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
13990 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
13993 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
13994 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
14002 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
14003 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
14004 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
14005 specify the network address of the server.
14007 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
14008 POP can, it can hence be viewed as POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
14009 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
14010 protocol. (@sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp} because news
14011 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.)
14013 If you want to use @sc{imap} as POP++, use an imap entry in
14014 mail-sources. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the @sc{imap}
14015 server and store them on the local disk. This is not the usage
14016 described in this section. @xref{Mail Sources}.
14018 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
14019 entry in gnus-secondary-select-methods. With this, Gnus will
14020 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
14021 usage explained in this section.
14023 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
14024 might look something like this:
14027 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14028 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
14029 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
14031 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14032 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
14033 ; a UW server running on localhost
14035 (nnimap-server-port 143)
14036 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14037 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
14038 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
14039 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
14040 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
14041 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
14042 (nnimap-stream network))
14043 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
14045 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
14046 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
14047 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
14050 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
14055 @item nnimap-address
14056 @vindex nnimap-address
14058 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
14059 server name if not specified.
14061 @item nnimap-server-port
14062 @vindex nnimap-server-port
14063 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
14065 Note that this should be a integer, example server specification:
14068 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14069 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
14072 @item nnimap-list-pattern
14073 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
14074 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
14075 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
14076 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
14077 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
14078 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
14080 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
14081 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
14082 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
14085 Example server specification:
14088 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14089 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
14090 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
14093 @item nnimap-stream
14094 @vindex nnimap-stream
14095 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
14096 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
14097 of SSL. (SSL is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can be automatically
14098 detected, but it's not widely deployed yet).
14100 Example server specification:
14103 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14104 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14107 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
14111 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Requires the
14112 @samp{imtest} program.
14114 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
14116 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
14117 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
14120 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the
14121 program @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
14123 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
14125 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
14128 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
14129 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
14130 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
14131 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
14132 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
14133 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
14134 restrictions on IMAP commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
14135 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
14136 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
14139 @vindex imap-ssl-program
14140 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
14141 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
14142 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
14143 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
14144 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
14145 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
14148 @vindex imap-shell-program
14149 @vindex imap-shell-host
14150 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
14151 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
14153 @item nnimap-authenticator
14154 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
14156 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
14157 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
14159 Example server specification:
14162 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14163 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
14166 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
14170 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
14171 external program @code{imtest}.
14173 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
14176 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
14177 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14179 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14181 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14183 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14186 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14188 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14189 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14190 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14191 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14192 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14193 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
14196 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14197 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14198 running in circles yet?
14200 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14201 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14204 The possible options are:
14209 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14212 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14213 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14214 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14215 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14217 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14222 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
14223 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
14225 If non-nil, marks dormant articles as ticked (as well), for other IMAP
14226 clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will naturally still (only) be
14227 marked as ticked. This is to make dormant articles stand out, just
14228 like ticked articles, in other IMAP clients. (In other words, Gnus has
14229 two ``Tick'' marks and IMAP has only one.)
14231 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
14232 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
14235 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
14236 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14237 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
14238 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14241 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
14242 as ticked for other users.
14244 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
14246 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
14248 This variable contain the IMAP search command sent to server when
14249 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
14250 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
14251 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
14253 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
14254 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
14255 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
14256 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
14258 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
14259 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
14261 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
14262 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
14263 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14269 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14270 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14271 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14276 @node Splitting in IMAP
14277 @subsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
14278 @cindex splitting imap mail
14280 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14281 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14282 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14283 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14284 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14288 Here are the variables of interest:
14292 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14293 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14295 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14297 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14298 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14300 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14302 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14303 @cindex splitting, inbox
14305 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14307 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14308 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14312 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14313 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14316 No nnmail equivalent.
14318 @item nnimap-split-rule
14319 @cindex Splitting, rules
14320 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14322 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14325 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14326 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14327 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14328 Neither did I, we need examples.
14331 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14333 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14334 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14335 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14338 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14339 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14340 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
14342 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14343 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14347 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14350 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14351 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14352 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14353 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14355 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14356 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14357 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14358 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
14359 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14360 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14362 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
14363 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
14364 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
14366 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
14367 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
14368 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14370 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
14372 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
14373 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
14374 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
14377 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14378 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
14379 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
14380 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
14381 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
14382 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
14385 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
14386 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
14387 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
14388 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
14389 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
14390 group/function elements.
14392 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
14394 @item nnimap-split-predicate
14396 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
14398 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
14399 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
14401 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
14402 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
14403 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
14406 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14407 @cindex splitting, fancy
14408 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
14409 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
14411 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14412 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
14413 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14415 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
14416 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14417 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
14418 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14423 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
14424 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
14427 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14431 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
14432 @subsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14433 @cindex editing imap acls
14434 @cindex Access Control Lists
14435 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14437 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
14439 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
14440 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
14441 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
14444 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
14445 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
14446 editing window with detailed instructions.
14448 Some possible uses:
14452 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
14453 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
14454 follow the list without subscribing to it.
14456 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
14457 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
14458 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
14462 @node Expunging mailboxes
14463 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
14467 @cindex Manual expunging
14469 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
14471 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
14472 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
14473 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
14475 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
14480 @node Other Sources
14481 @section Other Sources
14483 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
14484 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
14488 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
14489 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
14490 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
14491 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
14492 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
14496 @node Directory Groups
14497 @subsection Directory Groups
14499 @cindex directory groups
14501 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
14502 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
14505 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
14506 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
14507 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
14508 back end to read directories. Big deal.
14510 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
14511 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
14512 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
14513 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
14514 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
14516 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
14518 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
14519 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
14520 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
14521 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
14524 @node Anything Groups
14525 @subsection Anything Groups
14528 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
14529 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
14530 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
14533 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
14534 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
14535 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
14536 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
14537 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
14538 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
14539 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
14540 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
14541 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
14542 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
14545 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
14546 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
14547 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
14548 in the article buffer, just as usual.
14550 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
14551 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
14552 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
14553 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
14555 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
14556 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
14557 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
14558 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
14559 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
14560 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
14561 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
14562 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
14567 @item nneething-map-file-directory
14568 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
14569 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
14570 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
14572 @item nneething-exclude-files
14573 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
14574 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
14575 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
14577 @item nneething-include-files
14578 @vindex nneething-include-files
14579 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
14580 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
14582 @item nneething-map-file
14583 @vindex nneething-map-file
14584 Name of the map files.
14588 @node Document Groups
14589 @subsection Document Groups
14591 @cindex documentation group
14594 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
14595 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
14602 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
14607 The standard Unix mbox file.
14609 @cindex MMDF mail box
14611 The MMDF mail box format.
14614 Several news articles appended into a file.
14617 @cindex rnews batch files
14618 The rnews batch transport format.
14619 @cindex forwarded messages
14622 Forwarded articles.
14625 Netscape mail boxes.
14628 MIME multipart messages.
14630 @item standard-digest
14631 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
14634 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
14637 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
14638 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
14639 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
14642 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
14643 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
14644 group. And that's it.
14646 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
14647 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
14648 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
14649 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
14650 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
14651 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
14652 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
14653 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
14654 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
14655 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
14657 Virtual server variables:
14660 @item nndoc-article-type
14661 @vindex nndoc-article-type
14662 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
14663 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
14664 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
14665 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail},
14666 @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman} or @code{guess}.
14668 @item nndoc-post-type
14669 @vindex nndoc-post-type
14670 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
14671 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
14676 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
14680 @node Document Server Internals
14681 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
14683 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
14684 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
14685 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
14686 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
14688 First, here's an example document type definition:
14692 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
14693 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
14696 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
14697 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
14698 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
14699 types can be defined with very few settings:
14702 @item first-article
14703 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
14704 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
14707 @item article-begin
14708 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
14709 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
14711 @item head-begin-function
14712 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
14715 @item nndoc-head-begin
14716 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
14719 @item nndoc-head-end
14720 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
14721 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
14723 @item body-begin-function
14724 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
14728 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
14731 @item body-end-function
14732 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
14736 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
14739 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
14740 regexp will be totally ignored.
14744 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
14745 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
14746 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
14747 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
14748 something that's palatable for Gnus:
14751 @item prepare-body-function
14752 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
14753 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
14754 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
14756 @item article-transform-function
14757 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
14758 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
14759 body of the article.
14761 @item generate-head-function
14762 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
14763 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
14764 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
14765 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
14769 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
14774 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
14775 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
14776 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
14777 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
14778 (head-end . "^ ?$")
14779 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
14780 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
14781 (subtype digest guess))
14784 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
14785 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
14786 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
14787 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
14788 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
14790 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
14791 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
14792 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
14793 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
14794 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
14795 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
14796 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
14797 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
14798 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
14799 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
14807 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
14808 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
14809 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
14811 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
14812 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
14813 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
14816 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
14817 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
14818 that interested in doing things properly.
14820 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
14821 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
14824 First some terminology:
14829 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
14830 get news and/or mail from.
14833 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
14834 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
14837 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
14841 @item message packets
14842 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
14843 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
14844 default, where @var{x} is a number.
14846 @item response packets
14847 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
14848 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
14849 default, where @var{x} is a number.
14859 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
14860 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
14861 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
14862 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
14865 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
14868 You put the packet in your home directory.
14871 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
14872 the native or secondary server.
14875 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
14876 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
14879 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
14883 You transfer this packet to the server.
14886 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
14889 You then repeat until you die.
14893 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
14894 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
14897 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
14898 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
14899 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
14903 @node SOUP Commands
14904 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
14906 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
14910 @kindex G s b (Group)
14911 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
14912 Pack all unread articles in the current group
14913 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
14914 process/prefix convention.
14917 @kindex G s w (Group)
14918 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
14919 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
14922 @kindex G s s (Group)
14923 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
14924 Send all replies from the replies packet
14925 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
14928 @kindex G s p (Group)
14929 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
14930 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
14933 @kindex G s r (Group)
14934 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
14935 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
14938 @kindex O s (Summary)
14939 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
14940 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
14941 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
14942 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14947 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
14952 @item gnus-soup-directory
14953 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
14954 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
14955 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
14957 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
14958 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
14959 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
14960 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
14962 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
14963 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
14964 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
14965 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
14967 @item gnus-soup-packer
14968 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
14969 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
14970 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
14972 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
14973 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
14974 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
14975 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
14977 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
14978 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
14979 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
14981 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
14982 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
14983 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
14984 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
14990 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
14993 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
14994 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
14995 you can read them at leisure.
14997 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
15001 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
15002 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
15003 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
15004 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
15006 @item nnsoup-directory
15007 @vindex nnsoup-directory
15008 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
15009 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
15011 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
15012 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
15013 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
15014 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
15016 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
15017 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
15018 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
15019 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
15020 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
15022 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
15023 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
15024 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
15025 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
15027 @item nnsoup-active-file
15028 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
15029 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
15030 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
15031 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
15032 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
15034 @item nnsoup-packer
15035 @vindex nnsoup-packer
15036 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
15037 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
15039 @item nnsoup-unpacker
15040 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
15041 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
15042 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15044 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
15045 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
15046 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
15049 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
15050 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
15051 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
15054 @item nnsoup-always-save
15055 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
15056 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
15062 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
15064 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
15065 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
15066 more for that to happen.
15068 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
15069 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
15070 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
15073 In specific, this is what it does:
15076 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
15077 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
15080 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
15081 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
15082 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
15085 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
15086 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
15087 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
15090 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
15091 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
15092 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
15094 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
15100 @item nngateway-address
15101 @vindex nngateway-address
15102 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
15104 @item nngateway-header-transformation
15105 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
15106 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
15107 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
15108 transformation should be called, and defaults to
15109 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
15110 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
15113 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
15114 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
15115 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
15118 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
15121 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
15124 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
15127 The following pre-defined functions exist:
15129 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15132 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15133 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15134 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
15136 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15138 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15139 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15140 @code{nngateway-address}.
15145 (setq gnus-post-method
15147 "mail2news@@replay.com"
15148 (nngateway-header-transformation
15149 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
15157 So, to use this, simply say something like:
15160 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
15165 @node Combined Groups
15166 @section Combined Groups
15168 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
15172 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
15173 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
15177 @node Virtual Groups
15178 @subsection Virtual Groups
15180 @cindex virtual groups
15181 @cindex merging groups
15183 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
15186 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
15187 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
15188 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
15190 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
15191 regexp to match component groups.
15193 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
15194 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
15195 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
15196 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
15197 the virtual group.)
15199 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
15200 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
15203 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
15206 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
15207 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
15209 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
15210 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
15211 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
15212 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
15215 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
15218 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
15219 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
15220 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
15222 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
15223 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
15224 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
15225 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
15226 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
15228 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
15229 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
15230 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
15232 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
15233 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
15234 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
15235 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15236 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
15237 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
15238 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
15239 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
15240 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
15241 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
15242 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
15244 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
15245 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
15246 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
15247 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
15248 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
15249 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
15250 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
15252 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
15253 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
15257 @node Kibozed Groups
15258 @subsection Kibozed Groups
15262 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
15263 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
15264 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
15265 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
15267 @kindex G k (Group)
15268 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
15271 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
15272 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
15273 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
15274 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
15276 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
15277 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
15278 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
15280 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
15281 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
15282 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
15283 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
15284 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
15285 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
15286 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
15287 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
15289 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
15290 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
15291 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
15292 Stranger things have happened.
15294 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
15295 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
15297 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
15298 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
15299 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
15300 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
15301 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
15302 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
15304 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
15305 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
15308 @node Gnus Unplugged
15309 @section Gnus Unplugged
15314 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
15316 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
15317 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
15318 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
15319 read news. Believe it or not.
15321 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
15322 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
15323 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
15324 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
15325 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
15327 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
15328 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
15329 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
15330 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
15331 reading news on a machine.
15333 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
15337 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
15338 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
15342 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
15343 @file{.gnus.el} file:
15350 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
15352 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
15355 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
15356 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
15357 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
15358 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
15359 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
15360 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
15361 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
15362 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
15363 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
15364 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
15369 @subsection Agent Basics
15371 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
15373 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
15374 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
15375 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
15376 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
15378 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
15379 connected to the net continuously.
15381 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
15382 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
15384 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
15389 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
15390 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
15391 already fetched while in this mode.
15394 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
15395 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
15396 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
15397 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
15398 Source Specifiers}).
15401 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
15402 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
15403 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
15404 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
15405 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
15408 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
15409 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
15410 then you read the news offline.
15413 And then you go to step 2.
15416 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
15422 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
15423 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
15424 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
15425 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
15426 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
15427 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
15430 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
15437 @node Agent Categories
15438 @subsection Agent Categories
15440 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
15441 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
15442 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
15443 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
15444 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
15445 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
15446 you're interested in the articles anyway.
15448 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
15449 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
15450 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
15451 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
15452 managing categories.
15455 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
15456 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
15457 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
15461 @node Category Syntax
15462 @subsubsection Category Syntax
15464 A category consists of two things.
15468 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
15469 are eligible for downloading; and
15472 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
15473 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
15474 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
15477 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
15478 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
15479 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
15480 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
15482 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
15483 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
15484 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
15486 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
15487 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
15488 operators sprinkled in between.
15490 Perhaps some examples are in order.
15492 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
15493 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
15499 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
15500 short (for some value of ``short'').
15502 Here's a more complex predicate:
15511 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
15512 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
15515 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
15516 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
15517 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
15519 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
15520 you want to do, you can write your own.
15524 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
15525 lines; default 100.
15528 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
15529 lines; default 200.
15532 True iff the article has a download score less than
15533 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
15536 True iff the article has a download score greater than
15537 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
15540 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
15541 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
15542 checksum and sees whether articles match.
15551 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
15552 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
15553 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
15556 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
15557 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
15558 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
15559 something along the lines of the following:
15562 (defun my-article-old-p ()
15563 "Say whether an article is old."
15564 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
15565 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
15568 with the predicate then defined as:
15571 (not my-article-old-p)
15574 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
15575 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
15576 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
15577 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
15580 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
15581 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
15582 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
15585 and simply specify your predicate as:
15591 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
15592 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
15593 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
15594 just don't give a damn.
15596 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
15597 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
15598 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
15599 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
15600 parameters like so:
15603 (agent-predicate . short)
15606 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
15607 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
15608 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
15610 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
15613 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
15616 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
15617 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
15618 predicate is assumed to be a list.
15621 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
15622 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
15623 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
15624 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
15625 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
15626 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
15628 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
15629 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
15630 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
15631 if it's to be specific to that group.
15633 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
15640 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
15641 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
15647 Category specification
15651 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
15657 Group Parameter specification
15660 (agent-score ("from"
15661 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
15666 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
15672 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
15679 Category specification
15682 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
15688 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
15692 Group Parameter specification
15695 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
15698 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
15703 Use @code{normal} score files
15705 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
15706 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
15707 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
15708 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
15710 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
15711 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
15712 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
15713 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
15717 Category Specification
15724 Group Parameter specification
15727 (agent-score . file)
15732 @node Category Buffer
15733 @subsubsection Category Buffer
15735 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
15736 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
15737 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
15739 The following commands are available in this buffer:
15743 @kindex q (Category)
15744 @findex gnus-category-exit
15745 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
15748 @kindex k (Category)
15749 @findex gnus-category-kill
15750 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
15753 @kindex c (Category)
15754 @findex gnus-category-copy
15755 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
15758 @kindex a (Category)
15759 @findex gnus-category-add
15760 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
15763 @kindex p (Category)
15764 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
15765 Edit the predicate of the current category
15766 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
15769 @kindex g (Category)
15770 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
15771 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
15772 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
15775 @kindex s (Category)
15776 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
15777 Edit the download score rule of the current category
15778 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
15781 @kindex l (Category)
15782 @findex gnus-category-list
15783 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
15787 @node Category Variables
15788 @subsubsection Category Variables
15791 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
15792 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
15793 Hook run in category buffers.
15795 @item gnus-category-line-format
15796 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
15797 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
15798 Variables}). Valid elements are:
15802 The name of the category.
15805 The number of groups in the category.
15808 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
15809 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
15810 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
15812 @item gnus-agent-short-article
15813 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
15814 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
15816 @item gnus-agent-long-article
15817 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
15818 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
15820 @item gnus-agent-low-score
15821 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
15822 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
15825 @item gnus-agent-high-score
15826 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
15827 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
15833 @node Agent Commands
15834 @subsection Agent Commands
15836 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
15837 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
15838 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
15842 * Group Agent Commands::
15843 * Summary Agent Commands::
15844 * Server Agent Commands::
15847 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
15848 following incantation:
15850 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
15852 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
15857 @node Group Agent Commands
15858 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
15862 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
15863 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
15864 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
15865 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
15868 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
15869 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
15870 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
15873 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
15874 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
15875 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
15876 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
15879 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
15880 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
15881 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
15882 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
15885 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
15886 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
15887 Add the current group to an Agent category
15888 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
15889 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15892 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
15893 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
15894 Remove the current group from its category, if any
15895 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
15896 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15899 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
15900 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
15901 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
15907 @node Summary Agent Commands
15908 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
15912 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
15913 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
15914 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
15917 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
15918 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
15919 Remove the downloading mark from the article
15920 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
15923 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
15924 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
15925 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
15928 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
15929 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
15930 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
15933 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
15934 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
15935 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
15936 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
15941 @node Server Agent Commands
15942 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
15946 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
15947 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
15948 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
15949 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
15952 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
15953 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
15954 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
15955 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
15961 @subsection Agent Expiry
15963 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
15964 @findex gnus-agent-expire
15965 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
15966 @cindex Agent expiry
15967 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
15970 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
15971 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
15972 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
15973 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
15974 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
15975 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
15977 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
15978 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
15979 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
15980 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
15981 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
15984 @node Agent and IMAP
15985 @subsection Agent and IMAP
15987 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
15988 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
15989 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
15990 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
15992 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
15993 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
15994 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
15995 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
15997 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
15998 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
15999 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
16000 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
16001 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
16003 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16004 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
16005 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
16006 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
16007 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
16008 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
16010 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
16011 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
16012 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
16013 in the group buffer by default.
16015 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
16016 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
16021 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
16024 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
16028 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
16029 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
16030 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
16031 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
16032 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
16033 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
16034 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
16035 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
16038 @node Outgoing Messages
16039 @subsection Outgoing Messages
16041 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
16042 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
16043 after posting, and edit them at will.
16045 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
16046 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
16047 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
16048 messages in the draft group.
16052 @node Agent Variables
16053 @subsection Agent Variables
16056 @item gnus-agent-directory
16057 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
16058 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
16059 @file{~/News/agent/}.
16061 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
16062 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
16063 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
16064 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
16065 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
16068 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16069 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16070 Hook run when connecting to the network.
16072 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16073 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16074 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
16079 @node Example Setup
16080 @subsection Example Setup
16082 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
16083 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
16084 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
16087 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
16088 ;;; from your ISP's server.
16089 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
16091 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
16092 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
16093 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
16095 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
16096 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
16098 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
16102 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
16103 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
16106 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
16107 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
16108 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
16109 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
16110 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
16113 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
16114 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
16115 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
16116 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
16117 back all the killed groups.)
16119 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
16120 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
16121 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
16124 @node Batching Agents
16125 @subsection Batching Agents
16127 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
16128 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
16129 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
16133 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
16137 @node Agent Caveats
16138 @subsection Agent Caveats
16140 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
16141 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
16145 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
16150 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
16151 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
16157 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
16158 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
16165 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
16166 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
16167 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
16170 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
16171 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
16172 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
16173 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
16174 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
16176 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
16177 before generating the summary buffer.
16179 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
16180 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
16181 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
16183 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
16184 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
16185 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
16186 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
16189 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
16190 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
16191 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
16192 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
16193 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
16194 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
16195 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
16196 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
16197 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
16198 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
16199 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
16200 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
16201 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
16202 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
16203 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
16204 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
16205 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
16209 @node Summary Score Commands
16210 @section Summary Score Commands
16211 @cindex score commands
16213 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
16214 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
16215 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
16216 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
16217 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
16219 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
16220 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
16221 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
16222 score file the current one.
16224 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
16229 @kindex V s (Summary)
16230 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
16231 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
16234 @kindex V S (Summary)
16235 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
16236 Display the score of the current article
16237 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
16240 @kindex V t (Summary)
16241 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
16242 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
16243 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
16246 @kindex V R (Summary)
16247 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
16248 Run the current summary through the scoring process
16249 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
16250 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
16251 effect you're having.
16254 @kindex V c (Summary)
16255 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
16256 Make a different score file the current
16257 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
16260 @kindex V e (Summary)
16261 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
16262 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
16263 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
16267 @kindex V f (Summary)
16268 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
16269 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
16270 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
16273 @kindex V F (Summary)
16274 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16275 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
16276 after editing score files.
16279 @kindex V C (Summary)
16280 @findex gnus-score-customize
16281 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
16282 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
16286 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
16291 @kindex V m (Summary)
16292 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
16293 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
16294 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
16297 @kindex V x (Summary)
16298 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
16299 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
16300 expunge all articles below this score
16301 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
16304 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
16305 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
16308 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
16309 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
16313 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
16314 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
16316 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
16317 keys are available:
16321 Score on the author name.
16324 Score on the subject line.
16327 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
16330 Score on the @code{References} line.
16336 Score on the number of lines.
16339 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
16342 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
16343 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
16344 @file{ADAPT} files.)
16353 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
16359 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
16360 what headers you are scoring on.
16372 Substring matching.
16375 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
16404 Greater than number.
16409 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
16410 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
16411 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
16415 Temporary score entry.
16418 Permanent score entry.
16421 Immediately scoring.
16426 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
16427 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
16428 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
16429 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
16431 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
16432 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
16433 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
16434 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
16435 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
16437 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
16438 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
16439 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
16440 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
16441 current score file.
16443 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
16444 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
16445 pretend they are keymaps or not.
16448 @node Group Score Commands
16449 @section Group Score Commands
16450 @cindex group score commands
16452 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
16457 @kindex W f (Group)
16458 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16459 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
16460 all the time. This command will flush the cache
16461 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
16465 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
16467 @findex gnus-batch-score
16468 @cindex batch scoring
16470 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
16474 @node Score Variables
16475 @section Score Variables
16476 @cindex score variables
16480 @item gnus-use-scoring
16481 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
16482 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
16483 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
16485 @item gnus-kill-killed
16486 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
16487 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
16488 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
16489 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
16490 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
16491 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
16492 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
16494 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
16495 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
16496 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
16497 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
16498 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
16500 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
16501 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
16502 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
16503 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
16505 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16506 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16507 @cindex score cache
16508 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
16509 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
16510 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
16511 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
16512 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
16513 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
16516 @item gnus-save-score
16517 @vindex gnus-save-score
16518 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
16519 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
16520 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
16522 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
16523 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
16524 across group visits.
16526 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16527 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16528 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
16529 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
16530 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
16531 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
16532 manually entered data.
16534 @item gnus-summary-default-score
16535 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
16536 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
16538 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
16539 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
16540 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
16541 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
16542 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
16543 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
16545 @item gnus-score-over-mark
16546 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
16547 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
16548 default. Default is @samp{+}.
16550 @item gnus-score-below-mark
16551 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
16552 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
16553 default. Default is @samp{-}.
16555 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16556 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16557 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
16558 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
16560 Predefined functions available are:
16563 @item gnus-score-find-single
16564 @findex gnus-score-find-single
16565 Only apply the group's own score file.
16567 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
16568 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
16569 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
16570 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
16571 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
16572 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
16573 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
16574 then a regexp match is done.
16576 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
16577 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
16579 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
16580 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
16581 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
16582 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
16584 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16585 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16586 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
16587 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
16588 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
16592 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
16593 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
16594 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
16595 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
16596 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
16597 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
16598 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
16601 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
16602 overall score file, you could use the value
16604 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
16605 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
16608 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
16609 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
16610 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
16611 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
16612 are expired. It's 7 by default.
16614 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16615 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16616 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
16617 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
16618 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
16619 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
16620 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
16623 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16624 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16625 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
16627 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
16628 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
16629 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
16630 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
16631 threading---according to the current value of
16632 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
16633 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
16634 simplified in this manner.
16639 @node Score File Format
16640 @section Score File Format
16641 @cindex score file format
16643 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
16644 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
16645 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
16647 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
16651 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
16653 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
16655 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
16657 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
16662 (mark-and-expunge -10)
16666 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
16667 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
16668 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
16669 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
16673 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
16674 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
16676 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
16677 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
16678 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
16680 Six keys are supported by this alist:
16685 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
16686 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
16687 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
16688 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
16689 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
16690 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
16691 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
16692 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
16693 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
16694 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
16695 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
16696 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
16697 to articles that matches these score entries.
16699 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
16700 score entry has one to four elements.
16704 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
16705 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
16709 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
16710 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
16711 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
16712 is successful. If this element is not present, the
16713 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
16714 instead. This is 1000 by default.
16717 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
16718 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
16719 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
16720 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
16721 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
16724 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
16725 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
16726 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
16727 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
16730 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
16731 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
16732 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
16733 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
16734 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
16735 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
16736 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
16737 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
16738 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
16739 instead, if you feel like.
16742 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
16743 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
16745 These predicates are true if
16748 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
16751 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
16752 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
16759 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
16760 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
16761 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
16762 it's not. I think.)
16764 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
16765 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
16766 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
16767 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
16770 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
16771 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
16772 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
16773 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
16774 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
16775 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
16776 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
16780 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
16781 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
16782 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
16783 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
16784 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
16785 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
16786 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
16787 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
16790 @item Head, Body, All
16791 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
16795 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
16796 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
16797 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
16798 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
16799 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
16800 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
16801 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
16805 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
16806 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
16807 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
16808 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
16809 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
16810 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
16811 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
16812 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
16813 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
16814 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
16815 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
16819 @cindex Score File Atoms
16821 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16822 lower than this number will be marked as read.
16825 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16826 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
16828 @item mark-and-expunge
16829 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16830 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
16833 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
16834 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
16835 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
16836 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
16837 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
16840 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
16841 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
16844 @item exclude-files
16845 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
16846 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
16850 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
16851 ignored when handling global score files.
16854 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
16855 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
16856 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
16857 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
16860 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
16861 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
16862 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
16863 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
16865 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
16869 (mark-and-expunge -100)
16872 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
16873 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
16874 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
16875 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
16876 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
16878 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
16879 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
16880 scoring rules exist.
16883 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
16884 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
16885 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
16886 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
16887 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
16888 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
16889 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
16890 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
16891 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
16892 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
16893 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
16897 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
16898 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
16899 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
16900 file for a number of groups.
16903 @cindex local variables
16904 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
16905 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
16906 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
16907 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
16908 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
16912 @node Score File Editing
16913 @section Score File Editing
16915 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
16916 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
16917 with a mode for that.
16919 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
16920 additional commands:
16925 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
16926 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
16927 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
16928 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
16931 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
16932 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
16933 Insert the current date in numerical format
16934 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
16935 you were wondering.
16938 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
16939 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
16940 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
16941 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
16942 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
16947 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
16949 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
16950 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
16952 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
16953 e} to begin editing score files.
16956 @node Adaptive Scoring
16957 @section Adaptive Scoring
16958 @cindex adaptive scoring
16960 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
16961 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
16962 stupidity, to be precise.
16964 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
16965 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
16966 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
16967 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
16968 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
16969 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
16970 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
16971 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
16972 variable to @code{(word line)}.
16974 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16975 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
16976 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
16977 might look something like this:
16980 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16981 '((gnus-unread-mark)
16982 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
16983 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
16984 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
16985 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
16986 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
16987 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
16988 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
16989 (gnus-ancient-mark)
16990 (gnus-low-score-mark)
16991 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
16994 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
16995 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
16996 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
16997 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
16998 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
16999 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
17002 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
17003 will be applied to each article.
17005 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
17006 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
17007 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
17008 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
17010 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
17011 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
17012 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
17013 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
17015 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
17016 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
17017 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
17018 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
17020 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
17021 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
17022 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
17023 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
17024 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
17025 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
17027 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
17028 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
17029 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
17030 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
17031 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
17032 aspirins afterwards.)
17034 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
17035 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
17036 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
17038 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
17039 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
17040 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
17042 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
17043 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
17044 let you use different rules in different groups.
17046 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
17047 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
17048 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
17051 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
17052 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
17053 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
17054 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
17055 the length of the match is less than
17056 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
17057 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
17060 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17061 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
17062 headers. If you adapt on words, the
17063 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
17064 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
17067 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17068 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
17069 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
17070 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
17071 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
17074 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
17075 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
17076 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
17077 score with 30 points.
17079 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
17080 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
17081 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
17082 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
17083 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
17085 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
17086 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
17087 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
17088 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
17089 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
17091 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
17092 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
17093 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
17094 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
17096 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
17097 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
17098 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
17099 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
17101 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
17102 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
17103 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
17104 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
17105 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
17107 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
17108 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
17109 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
17111 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
17112 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
17113 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
17114 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
17117 @node Home Score File
17118 @section Home Score File
17120 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
17121 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
17122 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
17123 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
17125 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
17126 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
17127 could perhaps use the same home score file.
17129 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
17130 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
17135 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
17139 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
17140 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
17144 A list. The elements in this list can be:
17148 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
17149 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
17152 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
17153 the home score file.
17156 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
17159 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
17164 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
17167 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17168 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
17171 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
17172 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
17174 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
17176 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17177 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
17180 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
17181 Other functions include
17184 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
17185 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
17186 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
17187 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
17191 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
17192 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
17193 their own home score files:
17196 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17197 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
17198 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
17199 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
17200 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
17203 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
17204 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
17205 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
17206 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
17207 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
17209 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
17210 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
17211 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
17212 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
17213 precedence over this variable.
17216 @node Followups To Yourself
17217 @section Followups To Yourself
17219 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
17220 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
17221 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
17222 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
17223 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
17224 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
17228 @item gnus-score-followup-article
17229 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
17230 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
17233 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
17234 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
17235 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
17239 @vindex message-sent-hook
17240 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
17241 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
17243 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
17247 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
17248 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
17252 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17253 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17256 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
17257 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
17262 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
17266 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
17267 is system-dependent.
17270 @node Scoring On Other Headers
17271 @section Scoring On Other Headers
17272 @cindex scoring on other headers
17274 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
17275 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
17276 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
17277 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
17278 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
17280 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
17281 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
17282 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
17283 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
17284 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
17286 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
17289 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
17290 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
17293 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
17294 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
17295 time if you have much mail.
17297 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
17298 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
17304 @section Scoring Tips
17305 @cindex scoring tips
17311 @cindex scoring crossposts
17312 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
17313 the @code{Xref} header.
17315 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
17318 @item Multiple crossposts
17319 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
17320 more than, say, 3 groups:
17323 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
17327 @item Matching on the body
17328 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
17329 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
17330 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
17331 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
17332 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
17333 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
17334 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
17337 @item Marking as read
17338 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
17339 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
17340 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
17344 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
17346 @item Negated character classes
17347 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
17348 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
17349 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
17353 @node Reverse Scoring
17354 @section Reverse Scoring
17355 @cindex reverse scoring
17357 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
17358 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
17359 like this in your score file:
17363 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
17368 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
17369 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
17372 @node Global Score Files
17373 @section Global Score Files
17374 @cindex global score files
17376 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
17377 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
17378 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
17380 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
17381 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
17382 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
17384 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
17385 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
17386 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
17387 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
17388 files are applicable to which group.
17390 To use the score file
17391 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
17392 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
17396 (setq gnus-global-score-files
17397 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
17398 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
17401 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
17403 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
17404 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
17405 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
17406 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
17408 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
17409 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
17411 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
17412 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
17413 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
17414 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
17415 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
17416 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
17418 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
17424 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
17426 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
17428 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
17430 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
17431 lowered out of existence.
17433 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
17434 articles completely.
17437 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
17438 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
17439 old articles for a long time.
17442 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
17443 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
17444 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
17445 holding our breath yet?
17449 @section Kill Files
17452 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
17453 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
17454 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
17456 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
17457 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
17458 files into score files.
17460 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
17461 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
17462 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
17463 that isn't a very good idea.
17465 Normal kill files look like this:
17468 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17469 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
17473 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
17474 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
17476 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
17477 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
17480 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
17485 @kindex M-k (Summary)
17486 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
17487 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
17490 @kindex M-K (Summary)
17491 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
17492 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
17495 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
17500 @kindex M-k (Group)
17501 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
17502 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
17505 @kindex M-K (Group)
17506 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
17507 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
17510 Kill file variables:
17513 @item gnus-kill-file-name
17514 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
17515 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
17516 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
17517 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
17518 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
17519 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
17521 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17522 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17523 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
17524 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
17527 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
17528 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
17529 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
17530 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
17531 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
17532 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
17533 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
17534 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
17535 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
17537 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17538 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17539 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
17544 @node Converting Kill Files
17545 @section Converting Kill Files
17547 @cindex converting kill files
17549 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
17550 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
17551 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
17554 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
17555 You can fetch it from
17556 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
17558 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
17559 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
17560 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
17568 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
17569 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
17570 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
17571 news articles generated every day.
17573 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
17574 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
17575 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
17576 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
17577 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
17578 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
17579 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
17580 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
17583 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
17584 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
17587 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
17588 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
17589 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
17590 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
17594 @node Using GroupLens
17595 @subsection Using GroupLens
17597 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
17599 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
17600 better bit in town at the moment.
17602 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
17606 @item gnus-use-grouplens
17607 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
17608 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
17609 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
17611 @item grouplens-pseudonym
17612 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
17613 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
17614 with the Better Bit Bureau.
17616 @item grouplens-newsgroups
17617 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
17618 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
17622 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
17623 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
17624 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
17625 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
17626 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
17627 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
17630 @node Rating Articles
17631 @subsection Rating Articles
17633 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
17634 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
17635 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
17636 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
17639 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
17644 @kindex r (GroupLens)
17645 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
17646 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
17649 @kindex k (GroupLens)
17650 @findex grouplens-score-thread
17651 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
17652 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
17653 threads in rec.humor.
17657 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
17658 the score of the article you're reading.
17663 @kindex n (GroupLens)
17664 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
17665 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
17668 @kindex , (GroupLens)
17669 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
17670 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
17674 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
17675 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
17678 @node Displaying Predictions
17679 @subsection Displaying Predictions
17681 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
17682 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
17683 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
17684 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
17685 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
17687 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
17688 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
17689 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
17690 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
17691 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
17692 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
17693 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
17694 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
17695 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
17696 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
17697 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
17698 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
17699 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
17701 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
17702 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
17703 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
17704 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
17706 The following are valid values for that variable.
17709 @item prediction-spot
17710 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
17713 @item confidence-interval
17714 A numeric confidence interval.
17716 @item prediction-bar
17717 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
17719 @item confidence-bar
17720 Numerical confidence.
17722 @item confidence-spot
17723 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
17725 @item prediction-num
17726 Plain-old numeric value.
17728 @item confidence-plus-minus
17729 Prediction +/- confidence.
17734 @node GroupLens Variables
17735 @subsection GroupLens Variables
17739 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
17740 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
17741 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
17742 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
17745 @item grouplens-bbb-host
17746 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
17749 @item grouplens-bbb-port
17750 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
17752 @item grouplens-score-offset
17753 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
17754 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
17757 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
17758 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
17759 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
17764 @node Advanced Scoring
17765 @section Advanced Scoring
17767 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
17768 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
17769 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
17770 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
17771 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
17773 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
17777 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
17778 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
17779 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
17783 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
17784 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
17786 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
17787 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
17788 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
17789 non-@code{nil} value.
17791 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
17792 operator, and various match operators.
17799 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
17800 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
17801 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
17806 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
17807 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
17808 then this operator will return @code{false}.
17813 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
17814 logical negation of the value of its argument.
17818 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
17819 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
17820 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
17821 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
17822 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
17823 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
17824 the ancestry you want to go.
17826 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
17827 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
17828 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
17829 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
17830 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
17833 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
17834 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
17836 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
17837 when he's talking about Gnus:
17841 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17842 ("subject" "Gnus"))
17848 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
17852 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17859 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
17860 really don't want to read what he's written:
17864 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17865 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
17869 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
17870 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
17871 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
17878 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
17879 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
17880 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
17881 ("body" "white.*socks"))
17885 The possibilities are endless.
17888 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
17889 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
17891 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
17892 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
17893 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
17894 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
17895 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
17896 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
17897 @samp{subject}) first.
17899 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
17900 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
17911 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
17912 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
17918 ("subject" "Gnus")))
17925 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
17926 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
17931 @section Score Decays
17932 @cindex score decays
17935 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
17936 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
17937 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
17938 use them in any sensible way.
17940 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
17941 @findex gnus-decay-score
17942 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
17943 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
17944 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
17945 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
17946 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
17947 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
17948 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
17949 definition of that function:
17952 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
17954 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
17955 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
17958 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
17960 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
17962 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
17965 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
17966 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
17967 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
17968 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
17972 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
17975 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
17978 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
17982 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
17983 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
17984 the new score, which should be an integer.
17986 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
17987 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
17992 @include message.texi
17993 @chapter Emacs MIME
17994 @include emacs-mime.texi
18002 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
18003 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
18004 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
18005 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
18006 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
18007 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
18008 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
18009 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
18010 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
18011 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
18012 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
18013 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
18014 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
18015 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
18016 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
18017 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
18018 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
18019 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
18023 @node Process/Prefix
18024 @section Process/Prefix
18025 @cindex process/prefix convention
18027 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
18028 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
18030 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
18031 command to be performed on.
18035 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
18036 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
18037 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
18038 with the current one.
18040 @vindex transient-mark-mode
18041 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
18042 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
18044 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
18045 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
18048 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
18049 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
18051 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
18054 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
18055 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
18056 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
18057 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
18059 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
18060 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
18061 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
18062 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
18063 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
18064 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
18065 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
18066 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
18068 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
18069 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
18070 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
18071 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
18072 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
18076 @section Interactive
18077 @cindex interaction
18081 @item gnus-novice-user
18082 @vindex gnus-novice-user
18083 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
18084 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
18085 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
18086 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
18089 @item gnus-expert-user
18090 @vindex gnus-expert-user
18091 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
18092 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
18093 matter how strange.
18095 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
18096 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
18097 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
18098 is @code{t} by default.
18100 @item gnus-interactive-exit
18101 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
18102 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18107 @node Symbolic Prefixes
18108 @section Symbolic Prefixes
18109 @cindex symbolic prefixes
18111 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
18112 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
18113 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
18114 rule of 900 to the current article.
18116 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
18117 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
18118 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
18119 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
18120 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
18121 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
18122 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
18124 @kindex M-i (Summary)
18125 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
18126 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
18127 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
18128 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
18129 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
18130 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
18131 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
18132 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
18134 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
18135 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
18136 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
18138 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
18142 @node Formatting Variables
18143 @section Formatting Variables
18144 @cindex formatting variables
18146 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
18147 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
18148 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
18149 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
18150 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
18153 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
18154 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
18155 lots of percentages everywhere.
18158 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
18159 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
18160 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
18161 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
18162 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
18163 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
18164 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
18165 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
18168 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
18169 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
18170 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
18171 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
18172 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
18173 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
18174 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
18175 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
18177 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
18178 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
18180 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
18181 @findex gnus-update-format
18182 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
18183 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
18184 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
18185 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
18189 @node Formatting Basics
18190 @subsection Formatting Basics
18192 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
18193 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
18194 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
18196 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
18197 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
18198 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
18199 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
18200 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
18203 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
18204 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
18205 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
18206 less than 4 characters wide.
18208 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
18209 @samp{%&user-date;}.
18211 @node Mode Line Formatting
18212 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
18214 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
18215 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
18216 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
18217 with the following two differences:
18222 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
18225 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
18226 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
18227 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
18228 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
18229 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
18230 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
18231 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
18236 @node Advanced Formatting
18237 @subsection Advanced Formatting
18239 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
18240 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
18241 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
18242 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
18244 These are the valid modifiers:
18249 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
18253 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
18258 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
18261 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
18266 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
18269 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
18272 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
18275 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
18279 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
18280 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
18281 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
18282 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
18283 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
18284 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
18285 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
18287 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
18288 last operation, padding.
18290 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
18291 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
18292 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
18293 @xref{Compilation}.
18296 @node User-Defined Specs
18297 @subsection User-Defined Specs
18299 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
18300 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
18301 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
18302 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
18303 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
18304 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
18305 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
18306 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
18307 should protect against that.
18309 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
18310 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
18312 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
18313 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
18314 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
18315 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
18319 @node Formatting Fonts
18320 @subsection Formatting Fonts
18322 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
18323 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
18324 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
18325 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
18328 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
18329 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
18330 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
18331 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
18332 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
18333 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
18335 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
18336 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
18337 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
18338 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
18339 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
18340 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
18341 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
18342 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
18344 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
18347 ;; Create three face types.
18348 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
18349 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
18351 ;; We want the article count to be in
18352 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
18353 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
18354 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
18356 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
18357 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
18359 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
18360 (setq gnus-group-line-format
18361 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
18364 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
18365 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
18367 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
18368 mode-line variables.
18370 @node Positioning Point
18371 @subsection Positioning Point
18373 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
18374 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
18375 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
18377 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
18379 @findex gnus-goto-colon
18380 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
18381 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
18383 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
18384 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%C} specifier. If you
18385 put a @samp{%C} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
18390 @subsection Tabulation
18392 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
18393 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
18394 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
18395 about lining up the following text afterwards.
18397 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
18398 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
18400 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18401 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
18402 This is the soft tabulator.
18404 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18405 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
18406 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
18409 @node Wide Characters
18410 @subsection Wide Characters
18412 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
18413 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
18414 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
18416 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
18417 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
18418 these coutries, that's not true.
18420 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
18421 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
18422 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
18423 prettieer. The default value is @code{t}.
18427 @node Window Layout
18428 @section Window Layout
18429 @cindex window layout
18431 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
18433 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
18434 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
18435 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
18436 @code{t} by default.
18438 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
18439 glitches. Use at your own peril.
18441 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
18442 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
18443 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
18446 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
18447 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
18448 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
18452 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
18453 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
18454 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
18455 possible names is listed below.
18457 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
18458 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
18461 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
18465 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
18466 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
18467 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
18468 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
18469 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
18470 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
18471 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
18472 size spec per split.
18474 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
18475 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
18476 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
18477 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
18478 present) gets focus.
18480 Here's a more complicated example:
18483 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
18484 (summary 0.25 point)
18485 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
18489 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
18490 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
18491 occupy, not a percentage.
18493 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
18494 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
18495 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
18496 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
18497 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
18500 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
18503 (article (horizontal 1.0
18508 (summary 0.25 point)
18513 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
18514 @code{horizontal} thingie?
18516 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
18517 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
18518 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
18519 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
18520 the screen is to be given to this strip.
18522 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
18523 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
18524 lines from the splits.
18526 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
18530 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
18531 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
18532 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
18533 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
18534 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
18535 size = number | frame-params
18536 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
18539 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
18540 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
18541 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
18542 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
18544 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
18545 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
18546 @cindex window height
18547 @cindex window width
18548 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
18549 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
18550 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
18551 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
18552 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
18553 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
18555 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
18556 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
18557 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
18558 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
18560 @findex gnus-configure-frame
18561 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
18562 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
18563 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
18564 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
18565 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
18566 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
18567 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
18568 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
18569 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
18570 configuration list.
18573 (gnus-configure-frame
18577 (article 0.3 point))
18585 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
18586 @code{frame} split:
18589 (gnus-configure-frame
18592 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
18594 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
18595 (user-position . t)
18596 (left . -1) (top . 1))
18601 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
18602 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
18603 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
18604 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
18605 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
18606 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
18607 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
18608 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
18610 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
18611 be found in its default value.
18613 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
18614 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
18615 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
18619 (message (horizontal 1.0
18620 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
18622 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
18627 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
18628 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
18629 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
18634 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
18635 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
18636 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
18637 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
18638 (name . "Message"))
18639 (message 1.0 point))))
18642 @findex gnus-add-configuration
18643 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
18644 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
18645 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
18646 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
18649 (gnus-add-configuration
18650 '(article (vertical 1.0
18652 (summary .25 point)
18656 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
18657 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
18658 Gnus has been loaded.
18660 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
18661 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
18662 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
18663 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
18664 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
18666 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
18667 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
18668 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
18671 @subsection Example Window Configurations
18675 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
18676 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
18691 (gnus-add-configuration
18694 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
18696 (summary 0.16 point)
18699 (gnus-add-configuration
18702 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
18703 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
18709 @node Faces and Fonts
18710 @section Faces and Fonts
18715 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
18716 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
18717 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
18722 @section Compilation
18723 @cindex compilation
18724 @cindex byte-compilation
18726 @findex gnus-compile
18728 Remember all those line format specification variables?
18729 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
18730 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
18731 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
18732 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
18733 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
18736 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
18737 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
18738 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
18739 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
18740 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
18741 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
18742 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
18746 @section Mode Lines
18749 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
18750 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
18751 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
18752 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
18753 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
18754 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
18755 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
18758 @cindex display-time
18760 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
18761 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
18762 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
18763 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
18764 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
18765 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
18766 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
18767 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
18770 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
18772 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
18773 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
18775 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
18776 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
18777 (length display-time-string)))))
18780 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
18781 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
18782 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
18783 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
18784 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
18787 @node Highlighting and Menus
18788 @section Highlighting and Menus
18790 @cindex highlighting
18793 @vindex gnus-visual
18794 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
18795 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
18796 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
18799 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
18800 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
18803 @item group-highlight
18804 Do highlights in the group buffer.
18805 @item summary-highlight
18806 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
18807 @item article-highlight
18808 Do highlights in the article buffer.
18810 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
18812 Create menus in the group buffer.
18814 Create menus in the summary buffers.
18816 Create menus in the article buffer.
18818 Create menus in the browse buffer.
18820 Create menus in the server buffer.
18822 Create menus in the score buffers.
18824 Create menus in all buffers.
18827 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
18828 buffers, you could say something like:
18831 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
18834 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
18837 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
18840 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
18841 in all Gnus buffers.
18843 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
18846 @item gnus-mouse-face
18847 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
18848 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
18849 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
18853 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
18857 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
18858 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
18859 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
18861 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
18862 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
18863 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
18865 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
18866 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
18867 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
18869 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
18870 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
18871 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
18873 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
18874 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
18875 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
18877 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
18878 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
18879 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
18890 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
18891 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
18892 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
18893 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
18894 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
18898 @vindex gnus-carpal
18899 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
18900 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
18901 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
18906 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
18907 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
18908 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
18910 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
18911 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
18912 Face used on buttons.
18914 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
18915 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
18916 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
18918 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
18919 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
18920 Buttons in the group buffer.
18922 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
18923 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
18924 Buttons in the summary buffer.
18926 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
18927 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
18928 Buttons in the server buffer.
18930 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
18931 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
18932 Buttons in the browse buffer.
18935 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
18936 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
18937 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
18945 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
18946 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
18947 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
18948 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
18949 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
18951 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
18952 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
18953 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
18955 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
18956 been idle for thirty minutes:
18959 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
18962 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
18966 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
18969 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
18970 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
18971 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
18973 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
18974 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
18975 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
18976 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
18978 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
18979 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
18980 @var{idle} minutes.
18982 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
18983 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
18986 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
18987 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
18988 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
18990 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
18991 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
18992 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
18993 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
18995 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
18996 your @file{.gnus} file:
18998 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
19000 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
19003 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
19004 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
19005 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
19006 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
19007 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
19008 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
19009 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
19010 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
19011 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
19012 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
19013 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
19015 @findex gnus-demon-init
19016 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
19017 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
19018 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
19019 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
19020 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
19022 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
19023 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
19024 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
19033 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
19034 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
19036 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
19037 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
19038 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
19039 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
19042 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
19043 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
19044 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
19045 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
19047 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
19048 this will make spam disappear.
19050 There are some variables to customize, of course:
19053 @item gnus-use-nocem
19054 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
19055 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
19058 @item gnus-nocem-groups
19059 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
19060 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
19061 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
19062 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
19064 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
19065 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
19066 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
19067 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
19068 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
19069 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
19071 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
19072 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
19074 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
19075 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
19076 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
19077 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
19078 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
19079 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
19080 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
19081 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
19082 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
19083 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
19085 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
19086 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
19089 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
19092 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
19093 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
19096 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
19099 The specs are applied left-to-right.
19102 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
19103 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
19105 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
19106 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
19107 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
19108 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
19110 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
19111 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
19114 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
19116 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
19124 This might be dangerous, though.
19126 @item gnus-nocem-directory
19127 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
19128 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
19129 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
19131 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19132 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19133 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
19134 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
19135 might then see old spam.
19137 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
19138 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
19139 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
19140 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
19141 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
19144 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19145 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19146 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
19147 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
19151 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
19152 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
19153 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
19154 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
19161 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
19162 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
19163 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
19165 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
19166 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
19167 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
19168 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
19169 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
19170 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
19171 @code{undo} function.
19173 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
19174 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
19175 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
19176 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
19177 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
19178 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
19179 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
19180 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
19181 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
19182 never be totally undoable.
19184 @findex gnus-undo-mode
19185 @vindex gnus-use-undo
19187 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
19188 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
19189 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
19190 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
19195 @section Moderation
19198 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
19199 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
19200 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
19203 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
19207 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
19210 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
19212 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
19217 You split your incoming mail by matching on
19218 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
19219 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
19222 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
19223 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
19226 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
19227 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
19231 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
19234 (setq gnus-moderated-list
19235 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
19239 @node XEmacs Enhancements
19240 @section XEmacs Enhancements
19243 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
19247 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
19248 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
19249 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
19250 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
19263 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
19264 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
19265 over your shoulder as you read news.
19268 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
19269 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
19270 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
19271 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
19272 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
19277 @subsubsection Picon Basics
19279 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
19288 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
19289 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
19290 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
19291 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
19292 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
19293 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
19294 @code{GIF} formats.
19297 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19298 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
19299 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
19300 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
19301 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
19303 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19304 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
19305 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
19306 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
19307 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
19308 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19311 @node Picon Requirements
19312 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
19314 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
19315 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
19316 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
19317 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
19319 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19320 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
19321 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
19322 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
19323 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
19327 @subsubsection Easy Picons
19329 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
19330 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
19333 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
19334 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
19337 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
19338 containing the Picons databases.
19340 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
19343 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19344 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
19349 @subsubsection Hard Picons
19357 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
19358 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
19359 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
19360 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
19361 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
19366 @item gnus-picons-database
19367 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19368 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
19369 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
19370 subdirectories. This is only useful if
19371 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
19372 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
19374 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19375 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19376 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
19377 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
19378 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
19379 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
19380 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19382 @item gnus-picons-display-where
19383 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19384 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
19385 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
19386 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
19387 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
19388 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
19389 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
19391 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19392 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19393 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
19398 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
19399 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
19401 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
19402 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
19405 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19407 @item gnus-article-display-picons
19408 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
19409 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
19410 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
19412 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
19413 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
19414 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
19420 @node Picon Useless Configuration
19421 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
19429 The following variables offer further control over how things are
19430 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
19431 don't need to worry about.
19435 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
19436 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
19437 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
19438 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
19440 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
19441 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
19442 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
19443 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
19445 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
19446 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
19447 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
19448 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
19449 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
19451 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19452 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19453 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
19454 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
19455 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
19456 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
19457 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
19459 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
19460 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
19461 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
19462 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
19464 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
19465 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
19466 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
19467 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
19468 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
19469 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
19470 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
19472 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
19473 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
19474 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
19475 Defaults to @code{nil}.
19477 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
19478 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
19479 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
19480 Defaults to @code{t}.
19482 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
19483 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
19484 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
19485 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
19487 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
19488 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
19489 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
19491 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
19492 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
19493 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
19494 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
19496 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
19497 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
19499 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
19500 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
19501 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
19502 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
19503 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
19504 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
19505 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
19506 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
19517 @subsection Smileys
19522 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
19527 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
19528 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
19530 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
19531 @file{.gnus.el} file:
19534 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
19537 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
19538 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
19539 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
19540 text and maps that to file names.
19542 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
19543 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
19544 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
19545 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
19546 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
19547 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
19549 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
19550 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
19552 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
19553 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
19554 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
19556 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
19557 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
19561 @item smiley-data-directory
19562 @vindex smiley-data-directory
19563 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
19565 @item smiley-flesh-color
19566 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
19567 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
19569 @item smiley-features-color
19570 @vindex smiley-features-color
19571 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19573 @item smiley-tongue-color
19574 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
19575 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
19577 @item smiley-circle-color
19578 @vindex smiley-circle-color
19579 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19581 @item smiley-mouse-face
19582 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
19583 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
19589 @subsection Toolbar
19599 @item gnus-use-toolbar
19600 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
19601 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
19602 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
19603 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
19605 @item gnus-group-toolbar
19606 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
19607 The toolbar in the group buffer.
19609 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
19610 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
19611 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
19613 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
19614 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
19615 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
19621 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
19624 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
19625 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
19626 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
19627 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
19628 unusual directory structure.
19630 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
19631 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
19632 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
19633 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
19635 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
19636 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
19637 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
19638 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
19639 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
19640 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
19642 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
19643 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
19644 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
19658 @node Fuzzy Matching
19659 @section Fuzzy Matching
19660 @cindex fuzzy matching
19662 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
19663 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
19665 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
19666 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
19667 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
19669 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
19670 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
19671 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
19672 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
19673 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
19676 @node Thwarting Email Spam
19677 @section Thwarting Email Spam
19681 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
19683 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
19684 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
19685 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
19686 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
19687 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
19688 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
19689 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
19690 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
19693 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
19694 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
19695 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
19696 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
19697 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
19698 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
19702 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
19703 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
19705 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
19706 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
19707 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
19708 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
19709 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
19710 part of the mail address.)
19713 (setq message-default-news-headers
19714 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
19717 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
19718 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
19723 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
19724 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
19725 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
19731 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
19732 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
19733 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
19734 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
19736 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
19737 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
19738 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
19739 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
19740 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
19741 your fancy split rule in this way:
19746 (to "larsi" "misc")
19750 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
19751 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
19752 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
19753 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
19754 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
19756 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
19757 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
19758 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
19759 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
19760 cosmic balance somewhat.
19762 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
19763 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
19764 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
19765 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
19768 @node Various Various
19769 @section Various Various
19775 @item gnus-home-directory
19776 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
19777 defaults to @file{~/}.
19779 @item gnus-directory
19780 @vindex gnus-directory
19781 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
19782 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
19783 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
19785 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
19786 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
19787 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
19788 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
19790 @item gnus-default-directory
19791 @vindex gnus-default-directory
19792 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
19793 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
19794 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
19795 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
19796 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
19797 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
19800 @vindex gnus-verbose
19801 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
19802 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
19803 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
19804 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
19805 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
19807 @item gnus-verbose-backends
19808 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
19809 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
19810 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
19812 @item nnheader-max-head-length
19813 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
19814 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
19815 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
19816 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
19817 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
19818 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
19819 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
19820 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
19821 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
19823 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
19824 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
19825 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
19826 read when doing the operation described above.
19828 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19829 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19831 @cindex invalid characters in file names
19832 @cindex characters in file names
19833 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
19834 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
19835 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
19838 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19842 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
19843 Windows (phooey) systems.
19845 @item gnus-hidden-properties
19846 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
19847 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
19848 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
19849 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
19851 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
19852 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
19853 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
19854 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
19855 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
19857 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
19858 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
19859 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
19861 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
19862 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
19864 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
19865 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
19866 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
19867 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
19870 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
19878 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
19879 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
19881 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
19883 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
19889 Not because of victories @*
19892 but for the common sunshine,@*
19894 the largess of the spring.
19898 but for the day's work done@*
19899 as well as I was able;@*
19900 not for a seat upon the dais@*
19901 but at the common table.@*
19906 @chapter Appendices
19909 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
19910 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
19911 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
19912 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
19913 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
19914 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
19915 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
19916 * Frequently Asked Questions::
19924 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
19925 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
19927 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
19928 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
19929 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
19930 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
19931 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
19933 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
19934 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
19935 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
19936 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
19937 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
19938 appropriate name, don't you think?)
19940 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
19941 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
19942 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
19943 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
19946 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
19947 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
19948 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
19949 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
19950 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
19951 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
19952 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
19953 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
19954 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
19958 @node Gnus Versions
19959 @subsection Gnus Versions
19960 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
19962 @cindex September Gnus
19963 @cindex Quassia Gnus
19965 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
19966 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
19967 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
19969 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
19970 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
19972 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
19973 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
19975 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
19976 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
19978 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
19979 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
19982 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
19984 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
19985 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
19986 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
19987 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
19988 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
19989 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
19992 @node Other Gnus Versions
19993 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
19996 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
19997 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
19998 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
19999 @sc{mime} capabilities.
20001 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
20002 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
20003 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
20004 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
20011 What's the point of Gnus?
20013 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
20014 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
20015 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
20016 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
20017 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
20018 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
20019 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
20020 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
20021 keep track of millions of people who post?
20023 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
20024 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
20025 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
20026 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
20027 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
20028 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
20029 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
20030 every one of you to explore and invent.
20032 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
20033 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
20036 @node Compatibility
20037 @subsection Compatibility
20039 @cindex compatibility
20040 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
20041 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
20042 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
20047 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
20051 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
20054 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
20057 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
20058 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
20059 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
20060 important variables have their values copied into their global
20061 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
20062 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
20064 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
20065 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
20066 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
20067 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
20068 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
20072 @cindex highlighting
20073 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
20074 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
20075 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
20076 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
20077 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
20078 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
20081 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
20082 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
20083 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
20084 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
20086 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
20087 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
20088 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
20089 to stop doing it the old way.
20091 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
20093 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
20095 @cindex reporting bugs
20097 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
20098 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
20099 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
20101 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
20102 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
20103 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
20104 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
20109 @subsection Conformity
20111 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
20112 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
20119 There are no known breaches of this standard.
20123 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
20125 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
20126 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
20127 We do have some breaches to this one.
20133 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
20134 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
20135 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
20136 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
20137 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
20142 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
20143 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
20144 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
20145 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
20149 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
20150 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
20155 @subsection Emacsen
20161 Gnus should work on :
20169 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
20173 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
20174 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
20177 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
20178 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
20179 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
20183 @node Gnus Development
20184 @subsection Gnus Development
20186 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
20187 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
20188 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
20189 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
20190 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
20191 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
20192 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
20193 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
20195 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
20196 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
20197 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
20198 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
20199 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
20202 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
20203 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
20204 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
20205 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
20206 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
20208 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
20209 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
20210 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
20211 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
20212 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
20213 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
20214 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
20215 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
20216 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
20217 can't be assumed to do so.
20222 @subsection Contributors
20223 @cindex contributors
20225 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
20226 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
20227 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
20228 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
20229 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
20230 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
20231 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
20232 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
20233 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
20234 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
20236 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
20242 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
20245 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
20246 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
20247 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
20248 functionality and stuff.
20251 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
20252 well as numerous other things).
20255 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
20258 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
20261 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
20264 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
20267 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
20268 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
20271 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
20274 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
20275 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
20278 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
20281 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
20284 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
20287 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
20290 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
20291 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
20294 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
20297 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
20300 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
20303 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
20307 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
20310 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
20313 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
20316 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
20317 well as autoconf support.
20321 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
20322 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
20324 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
20333 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
20337 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
20347 Alexei V. Barantsev,
20362 Massimo Campostrini,
20367 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
20368 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
20372 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
20375 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
20381 Michael Welsh Duggan,
20386 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
20390 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
20398 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
20400 Michelangelo Grigni,
20404 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
20406 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
20408 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
20415 François Felix Ingrand,
20416 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
20417 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
20419 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
20430 Peter Skov Knudsen,
20431 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
20433 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
20434 Thor Kristoffersen,
20437 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
20455 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
20456 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
20463 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
20468 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
20472 John McClary Prevost,
20478 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
20483 Christian von Roques,
20486 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
20493 Philippe Schnoebelen,
20495 Randal L. Schwartz,
20509 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
20514 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
20530 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
20535 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
20536 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
20537 (550kB and counting).
20539 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
20542 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
20543 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
20547 @subsection New Features
20548 @cindex new features
20551 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
20552 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
20553 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
20554 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
20555 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
20558 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
20559 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
20560 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
20563 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
20565 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
20570 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
20571 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
20574 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
20575 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
20578 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
20581 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
20582 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
20583 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
20586 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
20587 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
20588 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
20589 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
20592 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
20593 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20596 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
20597 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
20598 (@pxref{The Active File}).
20601 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
20602 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
20605 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
20606 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
20607 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
20610 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
20611 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
20612 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
20615 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
20616 the @file{.emacs} file.
20619 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
20620 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
20623 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
20624 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
20627 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
20628 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20631 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
20632 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
20635 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
20636 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
20639 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
20642 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
20643 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
20646 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
20647 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
20650 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
20651 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
20654 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
20657 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
20658 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
20661 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
20665 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
20669 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
20670 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
20673 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
20679 @node September Gnus
20680 @subsubsection September Gnus
20684 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
20688 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
20693 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
20694 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
20698 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
20699 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
20703 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
20707 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
20708 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
20711 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
20715 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
20718 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
20721 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
20724 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
20728 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
20729 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
20732 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
20736 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
20740 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
20744 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
20748 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
20751 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
20752 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
20755 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
20759 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
20760 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
20763 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
20766 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
20767 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
20768 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
20771 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
20775 The Gnus cache is much faster.
20778 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
20782 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
20783 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
20786 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
20787 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
20790 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
20791 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
20794 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
20795 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
20796 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
20799 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
20800 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
20803 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
20806 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
20809 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
20812 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
20815 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
20816 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
20819 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
20823 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
20826 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
20831 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
20834 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
20838 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20841 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
20845 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
20848 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
20851 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
20852 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
20855 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
20856 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
20860 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
20861 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
20864 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
20868 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
20869 buffer to allow easier treatment.
20872 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
20875 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
20879 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
20883 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
20884 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
20887 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
20891 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
20892 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
20895 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
20896 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
20899 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
20903 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
20906 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
20909 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
20915 @subsubsection Red Gnus
20917 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
20921 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
20928 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
20931 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
20932 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
20935 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
20936 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
20940 Article washing status can be displayed in the
20941 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
20944 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
20947 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
20948 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
20951 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
20955 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
20956 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
20960 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
20961 Server Internals}).
20964 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
20968 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
20971 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
20972 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
20975 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
20976 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
20977 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
20980 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
20981 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
20984 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
20985 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
20988 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
20992 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
20993 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
20996 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
20997 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
21000 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
21004 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
21007 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
21011 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
21012 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21015 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
21016 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21019 A new command for reading collections of documents
21020 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
21021 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
21024 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
21028 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
21029 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
21032 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
21033 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
21034 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
21037 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
21038 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
21042 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
21046 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
21050 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
21055 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
21059 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
21063 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
21064 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
21067 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
21073 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
21075 New features in Gnus 5.6:
21080 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
21081 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
21082 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
21085 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
21086 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
21087 group, which is created automatically.
21090 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
21094 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
21097 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
21098 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
21101 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
21105 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
21108 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
21109 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
21112 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
21115 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
21116 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
21119 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
21120 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
21123 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
21124 control over simplification.
21127 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
21130 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
21134 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
21137 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
21140 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
21141 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
21142 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
21145 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
21146 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
21149 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
21153 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
21154 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
21157 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
21158 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
21161 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
21165 A history of where mails have been split is available.
21168 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
21171 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
21172 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
21175 A new function for citing in Message has been
21176 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
21179 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
21182 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
21186 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
21187 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
21190 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
21191 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
21194 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
21197 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
21201 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
21202 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
21204 New features in Gnus 5.8:
21209 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
21210 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
21212 If you used procmail like in
21215 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
21216 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
21217 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
21218 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
21221 this now has changed to
21225 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
21229 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
21230 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
21233 Gnus is now a MIME-capable reader. This affects many parts of
21234 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
21237 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
21238 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
21241 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
21242 called to position point.
21245 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
21246 summary buffers and NOV files.
21249 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
21250 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
21253 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
21254 subtly different manner.
21257 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
21258 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
21259 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
21262 Gnus can now read IMAP mail via @code{nnimap}.
21270 @section The Manual
21274 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
21275 either @code{texi2dvi}
21277 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
21278 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
21280 to get what you hold in your hands now.
21282 The following conventions have been used:
21287 This is a @samp{string}
21290 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
21293 This is a @file{file}
21296 This is a @code{symbol}
21300 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
21304 (setq flargnoze "yes")
21307 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
21310 (setq flumphel 'yes)
21313 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
21314 ever get them confused.
21318 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
21319 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
21320 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
21321 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
21322 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
21323 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
21324 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
21330 @node On Writing Manuals
21331 @section On Writing Manuals
21333 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
21334 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
21335 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
21336 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
21337 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
21338 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
21341 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
21342 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
21343 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
21346 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
21347 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
21352 @section Terminology
21354 @cindex terminology
21359 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
21360 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
21361 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
21362 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
21363 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
21367 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
21368 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
21369 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
21370 not posting, and replying is not following up.
21374 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
21378 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
21383 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of back ends, both news and mail
21384 back ends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
21385 is all done by the back ends.
21389 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
21390 default, way of getting news.
21394 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
21395 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
21400 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
21401 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
21405 A message that has been posted as news.
21408 @cindex mail message
21409 A message that has been mailed.
21413 A mail message or news article
21417 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
21422 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
21427 A line from the head of an article.
21431 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
21432 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
21436 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
21437 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
21438 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
21439 normal @sc{head} format.
21443 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
21444 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
21445 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
21446 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
21447 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
21448 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
21450 @item killed groups
21451 @cindex killed groups
21452 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
21453 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
21455 @item zombie groups
21456 @cindex zombie groups
21457 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
21460 @cindex active file
21461 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
21462 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
21463 is rather large, as you might surmise.
21466 @cindex bogus groups
21467 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
21468 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
21469 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
21472 @cindex activating groups
21473 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
21474 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
21475 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
21479 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
21481 @item select method
21482 @cindex select method
21483 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
21486 @item virtual server
21487 @cindex virtual server
21488 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
21489 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
21490 whole is a virtual server.
21494 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
21495 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
21498 @item ephemeral groups
21499 @cindex ephemeral groups
21500 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
21501 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
21502 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
21505 @cindex solid groups
21506 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
21507 group buffer are solid groups.
21509 @item sparse articles
21510 @cindex sparse articles
21511 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
21512 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
21516 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
21517 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
21521 @cindex thread root
21522 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
21523 articles in the thread.
21527 An article that has responses.
21531 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
21535 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
21536 specified by RFC 1153.
21542 @node Customization
21543 @section Customization
21544 @cindex general customization
21546 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
21547 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
21548 for some quite common situations.
21551 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
21552 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
21553 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
21554 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
21558 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
21559 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
21561 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
21562 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
21563 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
21567 @item gnus-read-active-file
21568 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
21569 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
21570 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21571 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
21572 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
21574 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
21575 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
21576 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
21577 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
21581 @node Slow Terminal Connection
21582 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
21584 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
21585 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
21586 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
21590 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
21591 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
21592 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
21593 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
21594 horizontal and vertical recentering.
21596 @item gnus-visible-headers
21597 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
21598 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
21599 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
21600 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
21602 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
21604 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
21605 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
21606 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
21609 @item gnus-use-full-window
21610 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
21611 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
21612 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
21613 want to read them anyway.
21615 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
21616 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
21619 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
21620 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
21621 lines, which might save some time.
21625 @node Little Disk Space
21626 @subsection Little Disk Space
21629 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
21630 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
21634 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
21635 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
21636 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21637 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21640 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
21641 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
21642 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21643 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21646 @item gnus-save-killed-list
21647 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
21648 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
21649 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
21650 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
21656 @subsection Slow Machine
21657 @cindex slow machine
21659 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
21660 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
21662 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21663 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
21665 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
21666 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
21667 summary buffer faster.
21671 @node Troubleshooting
21672 @section Troubleshooting
21673 @cindex troubleshooting
21675 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
21683 Make sure your computer is switched on.
21686 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
21687 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
21691 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
21692 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
21693 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
21694 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
21697 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
21701 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
21702 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
21703 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
21704 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
21705 something like that.
21708 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
21711 @cindex reporting bugs
21713 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21715 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
21716 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
21717 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
21718 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
21720 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
21721 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
21722 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
21723 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
21726 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
21727 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
21728 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
21729 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
21730 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
21731 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
21733 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
21734 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
21735 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
21739 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
21740 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
21742 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
21743 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
21745 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
21746 @cindex ding mailing list
21747 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
21748 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
21752 @node Gnus Reference Guide
21753 @section Gnus Reference Guide
21755 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
21756 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
21757 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
21758 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
21761 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
21762 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
21763 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
21764 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
21765 and general methods of operation.
21768 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
21769 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
21770 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
21771 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
21772 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
21773 * Group Info:: The group info format.
21774 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
21775 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
21776 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
21780 @node Gnus Utility Functions
21781 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
21782 @cindex Gnus utility functions
21783 @cindex utility functions
21785 @cindex internal variables
21787 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
21788 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
21789 Below is a list of the most common ones.
21793 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
21794 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
21795 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
21797 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
21798 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
21799 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
21801 @item gnus-group-real-name
21802 @findex gnus-group-real-name
21803 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
21806 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
21807 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
21808 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
21809 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
21811 @item gnus-get-info
21812 @findex gnus-get-info
21813 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
21815 @item gnus-group-unread
21816 @findex gnus-group-unread
21817 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
21821 @findex gnus-active
21822 The active entry for @var{group}.
21824 @item gnus-set-active
21825 @findex gnus-set-active
21826 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
21828 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21829 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21830 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
21833 @item gnus-continuum-version
21834 @findex gnus-continuum-version
21835 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
21836 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
21839 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
21840 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
21841 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
21843 @item gnus-news-group-p
21844 @findex gnus-news-group-p
21845 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
21847 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21848 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21849 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
21851 @item gnus-server-to-method
21852 @findex gnus-server-to-method
21853 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
21855 @item gnus-server-equal
21856 @findex gnus-server-equal
21857 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
21859 @item gnus-group-native-p
21860 @findex gnus-group-native-p
21861 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
21863 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
21864 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
21865 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
21867 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
21868 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
21869 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
21871 @item group-group-find-parameter
21872 @findex group-group-find-parameter
21873 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
21874 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
21876 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
21877 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
21878 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
21880 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
21881 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
21882 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
21884 @item gnus-check-backend-function
21885 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
21886 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
21887 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
21890 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
21894 @item gnus-read-method
21895 @findex gnus-read-method
21896 Prompts the user for a select method.
21901 @node Back End Interface
21902 @subsection Back End Interface
21904 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
21905 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
21906 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
21907 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
21908 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
21909 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
21911 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
21912 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
21913 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
21914 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
21915 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
21916 been opened, the function should fail.
21918 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
21919 name. Take this example:
21923 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
21924 (nntp-port-number 4324))
21927 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
21928 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
21930 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
21931 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
21932 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
21934 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
21935 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
21936 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
21938 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
21939 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
21940 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
21941 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
21942 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
21943 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
21946 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
21947 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
21948 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
21949 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
21952 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
21953 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
21954 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
21955 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
21956 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
21957 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
21958 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
21959 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
21960 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
21961 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
21963 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
21964 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
21965 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
21966 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
21967 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
21968 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
21969 of numbers as long as possible.
21971 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
21974 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
21977 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
21978 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
21979 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
21980 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
21981 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
21982 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
21986 @node Required Back End Functions
21987 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
21991 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
21993 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
21994 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
21995 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
21996 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
21998 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
21999 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
22000 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
22001 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
22003 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
22004 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
22005 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
22006 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
22007 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
22008 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
22009 number, do maximum fetches.
22011 Here's an example HEAD:
22014 221 1056 Article retrieved.
22015 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
22016 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
22017 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
22018 Subject: Re: Something very droll
22019 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
22020 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
22022 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
22023 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
22024 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
22028 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
22029 these in the data buffer.
22031 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
22035 head = error / valid-head
22036 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
22037 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
22038 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
22039 header = <text> eol
22042 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
22043 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
22047 nov-buffer = *nov-line
22048 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
22049 field = <text except TAB>
22052 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
22056 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
22058 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
22059 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
22061 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
22062 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
22063 server. In fact, it should do so.
22065 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
22066 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
22069 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
22071 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
22072 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
22075 There should be no data returned.
22078 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
22080 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
22081 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
22082 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
22083 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
22085 There should be no data returned.
22088 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
22090 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
22091 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
22092 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
22093 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
22095 There should be no data returned.
22098 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
22100 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
22102 There should be no data returned.
22105 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
22107 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
22108 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
22109 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
22110 it would be nice if that were possible.
22112 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
22113 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
22114 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
22115 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
22116 into its article buffer.
22118 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
22119 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
22120 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
22121 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
22122 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
22123 on successful article retrieval.
22126 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
22128 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
22129 making @var{group} the current group.
22131 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
22134 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
22137 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
22140 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
22141 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
22142 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
22143 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
22144 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
22145 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
22146 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
22147 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
22150 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
22151 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
22152 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
22156 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22158 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
22159 a no-op on most back ends.
22161 There should be no data returned.
22164 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
22166 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
22169 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
22172 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
22173 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
22176 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
22177 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
22180 active-file = *active-line
22181 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
22183 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
22186 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
22187 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
22188 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
22191 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
22193 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
22194 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
22195 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
22196 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
22197 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
22198 clear if the posting could not be completed.
22200 There should be no result data from this function.
22205 @node Optional Back End Functions
22206 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
22210 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
22212 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
22213 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
22214 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
22216 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
22217 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
22218 former is in the same format as the data from
22219 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
22220 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
22223 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
22227 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
22229 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
22230 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
22231 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
22232 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
22233 should return the (altered) group info.
22235 There should be no result data from this function.
22238 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
22240 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
22241 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
22242 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
22243 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
22244 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
22245 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
22246 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
22247 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
22249 There should be no result data from this function.
22252 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
22254 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
22255 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
22256 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
22257 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
22258 propagate the mark information to the server.
22260 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
22263 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
22266 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
22267 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
22268 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
22269 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
22270 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
22271 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
22272 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
22273 possible, not limit itself to these.
22275 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
22276 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
22277 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
22278 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
22280 An example action list:
22283 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
22284 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
22285 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
22288 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
22289 mark on (currently not used for anything).
22291 There should be no result data from this function.
22293 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
22295 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
22296 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
22297 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
22298 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
22299 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
22301 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
22302 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
22303 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
22306 There should be no result data from this function.
22309 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
22311 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
22312 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
22313 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
22314 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
22315 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
22316 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
22317 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
22319 There should be no result data from this function.
22322 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
22324 The result data from this function should be a description of
22328 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
22330 description = <text>
22333 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
22335 The result data from this function should be the description of all
22336 groups available on the server.
22339 description-buffer = *description-line
22343 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
22345 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
22346 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
22347 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
22348 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
22349 in the active buffer format.
22351 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
22352 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
22353 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
22354 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
22355 many groups, so nnml and the like are probably safe. But for back ends
22356 like nntp, where the groups have been created by the server, it is quite
22357 likely that there can be many groups.
22360 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22362 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
22364 There should be no return data.
22367 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
22369 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
22370 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
22371 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
22372 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
22373 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
22376 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
22379 There should be no result data returned.
22382 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
22385 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
22386 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
22388 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
22389 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
22390 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
22391 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
22392 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
22393 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
22395 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
22396 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
22399 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22400 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22402 There should be no data returned.
22405 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
22407 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
22408 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
22409 this function in short order.
22411 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22412 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22414 There should be no data returned.
22417 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
22419 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
22420 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
22422 There should be no data returned.
22425 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
22427 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
22428 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
22429 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
22431 There should be no data returned.
22434 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
22436 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
22437 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
22439 There should be no data returned.
22444 @node Error Messaging
22445 @subsubsection Error Messaging
22447 @findex nnheader-report
22448 @findex nnheader-get-report
22449 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
22450 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
22451 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
22452 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
22453 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
22454 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
22457 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
22459 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
22462 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
22463 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
22464 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
22465 takes one argument---the server symbol.
22467 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
22468 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
22469 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
22472 @node Writing New Back Ends
22473 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
22475 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
22476 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
22477 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
22478 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
22479 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
22482 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
22483 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
22484 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
22486 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
22487 package called @code{nnoo}.
22489 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
22490 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
22496 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
22497 parameters. For instance:
22500 (nnoo-declare nndir
22504 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
22505 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
22508 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
22509 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
22510 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
22512 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
22513 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
22514 a function in those back ends.
22517 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22518 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22519 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22522 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
22523 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
22524 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
22526 @item nnoo-define-basics
22527 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
22531 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22535 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
22536 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
22537 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
22539 @item nnoo-map-functions
22540 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
22541 functions from the parent back ends.
22544 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22545 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22546 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
22549 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
22550 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
22551 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
22552 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
22555 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
22556 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
22557 haven't already been defined.
22563 nnmh-request-newgroups)
22567 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
22568 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
22569 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
22574 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
22577 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
22578 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
22582 (require 'nnheader)
22586 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
22588 (nnoo-declare nndir
22591 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22592 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22593 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22595 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
22596 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
22599 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
22601 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
22602 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
22603 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
22605 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
22606 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
22608 ;;; Interface functions.
22610 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22612 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
22613 (setq nndir-directory
22614 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
22616 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
22617 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
22618 (push `(nndir-current-group
22619 ,(file-name-nondirectory
22620 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22622 (push `(nndir-top-directory
22623 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22625 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
22627 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22628 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22629 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22630 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
22631 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
22635 nnmh-status-message
22637 nnmh-request-newgroups))
22643 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
22644 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
22646 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
22647 @findex gnus-declare-backend
22648 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
22649 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
22650 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
22652 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
22653 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
22658 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
22661 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
22663 The abilities can be:
22667 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
22669 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
22671 This back end supports both mail and news.
22673 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
22676 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
22677 articles and groups.
22679 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
22680 true for almost all back ends.
22681 @item prompt-address
22682 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
22683 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
22684 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
22688 @node Mail-like Back Ends
22689 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
22691 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
22692 back ends is the heavy dependence by the mail back ends on common
22693 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
22694 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
22697 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
22698 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
22699 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
22702 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
22703 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
22706 This function takes four parameters.
22710 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
22713 @item exit-function
22714 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
22716 @item temp-directory
22717 Where the temporary files should be stored.
22720 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
22721 performed for one group only.
22724 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
22725 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
22726 find the article number assigned to this article.
22728 The function also uses the following variables:
22729 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
22730 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
22731 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
22732 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
22736 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
22737 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
22741 @node Score File Syntax
22742 @subsection Score File Syntax
22744 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
22745 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
22746 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
22748 Here's a typical score file:
22752 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
22759 BNF definition of a score file:
22762 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
22763 element = rule / atom
22764 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
22765 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
22766 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
22767 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
22769 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
22770 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
22771 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
22772 date-header = "date"
22773 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22774 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22775 score = "nil" / <integer>
22776 date = "nil" / <natural number>
22777 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
22778 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
22779 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
22780 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
22781 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22782 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22783 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
22784 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22785 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
22786 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
22787 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
22788 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
22789 exclude-files / read-only / touched
22790 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
22791 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
22792 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
22793 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
22794 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
22795 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
22796 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
22797 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
22798 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
22799 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
22800 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
22801 eval = "eval" space <form>
22802 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
22805 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
22808 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
22809 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
22810 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
22811 one looong line, then that's ok.
22813 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
22814 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
22818 @subsection Headers
22820 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
22821 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
22822 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
22823 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
22825 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
22826 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
22827 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
22828 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
22829 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
22830 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
22831 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
22833 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
22834 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
22835 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
22836 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
22837 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
22839 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
22840 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
22846 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
22847 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
22849 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
22850 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
22851 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
22852 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
22854 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
22858 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
22861 is transformed into
22864 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
22867 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
22868 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
22871 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
22874 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
22875 is slightly tricky:
22878 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
22884 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
22887 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
22893 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
22900 and is equal to the previous range.
22902 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
22903 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
22904 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
22908 range = simple-range / normal-range
22909 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
22910 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
22911 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
22912 number *[ " " contents ]
22915 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
22916 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
22917 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
22918 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
22919 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
22924 @subsection Group Info
22926 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
22927 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
22928 describes the group.
22930 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
22931 second is a more complex one:
22934 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
22936 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
22937 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
22939 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
22942 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
22943 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
22944 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
22945 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
22946 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
22947 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
22948 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
22949 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
22950 this section is about.
22952 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
22953 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
22954 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
22956 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
22959 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
22960 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
22961 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22962 group = quote <string> quote
22963 ralevel = rank / level
22964 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22965 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
22966 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22968 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
22969 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
22970 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
22971 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
22974 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
22975 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
22978 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
22979 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
22982 @item gnus-info-group
22983 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
22984 @findex gnus-info-group
22985 @findex gnus-info-set-group
22986 Get/set the group name.
22988 @item gnus-info-rank
22989 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
22990 @findex gnus-info-rank
22991 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
22992 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
22994 @item gnus-info-level
22995 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
22996 @findex gnus-info-level
22997 @findex gnus-info-set-level
22998 Get/set the group level.
23000 @item gnus-info-score
23001 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
23002 @findex gnus-info-score
23003 @findex gnus-info-set-score
23004 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
23006 @item gnus-info-read
23007 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
23008 @findex gnus-info-read
23009 @findex gnus-info-set-read
23010 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
23012 @item gnus-info-marks
23013 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
23014 @findex gnus-info-marks
23015 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
23016 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
23018 @item gnus-info-method
23019 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
23020 @findex gnus-info-method
23021 @findex gnus-info-set-method
23022 Get/set the group select method.
23024 @item gnus-info-params
23025 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
23026 @findex gnus-info-params
23027 @findex gnus-info-set-params
23028 Get/set the group parameters.
23031 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
23032 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
23034 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
23035 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
23036 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
23037 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
23040 @node Extended Interactive
23041 @subsection Extended Interactive
23042 @cindex interactive
23043 @findex gnus-interactive
23045 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
23046 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
23047 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
23050 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
23051 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
23056 The best thing to do would have been to implement
23057 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
23058 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
23059 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
23060 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
23061 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
23062 @code{interactive}.
23064 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
23069 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
23070 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
23074 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
23075 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
23076 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
23079 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
23083 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
23087 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
23093 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
23094 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
23098 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
23099 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
23100 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
23102 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
23103 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
23104 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
23105 Gnus, that's very useful.
23107 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
23108 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
23109 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
23110 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
23111 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
23112 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
23113 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
23114 following function:
23117 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
23121 (,function ,@@args))
23125 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
23126 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
23127 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
23130 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
23131 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
23132 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
23134 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
23135 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
23136 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
23139 @node Various File Formats
23140 @subsection Various File Formats
23143 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
23144 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
23148 @node Active File Format
23149 @subsubsection Active File Format
23151 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
23152 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
23155 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
23158 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
23159 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
23160 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
23161 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
23162 no.general 1000 900 y
23165 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
23168 active = *group-line
23169 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
23170 group = <non-white-space string>
23172 high-number = <non-negative integer>
23173 low-number = <positive integer>
23174 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
23177 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
23178 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
23181 @node Newsgroups File Format
23182 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
23184 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
23185 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
23186 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
23189 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
23190 Here's the definition:
23194 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
23195 group = <non-white-space string>
23197 description = <string>
23202 @node Emacs for Heathens
23203 @section Emacs for Heathens
23205 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
23206 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
23207 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
23208 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
23209 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
23210 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
23211 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
23215 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
23216 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
23221 @subsection Keystrokes
23225 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
23228 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
23231 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
23232 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
23233 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
23234 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
23235 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
23236 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
23238 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
23239 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
23240 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
23241 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
23242 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
23243 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
23244 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
23246 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
23247 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
23248 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
23249 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
23250 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
23251 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
23252 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
23254 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
23255 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
23256 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
23257 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
23258 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
23264 @subsection Emacs Lisp
23266 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
23267 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
23268 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
23269 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
23271 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
23272 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
23273 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
23274 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
23275 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
23276 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
23277 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
23280 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
23281 write the following:
23284 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
23287 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
23288 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
23289 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
23292 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
23293 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
23294 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
23295 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
23296 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
23298 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
23299 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
23300 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
23304 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
23308 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
23311 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
23312 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
23315 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
23318 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
23319 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
23322 @include gnus-faq.texi
23343 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
23344 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
23345 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
23346 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
23347 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref