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334 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
339 @setchapternewpage odd
346 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
348 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
354 @top The Gnus Newsreader
358 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
359 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
360 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
363 This manual corresponds to No Gnus v0.3.
374 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
375 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
377 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
378 being accused of plagiarism:
380 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
381 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
382 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
383 can even read news with it!
385 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
386 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
387 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
388 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
389 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
395 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
396 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
397 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
398 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
399 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
400 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
401 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
402 * Various:: General purpose settings.
403 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
404 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
405 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
406 * Key Index:: Key Index.
408 Other related manuals
410 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
411 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
412 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
413 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
414 * SASL:(sasl). @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
417 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
421 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
422 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
423 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
424 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
425 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
426 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
427 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
428 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
429 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
430 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
431 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
435 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
436 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
437 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
441 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
442 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
443 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
444 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
445 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
446 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
447 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
448 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
449 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
450 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
451 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
452 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
453 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
454 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
455 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
456 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
457 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
461 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
462 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
463 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
467 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
468 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
469 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
470 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
471 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
475 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
476 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
477 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
478 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
479 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
483 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
484 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
485 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
486 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
487 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
488 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
489 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
490 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
491 * Threading:: How threads are made.
492 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
493 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
494 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
495 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
496 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
497 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
498 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
499 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
500 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
501 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
502 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
503 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
504 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
505 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
506 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
507 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
508 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
509 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
510 or reselecting the current group.
511 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
512 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
513 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
514 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
516 Summary Buffer Format
518 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
519 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
520 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
521 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
525 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
526 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
528 Reply, Followup and Post
530 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
531 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
532 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
533 * Canceling and Superseding::
537 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
538 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
539 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
540 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
541 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
542 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
546 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
547 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
549 Customizing Threading
551 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
552 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
553 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
554 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
558 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
559 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
560 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
561 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
562 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
563 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
567 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
568 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
569 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
573 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
574 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
575 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
576 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
577 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
578 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
579 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
580 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
581 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
582 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
583 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
585 Alternative Approaches
587 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
588 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
590 Various Summary Stuff
592 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
593 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
594 * Summary Generation Commands::
595 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
599 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
600 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
601 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
602 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
603 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
607 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
608 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
609 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
610 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
611 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
612 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
613 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
614 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
615 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
619 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
620 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
621 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
622 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
623 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
624 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
625 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
626 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
627 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
631 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
632 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
633 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
634 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
635 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
636 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
637 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
641 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
642 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
646 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
647 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
648 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
649 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
653 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
654 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
655 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
656 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
657 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
658 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
659 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
660 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
661 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
662 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
663 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
664 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
665 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
669 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
670 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
671 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
673 Choosing a Mail Back End
675 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
676 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
677 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
678 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
679 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
680 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
681 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
686 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
687 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
688 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
689 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
690 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
691 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
695 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
696 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
697 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
698 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
699 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
700 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
704 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
705 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
706 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
707 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
708 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
712 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
716 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
717 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
718 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
722 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
723 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
727 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
728 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
729 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
733 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
734 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
735 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
737 The Gnus Diary Library
739 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
740 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
741 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
742 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
746 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
747 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
748 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
749 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
750 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
751 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
752 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
753 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
754 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
755 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
756 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
757 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
758 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
762 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
763 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
764 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
768 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
769 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
770 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
774 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
775 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
776 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
777 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
778 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
779 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
780 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
781 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
782 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
783 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
784 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
785 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
786 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
787 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
788 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
789 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
793 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
794 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
795 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
799 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
800 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
801 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
802 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
803 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
804 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
805 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
806 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
807 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
808 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
809 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
810 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
811 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
812 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
813 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
814 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
815 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
816 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
817 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
818 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
822 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
823 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
824 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
825 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
826 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
827 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
828 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
829 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
833 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
834 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
835 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
836 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
837 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
841 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
842 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
843 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
844 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
845 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
846 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
848 Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
850 * Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events::
851 * Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail::
852 * Spam ELisp Package Global Variables::
853 * Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples::
854 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
856 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
857 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
859 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
861 * SpamAssassin back end::
862 * ifile spam filtering::
863 * spam-stat spam filtering::
865 * Extending the Spam ELisp package::
867 Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
869 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
870 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
871 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
875 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
876 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
877 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
878 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
879 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
880 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
881 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
882 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
883 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
887 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
888 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
889 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
890 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
891 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
892 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
893 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
894 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
895 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
899 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
900 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
901 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
902 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
903 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
904 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
905 * No Gnus:: Lars, FIXME!
909 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
910 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
911 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
912 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
916 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
917 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
918 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
919 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
920 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
921 * Group Info:: The group info format.
922 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
923 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
924 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
928 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
929 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
930 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
931 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
932 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
933 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
937 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
938 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
942 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
943 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
949 @chapter Starting Gnus
954 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
955 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
958 @findex gnus-other-frame
959 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
960 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
961 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
963 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
964 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
965 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
967 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
968 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
971 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
972 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
973 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
974 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
975 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
976 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
977 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
978 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
979 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
980 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
984 @node Finding the News
985 @section Finding the News
988 @vindex gnus-select-method
990 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
991 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
992 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
993 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
996 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
997 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
1000 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1003 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1006 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1009 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1010 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1011 server is running Leafnode (which is a simple, standalone private news
1012 server); in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1014 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1016 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1017 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
1018 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1019 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1020 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1021 If that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1022 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1024 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1025 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1026 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1027 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1029 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1030 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1031 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1032 @acronym{NNTP} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1033 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1034 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1035 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1036 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1037 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1040 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1042 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1043 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1044 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1045 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1046 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1047 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1049 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1051 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1052 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1053 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1054 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1055 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1056 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1059 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1060 you would typically set this variable to
1063 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1066 Note: the @acronym{NNTP} back end stores marks in marks files
1067 (@pxref{NNTP marks}). This feature makes it easy to share marks between
1068 several Gnus installations, but may slow down things a bit when fetching
1069 new articles. @xref{NNTP marks}, for more information.
1072 @node The First Time
1073 @section The First Time
1074 @cindex first time usage
1076 If no startup files exist (@pxref{Startup Files}), Gnus will try to
1077 determine what groups should be subscribed by default.
1079 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1080 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1081 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1082 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1085 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1086 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1087 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1089 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1090 help you with most common problems.
1092 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1093 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1097 @node The Server is Down
1098 @section The Server is Down
1099 @cindex server errors
1101 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1102 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1103 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1105 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1106 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1107 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1108 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1109 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1110 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1111 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1113 @findex gnus-no-server
1114 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1116 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1117 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1118 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1119 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1120 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1121 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1122 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1126 @section Slave Gnusae
1129 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1130 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1131 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1132 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1134 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1135 @file{.newsrc} file.
1137 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1138 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1139 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1140 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1141 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1142 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1143 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1146 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1147 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1148 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1149 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1150 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1151 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1152 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1153 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1155 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1156 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1158 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1159 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1160 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1161 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1162 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1169 @cindex subscription
1171 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1172 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1173 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1174 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1175 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1176 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1177 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1178 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1179 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1182 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1183 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1184 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1188 @node Checking New Groups
1189 @subsection Checking New Groups
1191 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1192 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1193 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1194 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1195 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1196 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1197 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1198 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1199 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1200 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1202 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1203 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1204 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1205 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1206 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1207 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1208 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1209 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1210 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1211 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1212 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1214 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1215 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1216 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1217 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1218 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1219 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1222 @node Subscription Methods
1223 @subsection Subscription Methods
1225 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1226 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1227 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1229 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1230 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1232 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1236 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1237 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1238 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1239 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1240 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1242 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1243 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1244 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1245 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1247 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1248 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1249 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1251 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1252 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1253 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1254 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1255 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1256 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1257 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1258 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1259 up. Or something like that.
1261 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1262 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1263 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1264 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1265 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1267 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1268 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1269 Kill all new groups.
1271 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1272 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1273 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1274 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1275 topic parameter that looks like
1281 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1284 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1289 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1290 A closely related variable is
1291 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1292 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1293 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1294 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1297 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1298 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1299 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1300 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1303 @node Filtering New Groups
1304 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1306 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1307 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1308 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1311 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1314 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1315 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1316 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1317 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1318 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1319 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1320 subscribing these groups.
1321 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1322 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1324 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1325 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1326 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1327 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1328 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1329 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1330 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1331 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1333 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1334 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1335 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1336 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous,
1337 but I thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is
1338 more meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is
1339 used more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new
1340 groups that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1341 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1342 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1345 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1346 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1349 @node Changing Servers
1350 @section Changing Servers
1351 @cindex changing servers
1353 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1354 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1355 very flaky and you want to use another.
1357 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1358 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1362 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1363 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1364 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1365 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1368 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1369 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1370 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1371 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1373 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1374 @findex gnus-change-server
1375 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1376 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1377 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1378 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1379 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1381 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1382 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1383 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1384 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1385 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1387 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1388 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1389 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1390 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1391 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1392 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1394 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1395 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1396 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1397 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1399 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1400 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1401 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1402 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1403 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1404 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1405 cache for all groups).
1409 @section Startup Files
1410 @cindex startup files
1415 Most common Unix news readers use a shared startup file called
1416 @file{.newsrc}. This file contains all the information about what
1417 groups are subscribed, and which articles in these groups have been
1420 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1421 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1422 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1423 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1424 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1425 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1426 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1428 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1429 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1430 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1431 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1432 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1433 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1435 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1436 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1437 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1438 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1439 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1440 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1441 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1442 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1443 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which can be
1444 convenient if you use a different news reader occasionally, and you
1445 want to read a different subset of the available groups with that
1448 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1449 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1450 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1451 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1452 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1453 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1454 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1455 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1456 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1457 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1458 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1459 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1461 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1462 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1463 @vindex version-control
1464 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1465 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1466 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1467 If you want version control for this file, set
1468 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1469 @code{version-control} variable.
1471 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1472 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1473 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1474 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1475 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1476 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1477 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1478 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1479 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1480 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1483 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1484 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1486 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1487 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1490 @vindex gnus-init-file
1491 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1492 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1493 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus-init} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1494 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1495 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1496 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1497 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1498 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1499 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1500 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order). If Emacs was invoked with
1501 the @option{-q} or @option{--no-init-file} options (@pxref{Initial
1502 Options, ,Initial Options, emacs, The Emacs Manual}), Gnus doesn't read
1503 @code{gnus-init-file}.
1508 @cindex dribble file
1511 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1512 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1513 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1514 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1515 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1518 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1519 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1522 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1523 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1524 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1526 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1527 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1528 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1529 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1530 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1531 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1533 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1534 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1535 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1538 @node The Active File
1539 @section The Active File
1541 @cindex ignored groups
1543 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1544 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1545 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1547 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1548 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1549 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1550 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1551 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1552 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1553 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1556 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1557 @c if you set it to anything else.
1559 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1561 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1562 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1563 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1565 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1566 you actually subscribe to.
1568 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1569 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1570 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1571 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1573 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1574 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1575 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1576 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1577 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1578 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1580 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1581 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1582 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1585 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1586 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1587 @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1588 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1589 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1590 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1592 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1593 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1595 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1596 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1598 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1599 secondary select methods.
1602 @node Startup Variables
1603 @section Startup Variables
1607 @item gnus-load-hook
1608 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1609 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1610 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1611 times you start Gnus.
1613 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1614 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1615 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1617 @item gnus-startup-hook
1618 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1619 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1621 @item gnus-started-hook
1622 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1623 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1626 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1627 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1628 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1629 generating the group buffer.
1631 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1632 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1633 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1634 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1635 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1636 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1637 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1638 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1640 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1641 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1642 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1643 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1644 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1645 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1647 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1648 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1649 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1651 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1652 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1653 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1655 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1656 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1657 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1658 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1664 @chapter Group Buffer
1665 @cindex group buffer
1667 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1669 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1670 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1671 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1672 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1673 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1674 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1675 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1676 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1677 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1678 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1679 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1680 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1681 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1682 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1683 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1684 @c human rights at 9...
1687 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1688 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1689 long as Gnus is active.
1693 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1694 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1695 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1696 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1697 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1698 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1699 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1700 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1706 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1707 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1708 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1709 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1710 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1711 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1712 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1713 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1714 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1715 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1716 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1717 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1718 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1719 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1720 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1721 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1722 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1726 @node Group Buffer Format
1727 @section Group Buffer Format
1730 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1731 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1732 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1736 @node Group Line Specification
1737 @subsection Group Line Specification
1738 @cindex group buffer format
1740 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1741 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1743 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1746 25: news.announce.newusers
1747 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1752 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1753 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1754 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1755 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1757 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1758 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1759 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1760 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1761 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1762 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1764 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1766 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1767 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1768 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1769 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1770 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1772 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1773 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1774 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1776 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1781 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1784 Whether the group is subscribed.
1787 Level of subscribedness.
1790 Number of unread articles.
1793 Number of dormant articles.
1796 Number of ticked articles.
1799 Number of read articles.
1802 Number of unseen articles.
1805 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1806 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1808 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1809 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1810 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1811 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1812 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1813 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1814 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1815 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1818 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1821 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1830 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1831 comment element in the group parameters.
1834 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1835 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1836 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1840 @samp{m} if moderated.
1843 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1849 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1855 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1859 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1862 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1863 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1864 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1865 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1866 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1869 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1871 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1875 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1878 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1882 The disk space used by the articles fetched by both the cache and
1883 agent. The value is automatically scaled to bytes(B), kilobytes(K),
1884 megabytes(M), or gigabytes(G) to minimize the column width. A format
1885 of %7F is sufficient for a fixed-width column.
1888 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1889 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1890 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1891 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1892 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1893 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1898 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1899 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1900 group, or a bogus native group.
1903 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1904 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1905 @cindex group mode line
1907 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1908 The mode line can be changed by setting
1909 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1910 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1914 The native news server.
1916 The native select method.
1920 @node Group Highlighting
1921 @subsection Group Highlighting
1922 @cindex highlighting
1923 @cindex group highlighting
1925 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1926 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1927 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1928 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1929 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1931 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1935 (cond (window-system
1936 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1937 (defface my-group-face-1
1938 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1939 (defface my-group-face-2
1940 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1941 "Second group face")
1942 (defface my-group-face-3
1943 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1944 (defface my-group-face-4
1945 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1946 (defface my-group-face-5
1947 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1949 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1950 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1951 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1952 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1953 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1954 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1957 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1959 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1966 The number of unread articles in the group.
1970 Whether the group is a mail group.
1972 The level of the group.
1974 The score of the group.
1976 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1978 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1979 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1981 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1982 topic being inserted.
1985 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1986 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1987 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1989 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1990 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1991 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1992 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1993 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1996 @node Group Maneuvering
1997 @section Group Maneuvering
1998 @cindex group movement
2000 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
2001 expected, hopefully.
2007 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
2008 Go to the next group that has unread articles
2009 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
2015 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
2016 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
2017 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2021 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2022 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2026 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2027 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2031 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2032 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2033 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2037 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2038 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2039 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2042 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2048 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2049 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2050 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2055 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2056 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2057 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2061 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2062 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2063 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2066 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2067 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2068 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2069 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2073 @node Selecting a Group
2074 @section Selecting a Group
2075 @cindex group selection
2080 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2081 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2082 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2083 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2084 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2085 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2086 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2087 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2088 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2089 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2091 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2092 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2093 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2095 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2096 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2101 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2102 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2103 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2104 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2105 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2109 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2110 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2111 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2112 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2113 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2114 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2115 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2116 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2117 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2118 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2121 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2122 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2123 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2124 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2125 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2128 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2129 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2130 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2131 doing any processing of its contents
2132 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2133 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2134 manner will have no permanent effects.
2138 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2139 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2140 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2141 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2142 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2143 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2144 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2145 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2146 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2147 most recently will be fetched.
2149 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2150 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2151 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2154 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2155 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2156 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2157 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2158 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2159 Which article this is is controlled by the
2160 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2166 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2169 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2172 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2174 @item unseen-or-unread
2175 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2176 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2180 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2184 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2185 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2187 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2188 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2189 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2190 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2194 @node Subscription Commands
2195 @section Subscription Commands
2196 @cindex subscription
2204 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2205 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2206 Toggle subscription to the current group
2207 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2213 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2214 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2215 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2216 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2222 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2223 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2224 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2230 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2231 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2234 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2235 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2236 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2237 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2238 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2244 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2245 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2249 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2250 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2253 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2254 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2255 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2256 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2257 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2258 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2259 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2260 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2261 @file{.newsrc} file.
2265 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2275 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2276 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2277 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2278 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2279 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2280 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2285 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2286 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2287 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2291 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2292 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2293 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2295 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2296 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2297 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2298 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2299 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2300 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2307 @section Group Levels
2311 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2312 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2313 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2314 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2315 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2317 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2323 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2324 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2325 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2326 prompted for a level.
2329 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2330 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2331 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2332 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2333 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2334 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2335 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2336 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2337 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2338 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2339 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2340 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2341 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2342 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2343 reasons of efficiency.
2345 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2346 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2348 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2349 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2350 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2351 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2352 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2353 groups are hidden, in a way.
2355 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2356 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2357 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2358 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2359 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2360 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2362 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2363 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2364 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2365 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2366 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2367 list of killed groups.)
2369 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2370 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2371 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2373 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2374 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2375 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2376 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2377 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2378 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2379 relevant valid ranges.
2381 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2382 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2383 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2384 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2385 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2386 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2389 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2390 one with the best level.
2392 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2393 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2394 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2397 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2398 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2399 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2400 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2403 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2404 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2405 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2406 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2408 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2409 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2410 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2411 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2412 to 5. The default is 6.
2416 @section Group Score
2421 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2422 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2423 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2426 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2427 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2428 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2429 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2430 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2431 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2432 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2433 least significant part.))
2435 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2436 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2437 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2438 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2439 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2440 action after each summary exit, you can add
2441 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2442 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2443 slow things down somewhat.
2446 @node Marking Groups
2447 @section Marking Groups
2448 @cindex marking groups
2450 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2451 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2452 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2453 bidding on those groups.
2455 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2456 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2457 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2465 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2466 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2472 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2473 Remove the mark from the current group
2474 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2478 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2479 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2483 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2484 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2488 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2489 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2493 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2494 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2495 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2498 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2500 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2501 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2502 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2503 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2504 the command to be executed.
2507 @node Foreign Groups
2508 @section Foreign Groups
2509 @cindex foreign groups
2511 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2512 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2513 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2514 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2521 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2522 @cindex making groups
2523 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2524 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2525 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2529 @findex gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group
2530 Make an ephemeral group (@code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group}). Gnus
2531 will prompt you for a name, a method and an @dfn{address}.
2535 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2536 @cindex renaming groups
2537 Rename the current group to something else
2538 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2539 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2545 @findex gnus-group-customize
2546 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2550 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2551 @cindex renaming groups
2552 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2553 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2557 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2558 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2559 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2563 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2564 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2565 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2569 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2571 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2572 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2577 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2578 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2582 @cindex (ding) archive
2583 @cindex archive group
2584 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2585 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2586 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2587 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2588 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2589 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2590 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2594 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2596 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2597 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2598 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2599 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2603 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2605 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2606 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2607 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2611 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2612 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2614 Make a group based on some file or other
2615 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2616 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2617 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2618 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2619 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2620 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2621 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2622 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2623 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2627 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2628 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2629 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2630 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2634 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2638 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2639 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2640 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2641 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2642 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2643 @xref{Web Searches}.
2645 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2646 to a particular group by using a match string like
2647 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2651 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2652 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2653 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL.
2657 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2658 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2659 This function will delete the current group
2660 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2661 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2662 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2663 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2664 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2668 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2669 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2670 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2674 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2675 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2676 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2679 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2682 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2683 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2684 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2685 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2686 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2687 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2691 @node Group Parameters
2692 @section Group Parameters
2693 @cindex group parameters
2695 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2696 Here's an example group parameter list:
2699 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2703 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2704 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2705 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2706 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2708 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2709 is an alist of regexps and values.
2711 The following group parameters can be used:
2716 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2719 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2722 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2723 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2724 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2725 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2726 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2728 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2729 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2730 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2731 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2732 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2733 list address instead.
2735 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2739 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2742 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2745 It is totally ignored
2746 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2747 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2749 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2750 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2751 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2752 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2753 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2755 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2756 @cindex mail list groups
2757 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2758 entering summary buffer.
2760 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2765 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2766 @findex gnus-find-subscribed-addresses
2767 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2768 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2769 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2770 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2771 headers for your posts to these lists. The second step is to put the
2772 following in your @file{.gnus.el}
2775 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
2776 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
2779 @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for
2780 a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2784 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2785 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2786 of whether it has any unread articles.
2788 @item broken-reply-to
2789 @cindex broken-reply-to
2790 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2791 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2792 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2793 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2794 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2795 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2799 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2800 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2804 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2805 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2806 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2811 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2812 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2813 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2814 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2815 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2816 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2817 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2819 @strong{Caveat}: Adding @code{(gcc-self . t)} to the parameter list of
2820 @code{nntp} groups (or the like) isn't valid. An @code{nntp} server
2821 doesn't accept articles.
2825 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2826 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2827 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2829 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2832 @cindex total-expire
2833 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2834 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2835 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2836 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2839 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2843 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2844 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2845 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2846 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2847 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2848 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2849 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2852 @cindex expiry-target
2853 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2854 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2857 @cindex score file group parameter
2858 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2859 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2860 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2863 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2864 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2865 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2866 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2869 @cindex admin-address
2870 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2871 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2872 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2873 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2877 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2878 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2882 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2885 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2886 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2889 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2893 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2895 Here are some examples:
2899 Display only unread articles.
2902 Display everything except expirable articles.
2904 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2905 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2909 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2910 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2911 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2912 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2913 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2917 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2918 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2919 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2923 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2924 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2925 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2929 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2930 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2931 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2933 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2935 @item ignored-charsets
2936 @cindex ignored-charset
2937 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2938 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2939 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2941 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2944 @cindex posting-style
2945 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2946 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2947 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2948 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2949 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2951 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2952 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2953 like this in the group parameters:
2958 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2959 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2964 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2965 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2969 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
2970 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
2971 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2972 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2973 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2977 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2978 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2979 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2980 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2982 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
2983 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2984 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2985 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2988 if address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com" @{
2989 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
2993 To generate tests for multiple email-addresses use a group parameter
2994 like @code{(sieve address "sender" ("name@@one.org" else@@two.org"))}.
2995 When generating a sieve script (@pxref{Sieve Commands}) Sieve code
2996 like the following is generated:
2999 if address "sender" ["name@@one.org", "else@@two.org"] @{
3000 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3004 See @pxref{Sieve Commands} for commands and variables that might be of
3005 interest in relation to the sieve parameter.
3007 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
3008 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
3010 @item (agent parameters)
3011 If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of the its parameters
3012 to control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
3013 Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
3014 agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
3015 minimize the configuration effort.
3017 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
3018 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
3019 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
3020 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
3021 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
3022 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
3023 @code{eval}ed there.
3025 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer.
3026 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
3027 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
3028 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3029 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3030 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3031 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3032 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3035 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3038 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3039 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3040 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3043 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3046 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3047 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3048 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3049 into the group parameters for the group.
3051 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function. If you want to
3052 hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put something like
3053 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group.
3054 @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the (meaningless) result of the
3057 Alternatively, since the VARIABLE becomes local to the group, this
3058 pattern can be used to temporarily change a hook. For example, if the
3059 following is added to a group parameter
3062 (gnus-summary-prepared-hook
3063 '(lambda nil (local-set-key "d" (local-key-binding "n"))))
3066 when the group is entered, the 'd' key will not mark the article as
3071 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
3072 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
3073 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
3074 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
3075 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
3077 @vindex gnus-parameters
3078 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3079 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
3083 (setq gnus-parameters
3085 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3086 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3087 (gnus-summary-line-format
3088 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3092 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3096 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3100 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3103 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3104 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3107 @node Listing Groups
3108 @section Listing Groups
3109 @cindex group listing
3111 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3119 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3120 List all groups that have unread articles
3121 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3122 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3123 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3124 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3131 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3132 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3133 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3134 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3135 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3136 unsubscribed groups).
3140 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3141 List all unread groups on a specific level
3142 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3143 with no unread articles.
3147 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3148 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3149 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3150 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3155 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3156 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3160 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3161 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3162 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3166 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3167 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3171 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3172 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3173 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3174 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3175 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3176 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3177 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3178 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3182 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3183 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3184 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3188 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3189 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3190 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3194 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3195 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3199 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3200 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3204 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3205 List groups limited within the current selection
3206 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3210 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3211 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3215 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3216 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3220 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3221 @cindex visible group parameter
3222 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3223 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3224 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3225 get the same effect.
3227 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3228 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3229 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3230 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3231 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3234 @node Sorting Groups
3235 @section Sorting Groups
3236 @cindex sorting groups
3238 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3239 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3240 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3241 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3242 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3243 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3248 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3249 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3250 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3252 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3253 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3254 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3256 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3257 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3258 Sort by group level.
3260 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3261 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3262 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3264 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3265 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3266 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3267 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3269 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3270 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3271 Sort by number of unread articles.
3273 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3274 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3275 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3277 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3278 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3279 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3284 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3285 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3289 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3290 some sorting criteria:
3294 @kindex G S a (Group)
3295 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3296 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3297 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3300 @kindex G S u (Group)
3301 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3302 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3303 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3306 @kindex G S l (Group)
3307 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3308 Sort the group buffer by group level
3309 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3312 @kindex G S v (Group)
3313 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3314 Sort the group buffer by group score
3315 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3318 @kindex G S r (Group)
3319 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3320 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3321 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3324 @kindex G S m (Group)
3325 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3326 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3327 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3330 @kindex G S n (Group)
3331 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3332 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3333 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3337 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3338 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3340 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3341 commands will sort in reverse order.
3343 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3347 @kindex G P a (Group)
3348 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3349 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3350 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3353 @kindex G P u (Group)
3354 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3355 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3356 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3359 @kindex G P l (Group)
3360 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3361 Sort the groups by group level
3362 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3365 @kindex G P v (Group)
3366 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3367 Sort the groups by group score
3368 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3371 @kindex G P r (Group)
3372 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3373 Sort the groups by group rank
3374 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3377 @kindex G P m (Group)
3378 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3379 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3380 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3383 @kindex G P n (Group)
3384 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3385 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3386 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3389 @kindex G P s (Group)
3390 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3391 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3395 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3399 @node Group Maintenance
3400 @section Group Maintenance
3401 @cindex bogus groups
3406 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3407 Find bogus groups and delete them
3408 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3412 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3413 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3414 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3415 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3416 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3420 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3421 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3422 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3423 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3424 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3425 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3428 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3429 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3430 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3431 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3436 @node Browse Foreign Server
3437 @section Browse Foreign Server
3438 @cindex foreign servers
3439 @cindex browsing servers
3444 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3445 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3446 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3447 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3450 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3451 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3452 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3453 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3455 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3460 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3461 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3465 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3466 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3469 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3470 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3471 Enter the current group and display the first article
3472 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3475 @kindex RET (Browse)
3476 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3477 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3481 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3482 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3483 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3489 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3490 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3494 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3495 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3499 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3500 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3501 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3506 @section Exiting Gnus
3507 @cindex exiting Gnus
3509 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3514 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3515 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3516 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3517 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3521 @findex gnus-group-exit
3522 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3523 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3527 @findex gnus-group-quit
3528 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3529 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3532 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3533 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3534 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3535 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3536 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3537 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3543 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3544 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3545 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3551 @section Group Topics
3554 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3555 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3556 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3557 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3558 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3559 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3563 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3564 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3575 2: alt.religion.emacs
3578 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3580 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3581 13: comp.sources.unix
3584 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3586 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3587 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3588 is a toggling command.)
3590 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3591 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3592 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3593 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3596 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3597 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3598 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3601 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3605 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3606 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3607 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3608 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3609 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3613 @node Topic Commands
3614 @subsection Topic Commands
3615 @cindex topic commands
3617 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3618 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3619 definitions slightly.
3621 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3622 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3623 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3624 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3625 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3626 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3628 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3635 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3636 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3637 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3641 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3643 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3644 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3645 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3646 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3649 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3650 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3651 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3652 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3656 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3657 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3658 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3659 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3665 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3666 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3667 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3671 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3672 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3673 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3676 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3677 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3678 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3679 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3680 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3682 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3683 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3687 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3688 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3695 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3697 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3698 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3699 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3700 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3701 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3702 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3706 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3712 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3713 Move the current group to some other topic
3714 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3715 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3719 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3720 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3724 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3725 Copy the current group to some other topic
3726 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3727 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3731 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3732 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3733 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3737 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3738 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3739 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3743 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3744 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3745 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3746 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3747 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3748 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3749 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3752 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3753 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3757 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3758 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3759 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3763 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3764 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3765 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3769 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3770 Toggle hiding empty topics
3771 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3775 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3776 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3777 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3778 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3781 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3782 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3783 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3784 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3785 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3788 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3789 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3790 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3791 expiry process (if any)
3792 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3796 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3797 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3800 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3801 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3802 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3806 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3807 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3808 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3811 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3812 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3813 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3816 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3817 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3818 Go to the previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3822 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3823 @cindex group parameters
3824 @cindex topic parameters
3826 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3827 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3832 @node Topic Variables
3833 @subsection Topic Variables
3834 @cindex topic variables
3836 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3837 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3839 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3840 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3841 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3854 Number of groups in the topic.
3856 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3858 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3861 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3862 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3863 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3866 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3867 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3869 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3870 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3871 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3875 @subsection Topic Sorting
3876 @cindex topic sorting
3878 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3884 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3885 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3886 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3887 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3890 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3891 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3892 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3893 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3896 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3897 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3898 Sort the current topic by group level
3899 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3902 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3903 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3904 Sort the current topic by group score
3905 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3908 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3909 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3910 Sort the current topic by group rank
3911 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3914 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3915 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3916 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3917 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3920 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3921 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3922 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3923 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3926 @kindex T S s (Topic)
3927 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3928 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3929 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3930 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3934 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3935 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3939 @node Topic Topology
3940 @subsection Topic Topology
3941 @cindex topic topology
3944 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3951 2: alt.religion.emacs
3954 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3956 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3957 13: comp.sources.unix
3961 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3962 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3963 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3968 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3969 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3973 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3974 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3975 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3976 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3977 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3978 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3980 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3981 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3982 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3985 @node Topic Parameters
3986 @subsection Topic Parameters
3987 @cindex topic parameters
3989 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent
3990 (and ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid
3991 topic parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}). When the agent is
3992 enabled, all agent parameters (See Agent Parameters in @ref{Category
3993 Syntax}) are also valid topic parameters.
3995 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
4000 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
4001 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
4002 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
4005 @item subscribe-level
4006 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
4007 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
4008 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
4012 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
4013 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
4014 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
4015 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
4022 2: alt.religion.emacs
4026 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4028 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4029 13: comp.sources.unix
4034 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4035 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4036 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4037 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4038 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4039 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4041 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4042 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4043 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4044 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4045 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4047 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4048 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4049 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4050 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4051 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4052 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4053 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4054 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4057 @node Misc Group Stuff
4058 @section Misc Group Stuff
4061 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
4062 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
4063 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
4064 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
4065 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
4072 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
4073 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
4074 @xref{Server Buffer}.
4078 @findex gnus-group-post-news
4079 Start composing a message (a news by default)
4080 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
4081 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
4082 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
4083 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
4084 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4088 @findex gnus-group-mail
4089 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
4090 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
4091 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4092 @xref{Composing Messages}.
4096 @findex gnus-group-news
4097 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
4098 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
4099 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4101 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4102 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4103 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4104 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4105 for this to work though.
4109 Variables for the group buffer:
4113 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4114 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4115 is called after the group buffer has been
4118 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4119 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4120 is called after the group buffer is
4121 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4124 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4125 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4126 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4127 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4129 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4130 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4131 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4132 whether they are empty or not.
4134 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4135 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4136 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4137 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4141 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4142 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4145 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4146 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4147 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4148 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4149 is used to show non-@acronym{ASCII} group names. @code{((".*"
4150 utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the
4151 default is @code{nil}.
4155 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4156 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4161 @node Scanning New Messages
4162 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4163 @cindex new messages
4164 @cindex scanning new news
4170 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4171 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4172 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4173 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4174 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4175 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4180 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4181 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4182 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4183 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4184 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4185 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4186 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4188 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4189 @cindex activating groups
4191 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4192 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4197 @findex gnus-group-restart
4198 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4199 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4200 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
4204 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4205 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4207 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4208 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4212 @node Group Information
4213 @subsection Group Information
4214 @cindex group information
4215 @cindex information on groups
4222 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4223 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4226 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
4227 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
4228 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
4229 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
4230 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4231 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
4232 used for fetching the file.
4234 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
4235 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4239 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4240 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4242 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4243 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4246 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4247 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4248 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4252 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4253 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4254 @cindex control message
4255 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4256 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4257 group if given a prefix argument.
4259 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4260 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4261 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4262 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4264 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4265 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
4266 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
4270 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4272 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4273 @cindex describing groups
4274 @cindex group description
4275 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4276 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4277 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4281 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4282 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4283 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4290 @findex gnus-version
4291 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4295 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4296 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4299 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4302 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4303 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4307 @node Group Timestamp
4308 @subsection Group Timestamp
4310 @cindex group timestamps
4312 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4313 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4314 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4317 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4320 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4322 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4323 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4326 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4327 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4330 This will result in lines looking like:
4333 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4334 0: custom 19961002T012713
4337 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4338 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4342 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4343 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4346 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4347 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4351 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4352 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4353 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4354 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4356 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4362 @subsection File Commands
4363 @cindex file commands
4369 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4370 @vindex gnus-init-file
4371 @cindex reading init file
4372 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4373 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4377 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4378 @cindex saving .newsrc
4379 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4380 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4381 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4384 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4385 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4386 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4391 @node Sieve Commands
4392 @subsection Sieve Commands
4393 @cindex group sieve commands
4395 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4396 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4397 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4398 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4399 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4401 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4402 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4403 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4404 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4405 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4406 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4407 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4408 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4409 regenerate the Sieve script.
4411 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4412 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4413 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4414 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4415 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4416 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4417 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4418 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4419 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4420 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4423 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4424 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4429 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4435 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4436 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4437 @cindex generating sieve script
4438 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4439 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4443 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4444 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4445 @cindex updating sieve script
4446 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4447 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4448 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4453 @node Summary Buffer
4454 @chapter Summary Buffer
4455 @cindex summary buffer
4457 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4458 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4460 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4461 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4463 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4466 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4467 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4468 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4469 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4470 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4471 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4472 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4473 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4474 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4475 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4476 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4477 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4478 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4479 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4480 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4481 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4482 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4483 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4484 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4485 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4486 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4487 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4488 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4489 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4490 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4491 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4492 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4493 or reselecting the current group.
4494 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4495 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4496 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4497 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4501 @node Summary Buffer Format
4502 @section Summary Buffer Format
4503 @cindex summary buffer format
4507 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4508 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4509 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4515 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4516 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4517 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4518 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4521 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4522 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4523 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4524 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4525 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4526 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4527 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4528 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4529 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4530 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4531 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4534 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4535 'mail-extract-address-components)
4538 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4539 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4540 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4541 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4544 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4545 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4547 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4548 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4549 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4550 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4551 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4553 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4554 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4555 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4556 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4557 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4558 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4560 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4562 The following format specification characters and extended format
4563 specification(s) are understood:
4569 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4570 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4572 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4573 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4574 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4576 Full @code{From} header.
4578 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4580 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4583 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4584 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4585 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4586 may be more thorough.
4588 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4591 Number of lines in the article.
4593 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4594 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4596 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4597 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4599 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4601 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4602 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4615 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4616 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4617 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
4618 line-drawing glyphs.
4620 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4621 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4622 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4623 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4625 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4626 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4627 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
4628 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4630 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4631 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4632 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4633 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4635 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4636 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4637 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4639 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4640 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4641 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4643 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4644 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4645 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4647 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4648 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4649 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4654 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4655 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4657 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4658 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4660 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4661 for adopted articles.
4663 One space for each thread level.
4665 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4667 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4670 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4671 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4672 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4675 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4677 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4678 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4679 default level. If the difference between
4680 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4681 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4689 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4691 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4697 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4698 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4700 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4701 article has any children.
4707 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4708 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4710 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4711 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4712 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
4713 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4714 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4715 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4718 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4719 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4720 There can only be one such area.
4722 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4723 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4724 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4725 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4726 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4727 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4729 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4730 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4732 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4735 @node To From Newsgroups
4736 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4740 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4741 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4742 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4743 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4744 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4748 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4749 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4750 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4754 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4755 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4758 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4759 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4762 @findex gnus-extra-header
4763 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4764 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4765 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4768 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4772 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4773 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4774 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4775 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4776 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4777 headers are used instead.
4779 To distinguish regular articles from those where the @code{From} field
4780 has been swapped, a string is prefixed to the @code{To} or
4781 @code{Newsgroups} header in the summary line. By default the string is
4782 @samp{-> } for @code{To} and @samp{=> } for @code{Newsgroups}, you can
4783 customize these strings with @code{gnus-summary-to-prefix} and
4784 @code{gnus-summary-newsgroup-prefix}.
4788 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4789 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4790 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
4791 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
4792 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
4793 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
4796 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4797 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4798 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4799 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4801 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4805 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4807 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4808 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4809 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4810 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4814 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4817 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4818 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4821 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4822 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4823 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4829 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4830 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4833 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4834 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4836 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4837 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4838 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4839 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4841 Here are the elements you can play with:
4847 Unprefixed group name.
4849 Current article number.
4851 Current article score.
4855 Number of unread articles in this group.
4857 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4860 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4861 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4862 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4863 and no unselected ones.
4865 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4866 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4868 Subject of the current article.
4870 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4872 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4874 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4876 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4878 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4880 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4884 @node Summary Highlighting
4885 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4889 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4890 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4891 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4892 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4893 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4895 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4896 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4897 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4898 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4900 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4901 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4902 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4903 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4905 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4906 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4907 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4908 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4909 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4910 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4913 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4914 ((> score default) . bold))
4916 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4917 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4921 @node Summary Maneuvering
4922 @section Summary Maneuvering
4923 @cindex summary movement
4925 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4926 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4928 None of these commands select articles.
4933 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4934 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4935 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4936 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4937 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4941 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4942 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4943 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4944 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4945 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4948 @kindex G g (Summary)
4949 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4950 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4951 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4954 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4955 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4956 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4957 to the group buffer.
4959 Variables related to summary movement:
4963 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4964 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4965 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4966 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4967 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4968 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4969 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4970 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4971 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4972 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4973 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4974 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4975 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4976 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4978 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4979 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4980 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4981 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4982 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4983 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4984 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4986 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4988 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4989 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4990 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4991 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4992 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4994 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4995 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4996 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4997 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4998 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4999 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
5000 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
5001 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
5004 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
5005 the given number of lines from the top.
5010 @node Choosing Articles
5011 @section Choosing Articles
5012 @cindex selecting articles
5015 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
5016 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
5020 @node Choosing Commands
5021 @subsection Choosing Commands
5023 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
5024 and they all select and display an article.
5026 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
5027 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
5031 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5032 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5033 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
5034 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5036 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
5037 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
5038 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
5043 @kindex G n (Summary)
5044 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
5045 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
5046 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
5051 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
5052 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
5053 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
5058 @kindex G N (Summary)
5059 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
5060 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
5065 @kindex G P (Summary)
5066 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
5067 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
5070 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
5071 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
5072 Go to the next article with the same subject
5073 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
5076 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
5077 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
5078 Go to the previous article with the same subject
5079 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
5083 @kindex G f (Summary)
5085 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
5086 Go to the first unread article
5087 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
5091 @kindex G b (Summary)
5093 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
5094 Go to the unread article with the highest score
5095 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
5096 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
5101 @kindex G l (Summary)
5102 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
5103 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
5106 @kindex G o (Summary)
5107 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
5109 @cindex article history
5110 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
5111 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
5112 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5113 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5114 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5115 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5120 @kindex G j (Summary)
5121 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5122 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5123 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5128 @node Choosing Variables
5129 @subsection Choosing Variables
5131 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5134 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5135 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5136 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5137 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5138 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5139 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5141 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5142 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5143 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. The default is
5144 @code{nil}. If you would like each article to be saved in the Agent as
5145 you read it, putting @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this
5148 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5149 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5150 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5151 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5152 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5153 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5154 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5155 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5156 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-read-mark}. The only
5157 articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5158 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5159 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5160 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5161 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5166 @node Paging the Article
5167 @section Scrolling the Article
5168 @cindex article scrolling
5173 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5174 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5175 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5176 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5177 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5179 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5180 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5181 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5182 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5183 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5184 what is considered uninteresting with
5185 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5186 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5189 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5190 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5191 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5194 @kindex RET (Summary)
5195 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5196 Scroll the current article one line forward
5197 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5200 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5201 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5202 Scroll the current article one line backward
5203 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5207 @kindex A g (Summary)
5209 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5210 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5211 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5212 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5213 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5214 the way it came from the server.
5216 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5217 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5218 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5221 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5226 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5231 @kindex A < (Summary)
5232 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5233 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5234 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5239 @kindex A > (Summary)
5240 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5241 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5245 @kindex A s (Summary)
5247 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5248 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5249 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5253 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5254 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5259 @node Reply Followup and Post
5260 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5263 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5264 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5265 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5266 * Canceling and Superseding::
5270 @node Summary Mail Commands
5271 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5273 @cindex composing mail
5275 Commands for composing a mail message:
5281 @kindex S r (Summary)
5283 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5284 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5285 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5286 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5287 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5292 @kindex S R (Summary)
5293 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5294 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5295 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5296 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5297 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5300 @kindex S w (Summary)
5301 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5302 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5303 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5304 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5305 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
5306 present, that's used instead.
5309 @kindex S W (Summary)
5310 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5311 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5312 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5313 the process/prefix convention.
5316 @kindex S v (Summary)
5317 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5318 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5319 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5320 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5321 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5322 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5325 @kindex S V (Summary)
5326 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5327 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5328 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5329 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5332 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5333 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5334 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5335 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5336 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
5337 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
5338 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
5339 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
5342 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5343 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5344 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5345 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5346 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5350 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5351 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5352 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5353 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5354 Forward the current article to some other person
5355 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
5356 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
5357 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5358 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5359 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5360 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5361 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5362 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5363 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME}
5369 @kindex S m (Summary)
5370 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5371 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5372 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5373 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5374 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5379 @kindex S i (Summary)
5380 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5381 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5382 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5383 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5385 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5386 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5387 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5388 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5389 for this to work though.
5392 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5393 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5394 @cindex bouncing mail
5395 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5396 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5397 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5398 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5399 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5400 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5401 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5402 very well fail, though.
5405 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5406 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5407 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5408 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5409 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5410 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5411 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5412 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5413 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5414 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5416 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5417 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5418 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5419 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5420 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5422 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5423 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5426 @kindex S D e (Summary)
5427 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message-edit
5429 Like the previous command, but will allow you to edit the message as
5430 if it were a new message before resending.
5433 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5434 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5435 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5436 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5437 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5440 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5441 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5442 @cindex crossposting
5443 @cindex excessive crossposting
5444 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5445 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5447 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5448 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5449 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5450 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5451 command understands the process/prefix convention
5452 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5456 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5457 Manual}, for more information.
5460 @node Summary Post Commands
5461 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5463 @cindex composing news
5465 Commands for posting a news article:
5471 @kindex S p (Summary)
5472 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5473 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5474 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5475 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5476 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5481 @kindex S f (Summary)
5482 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5483 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5484 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5488 @kindex S F (Summary)
5490 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5491 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5492 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5493 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5494 process/prefix convention.
5497 @kindex S n (Summary)
5498 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5499 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5500 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5503 @kindex S N (Summary)
5504 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5505 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5506 message through mail and include the original message
5507 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5508 the process/prefix convention.
5511 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5512 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5513 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5514 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5515 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5516 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5517 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5518 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5519 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5520 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5521 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5522 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5523 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section.
5526 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5527 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5529 @cindex making digests
5530 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5531 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
5532 process/prefix convention.
5535 @kindex S u (Summary)
5536 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5537 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5538 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5539 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5542 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5543 Manual}, for more information.
5546 @node Summary Message Commands
5547 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5551 @kindex S y (Summary)
5552 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5553 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5554 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5555 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5556 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5561 @node Canceling and Superseding
5562 @subsection Canceling Articles
5563 @cindex canceling articles
5564 @cindex superseding articles
5566 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5567 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5569 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5571 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5573 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5574 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5575 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5576 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5577 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5578 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5580 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5581 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5584 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5585 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5586 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5588 Gnus ensures that only you can cancel your own messages using a
5589 @code{Cancel-Lock} header (@pxref{Canceling News, Canceling News, ,
5590 message, Message Manual}).
5592 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5593 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5594 your original article.
5596 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5598 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5599 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5600 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5603 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5604 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5605 have posted almost the same article twice.
5607 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5608 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5609 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5610 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5611 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5612 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5613 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5614 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5615 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5616 canceled/superseded.
5618 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5620 @node Delayed Articles
5621 @section Delayed Articles
5622 @cindex delayed sending
5623 @cindex send delayed
5625 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5626 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5627 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5628 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5631 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5634 @findex gnus-delay-article
5635 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5636 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5637 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5638 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5642 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5643 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5644 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5645 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5648 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5649 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5650 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5653 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5654 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5655 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5656 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5657 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5658 that means a time tomorrow.
5661 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5662 couple of variables:
5665 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5666 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5667 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5668 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5670 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5671 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5672 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5673 formats described above.
5675 @item gnus-delay-group
5676 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5677 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5678 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5679 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5681 @item gnus-delay-header
5682 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5683 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5684 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5685 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5688 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5689 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5690 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5691 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5692 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5694 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5695 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5696 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5697 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5698 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5699 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5700 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5703 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5704 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5705 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5706 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5707 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5708 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5709 argument is ignored.
5711 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5712 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5713 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5717 @node Marking Articles
5718 @section Marking Articles
5719 @cindex article marking
5720 @cindex article ticking
5723 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5725 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5726 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5727 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5729 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5732 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks.
5736 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5737 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5738 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5739 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5740 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5741 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5745 @node Unread Articles
5746 @subsection Unread Articles
5748 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5753 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5754 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5756 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5757 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5758 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5759 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5760 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5761 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5762 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5765 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5766 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5768 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5769 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5770 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5771 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5775 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5776 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5778 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5783 @subsection Read Articles
5784 @cindex expirable mark
5786 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5791 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5792 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5793 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5796 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5797 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5800 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5801 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5802 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5805 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5806 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5809 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5810 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5813 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5814 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5817 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5818 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5821 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5822 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5825 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5826 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5829 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5830 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5834 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5835 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5836 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5840 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5841 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5843 One more special mark, though:
5847 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5848 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5850 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5851 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5852 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5853 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5859 @subsection Other Marks
5860 @cindex process mark
5863 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5869 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5870 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5871 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5872 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5873 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5876 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5877 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5878 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5879 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5882 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5883 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5884 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5887 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5888 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5889 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5892 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5893 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5894 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5895 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5898 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5899 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5900 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5901 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5902 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5903 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5906 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5907 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5908 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5909 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5912 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
5913 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
5914 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
5915 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
5916 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
5920 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5921 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
5922 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
5923 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
5924 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
5925 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
5928 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5929 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
5930 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5931 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5932 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5933 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5937 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5938 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5939 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5940 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5941 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5944 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5945 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5946 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5947 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5948 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5949 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5953 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5954 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5955 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5957 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5958 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5959 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5963 @subsection Setting Marks
5964 @cindex setting marks
5966 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5971 @kindex M c (Summary)
5972 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5973 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5974 @cindex mark as unread
5975 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5976 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5982 @kindex M t (Summary)
5983 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5984 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5985 @xref{Article Caching}.
5990 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5991 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5992 Mark the current article as dormant
5993 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5997 @kindex M d (Summary)
5999 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
6000 Mark the current article as read
6001 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
6005 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
6006 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
6007 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
6012 @kindex M k (Summary)
6013 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
6014 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
6015 and then select the next unread article
6016 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
6020 @kindex M K (Summary)
6021 @kindex C-k (Summary)
6022 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
6023 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
6024 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
6027 @kindex M C (Summary)
6028 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
6029 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
6030 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
6033 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
6034 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
6035 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
6036 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
6039 @kindex M H (Summary)
6040 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
6041 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
6042 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
6045 @kindex M h (Summary)
6046 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
6047 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
6048 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
6051 @kindex C-w (Summary)
6052 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
6053 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
6054 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
6057 @kindex M V k (Summary)
6058 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
6059 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
6060 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
6064 @kindex M e (Summary)
6066 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
6067 Mark the current article as expirable
6068 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
6071 @kindex M b (Summary)
6072 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
6073 Set a bookmark in the current article
6074 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
6077 @kindex M B (Summary)
6078 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
6079 Remove the bookmark from the current article
6080 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
6083 @kindex M V c (Summary)
6084 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
6085 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
6086 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6089 @kindex M V u (Summary)
6090 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
6091 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
6092 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
6095 @kindex M V m (Summary)
6096 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
6097 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
6098 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
6099 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6102 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
6103 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
6104 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
6105 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
6106 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
6107 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
6108 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
6109 The default is @code{t}.
6112 @node Generic Marking Commands
6113 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
6115 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
6116 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
6117 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
6118 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
6119 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
6122 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
6123 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
6126 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
6127 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
6128 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
6129 to list in this manual.
6131 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6132 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6133 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6134 article, you could say something like:
6138 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6139 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6140 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6148 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6149 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6153 @node Setting Process Marks
6154 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6155 @cindex setting process marks
6157 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6158 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6159 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6160 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6161 commands into the cache. For more information,
6162 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6169 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6170 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6171 Mark the current article with the process mark
6172 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6173 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6177 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6178 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6179 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6180 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6183 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6184 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6185 Remove the process mark from all articles
6186 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6189 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6190 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6191 Invert the list of process marked articles
6192 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6195 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6196 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6197 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6198 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6201 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6202 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6203 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6204 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6207 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6208 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6209 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6212 @kindex M P g (Summary)
6213 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6214 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6217 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6218 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6219 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6220 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6223 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6224 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6225 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6226 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6229 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6230 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6231 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6232 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6235 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6236 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6237 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6240 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6241 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6242 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6243 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6246 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6247 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6248 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}).
6251 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6252 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6253 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6254 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6257 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6258 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6259 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6260 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6263 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6264 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6265 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6266 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6269 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6270 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6271 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6272 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6276 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
6277 set process marks based on article body contents.
6284 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6285 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6286 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6289 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6290 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6291 additional articles.
6297 @kindex / / (Summary)
6298 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6299 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6300 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6304 @kindex / a (Summary)
6305 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6306 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6307 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6311 @kindex / R (Summary)
6312 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient
6313 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some recipient
6314 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient}). If given a prefix, exclude
6318 @kindex / x (Summary)
6319 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6320 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6321 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6322 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6327 @kindex / u (Summary)
6329 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6330 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6331 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6332 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6333 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6336 @kindex / m (Summary)
6337 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6338 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6339 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6342 @kindex / t (Summary)
6343 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6344 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6345 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6346 articles younger than that number of days.
6349 @kindex / n (Summary)
6350 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6351 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6352 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6353 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6356 @kindex / w (Summary)
6357 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6358 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6359 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6363 @kindex / . (Summary)
6364 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6365 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6366 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6369 @kindex / v (Summary)
6370 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6371 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6372 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6375 @kindex / p (Summary)
6376 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6377 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6378 group parameter predicate
6379 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
6380 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
6383 @kindex / r (Summary)
6384 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-replied
6385 Limit the summary buffer to replied articles
6386 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-replied}). If given a prefix, exclude
6391 @kindex M S (Summary)
6392 @kindex / E (Summary)
6393 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6394 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6395 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6398 @kindex / D (Summary)
6399 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6400 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6401 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6404 @kindex / * (Summary)
6405 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6406 Include all cached articles in the limit
6407 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6410 @kindex / d (Summary)
6411 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6412 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6413 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6416 @kindex / M (Summary)
6417 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6418 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6421 @kindex / T (Summary)
6422 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6423 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6426 @kindex / c (Summary)
6427 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6428 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
6429 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6432 @kindex / C (Summary)
6433 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6434 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6435 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6436 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6439 @kindex / N (Summary)
6440 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6441 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6442 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6445 @kindex / o (Summary)
6446 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6447 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6448 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6456 @cindex article threading
6458 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6459 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6460 hierarchical fashion.
6462 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6463 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6464 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6465 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6466 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6467 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6468 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
6470 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6474 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6477 A tree-like article structure.
6480 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6483 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6484 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6485 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6486 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6487 called loose threads.
6489 @item thread gathering
6490 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6492 @item sparse threads
6493 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6494 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6500 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6501 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6505 @node Customizing Threading
6506 @subsection Customizing Threading
6507 @cindex customizing threading
6510 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6511 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6512 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6513 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6518 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6521 @cindex loose threads
6524 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6525 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6526 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6527 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6528 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6529 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6531 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6532 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6533 There are four possible values:
6537 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6538 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6539 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6540 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6541 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6546 @cindex adopting articles
6551 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6552 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6553 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6554 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6557 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6558 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6559 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6560 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6561 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6562 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6563 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6564 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6565 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6566 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6569 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6570 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6571 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6575 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6576 display them after one another.
6579 Don't gather loose threads.
6582 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6583 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6584 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6585 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6586 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6587 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6588 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6589 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6590 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6591 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6592 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6594 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6595 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6596 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6599 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6600 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6601 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6602 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6603 simplification is used.
6605 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6606 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6607 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6608 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6610 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6612 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6618 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6619 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6620 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6621 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6626 (mapconcat 'identity
6627 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6629 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6632 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6635 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6636 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6637 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6638 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6639 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6640 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6642 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6645 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6646 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6647 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6649 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6650 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6653 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6654 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6655 Remove excessive whitespace.
6657 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6658 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6659 Remove all whitespace.
6662 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6665 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6666 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6667 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6668 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6669 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6670 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6671 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6672 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6674 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6675 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6676 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6677 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6678 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6679 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6680 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6681 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6682 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6686 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6687 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6688 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6689 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6691 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6692 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6693 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6696 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6700 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6701 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6707 @node Filling In Threads
6708 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6711 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6712 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6713 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6714 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
6715 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
6716 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
6717 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
6718 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
6719 old headers only works if the back end you are using carries overview
6720 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6721 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6722 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can
6725 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6726 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6727 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6729 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6730 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6731 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
6734 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6735 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6736 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6737 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6738 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6739 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6740 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6741 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6742 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6743 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6744 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6745 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6746 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6747 @code{nil} by default.
6749 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6750 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6751 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6752 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6753 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6754 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6755 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6757 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6758 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6759 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6764 @node More Threading
6765 @subsubsection More Threading
6768 @item gnus-show-threads
6769 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6770 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6771 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6772 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6773 slower and more awkward.
6775 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6776 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6777 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6780 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6781 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6782 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
6787 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6788 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6789 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6792 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6793 unread, but you get my drift.)
6796 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6797 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6798 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6799 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6800 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6801 threads are expunged.
6803 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6804 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6805 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6808 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6809 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6810 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6811 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6812 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6813 result in a new thread.
6815 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6816 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6817 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6820 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6821 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6822 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6823 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6824 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6825 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6826 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6827 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6828 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6829 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6830 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6835 @node Low-Level Threading
6836 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6840 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6841 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6842 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6844 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6845 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6846 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6847 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6848 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6849 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6850 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6851 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6852 meaningful. Here's one example:
6855 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6857 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6858 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6860 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6862 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6869 @node Thread Commands
6870 @subsection Thread Commands
6871 @cindex thread commands
6877 @kindex T k (Summary)
6878 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6879 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6880 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6881 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6882 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6887 @kindex T l (Summary)
6888 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6889 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6890 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6891 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6894 @kindex T i (Summary)
6895 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6896 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6897 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6900 @kindex T # (Summary)
6901 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6902 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6903 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6906 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6907 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6908 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6909 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6912 @kindex T T (Summary)
6913 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6914 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6917 @kindex T s (Summary)
6918 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6919 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
6920 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6923 @kindex T h (Summary)
6924 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6925 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6928 @kindex T S (Summary)
6929 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6930 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6933 @kindex T H (Summary)
6934 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6935 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6938 @kindex T t (Summary)
6939 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6940 Re-thread the current article's thread
6941 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6942 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6945 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6946 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6947 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6948 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6952 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6953 understand the numeric prefix.
6958 @kindex T n (Summary)
6960 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6962 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6963 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6964 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6967 @kindex T p (Summary)
6969 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6971 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6972 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6973 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6976 @kindex T d (Summary)
6977 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6978 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6981 @kindex T u (Summary)
6982 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6983 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6986 @kindex T o (Summary)
6987 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6988 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6991 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6992 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6993 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6994 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6995 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6996 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6997 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6998 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6999 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
7000 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
7001 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
7002 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
7006 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
7007 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
7009 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
7010 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
7011 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
7012 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7013 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
7014 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient
7015 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7016 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
7017 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
7018 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
7019 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
7020 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
7021 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
7022 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
7023 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
7025 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
7026 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
7027 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient},
7028 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date},
7029 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
7030 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
7031 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
7032 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
7033 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
7035 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
7036 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
7037 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
7039 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
7040 last function in the list. You should probably always include
7041 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
7042 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
7043 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
7044 ascending article order.
7046 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
7047 by number, you could do something like:
7050 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7051 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7052 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7053 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
7056 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
7057 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
7058 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
7059 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
7060 which the articles arrived.
7062 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
7066 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7068 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
7069 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
7072 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
7073 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
7074 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
7075 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
7078 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
7079 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
7080 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
7081 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
7082 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
7083 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
7084 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
7085 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
7086 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
7087 variable. It is very similar to the
7088 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
7089 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
7090 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
7091 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
7092 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
7093 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
7094 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
7096 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
7100 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
7101 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
7102 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
7107 @node Asynchronous Fetching
7108 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
7109 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
7110 @cindex article pre-fetch
7113 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
7114 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
7115 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
7116 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
7117 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
7119 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
7120 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
7122 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
7123 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
7124 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
7125 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
7126 connection is blocked.
7128 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
7129 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
7130 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
7131 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
7133 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
7134 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
7135 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
7136 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
7139 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
7142 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
7143 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
7144 happen automatically.
7146 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
7147 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
7148 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
7149 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
7150 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
7151 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
7152 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
7154 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
7155 @findex gnus-async-read-p
7156 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7157 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7158 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7159 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7160 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which
7161 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7162 article data structure as the only parameter.
7164 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7165 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7168 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7169 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7170 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7171 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7174 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7177 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7178 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
7179 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7181 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7182 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7183 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7184 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7188 Remove articles when they are read.
7191 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7194 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7196 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7197 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7198 @c from the next group.
7201 @node Article Caching
7202 @section Article Caching
7203 @cindex article caching
7206 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
7207 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7208 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7209 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7210 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7212 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7214 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7215 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7216 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7217 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7218 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7219 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7220 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7221 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7223 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7224 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7225 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7226 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7227 as dormant, and don't worry.
7229 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7231 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7232 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7233 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7234 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7235 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7236 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7237 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7238 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7239 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7240 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7242 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7243 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7244 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7245 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7246 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7247 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
7248 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7249 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7250 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7251 not then be downloaded by this command.
7253 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7254 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7255 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7256 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7257 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7258 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7260 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7261 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7262 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7263 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7264 variables, the group is not cached.
7266 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7267 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7268 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7269 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7270 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7271 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
7272 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7273 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
7274 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7277 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7278 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7279 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7280 where, isn't that cool?
7282 @node Persistent Articles
7283 @section Persistent Articles
7284 @cindex persistent articles
7286 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7287 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7288 useful in my opinion.
7290 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7291 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7292 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7293 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7294 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7295 the expiry going on at the news server.
7297 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7298 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7299 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7305 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7306 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7309 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7310 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7311 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7312 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7316 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7318 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7319 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7320 interested in persistent articles:
7323 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7327 @node Article Backlog
7328 @section Article Backlog
7330 @cindex article backlog
7332 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7333 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7334 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
7335 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7336 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7337 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7338 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
7339 increase memory usage some.
7341 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7342 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
7343 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7344 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
7345 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7346 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7347 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7349 The default value is 20.
7352 @node Saving Articles
7353 @section Saving Articles
7354 @cindex saving articles
7356 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7357 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7358 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7359 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7360 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7362 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7363 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7364 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7366 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7367 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
7368 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7370 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7371 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7372 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7373 deleted before saving.
7379 @kindex O o (Summary)
7381 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7382 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7383 Save the current article using the default article saver
7384 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7387 @kindex O m (Summary)
7388 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7389 Save the current article in mail format
7390 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7393 @kindex O r (Summary)
7394 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7395 Save the current article in Rmail format
7396 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7399 @kindex O f (Summary)
7400 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7401 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7402 Save the current article in plain file format
7403 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7406 @kindex O F (Summary)
7407 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7408 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7409 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7412 @kindex O b (Summary)
7413 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7414 Save the current article body in plain file format
7415 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7418 @kindex O h (Summary)
7419 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7420 Save the current article in mh folder format
7421 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7424 @kindex O v (Summary)
7425 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7426 Save the current article in a VM folder
7427 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7431 @kindex O p (Summary)
7433 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7434 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7435 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7436 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7437 complete headers in the piped output.
7440 @kindex O P (Summary)
7441 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7442 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7443 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7444 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
7445 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
7446 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
7447 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7451 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7452 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7453 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7454 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7455 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7456 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7457 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7458 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7459 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7460 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7461 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7462 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7466 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7467 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7468 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7469 functions below, or you can create your own.
7473 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7474 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7475 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7476 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7477 This is the default format, @dfn{Babyl}. Uses the function in the
7478 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7479 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7481 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7482 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7483 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7484 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7485 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7486 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7488 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7489 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7490 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7491 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7492 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7493 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7494 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7496 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7497 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7498 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7499 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7500 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7501 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7503 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7504 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7505 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7506 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7507 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7509 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7510 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7511 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7512 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7513 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7516 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7517 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7518 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7519 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7520 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7522 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7523 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7524 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7525 reader to use this setting.
7528 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7529 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7530 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7531 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7534 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7535 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7536 available functions that generate names:
7540 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7541 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7542 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7544 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7545 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7546 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7548 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7549 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7550 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7552 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7553 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7554 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7556 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7557 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7558 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7561 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7562 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7563 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7564 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7565 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7569 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7570 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7571 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7572 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7575 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7576 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7577 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7578 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7579 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7580 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7581 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7582 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7583 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7585 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7586 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7587 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7588 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7590 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7591 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7592 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7595 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7596 lots of mail groups called things like
7597 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7598 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7599 following will do just that:
7602 (defun my-save-name (group)
7603 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7604 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7606 (setq gnus-split-methods
7607 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7612 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7613 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7614 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7615 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7616 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7617 all the files in the top level directory
7618 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7619 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7620 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7621 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7623 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7624 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7625 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7626 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7627 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7630 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7634 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
7635 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7636 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
7639 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7640 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7641 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7642 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7645 @node Decoding Articles
7646 @section Decoding Articles
7647 @cindex decoding articles
7649 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7650 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7653 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7654 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7655 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7656 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7657 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7658 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7662 @cindex article series
7663 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7664 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7665 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7666 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7667 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7669 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7670 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7671 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7673 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7674 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7675 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7677 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7678 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7679 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7682 @node Uuencoded Articles
7683 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7685 @cindex uuencoded articles
7690 @kindex X u (Summary)
7691 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7692 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7693 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7696 @kindex X U (Summary)
7697 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7698 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7699 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7702 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7703 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7704 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7707 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7708 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7709 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7710 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7714 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7715 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7716 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7717 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7718 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7720 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7721 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7722 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7723 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7726 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7727 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7728 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7729 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7730 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7731 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7735 @node Shell Archives
7736 @subsection Shell Archives
7738 @cindex shell archives
7739 @cindex shared articles
7741 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7742 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7743 some commands to deal with these:
7748 @kindex X s (Summary)
7749 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7750 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7753 @kindex X S (Summary)
7754 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7755 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7758 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7759 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7760 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7763 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7764 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7765 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7766 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7770 @node PostScript Files
7771 @subsection PostScript Files
7777 @kindex X p (Summary)
7778 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7779 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7782 @kindex X P (Summary)
7783 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7784 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7785 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7788 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7789 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7790 View the current PostScript series
7791 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7794 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7795 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7796 View and save the current PostScript series
7797 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7802 @subsection Other Files
7806 @kindex X o (Summary)
7807 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7808 Save the current series
7809 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7812 @kindex X b (Summary)
7813 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7814 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7815 doesn't really work yet.
7819 @node Decoding Variables
7820 @subsection Decoding Variables
7822 Adjective, not verb.
7825 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7826 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7827 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7831 @node Rule Variables
7832 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7833 @cindex rule variables
7835 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7836 variables are of the form
7839 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7846 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7847 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7849 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7850 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
7853 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7854 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7857 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7858 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7859 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7860 user and default view rules.
7862 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7863 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7864 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7869 @node Other Decode Variables
7870 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7873 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7875 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7876 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7877 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7878 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7879 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7883 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7884 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7887 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7888 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7889 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7892 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7893 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7894 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7895 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7896 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7899 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7900 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7901 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7903 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7904 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7905 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7906 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7907 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
7910 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7911 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7912 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7914 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7915 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7916 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7917 looking for files to display.
7919 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7920 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7921 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7924 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7925 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7926 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7929 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7930 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7931 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7934 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7935 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7936 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7939 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7940 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7941 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7942 decoded articles as unread.
7944 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7945 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7946 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7947 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7949 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7950 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7951 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7953 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7954 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7956 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7957 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
7958 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7959 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7961 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7962 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7963 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7964 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7965 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7966 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7967 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7968 simply dropped them.
7973 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7974 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7978 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7979 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7980 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7981 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7982 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7983 for you when you post the article.
7985 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7986 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7987 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7988 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7990 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7991 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7992 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7993 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7994 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7995 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7996 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
7998 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7999 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
8000 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
8001 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
8002 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
8003 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
8004 Default is @code{t}.
8010 @subsection Viewing Files
8011 @cindex viewing files
8012 @cindex pseudo-articles
8014 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
8015 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
8016 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
8017 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
8018 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
8019 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
8020 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
8022 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
8023 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
8024 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
8025 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
8027 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
8028 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
8029 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
8031 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
8032 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
8033 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
8034 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
8035 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
8037 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
8038 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
8039 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
8040 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
8041 a list of parameters to that command.
8043 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
8044 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
8045 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
8047 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
8048 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
8049 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
8052 @node Article Treatment
8053 @section Article Treatment
8055 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
8056 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
8057 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
8058 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
8059 these articles easier.
8062 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
8063 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
8064 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
8065 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
8066 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
8067 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
8068 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
8069 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
8070 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
8071 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
8072 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
8076 @node Article Highlighting
8077 @subsection Article Highlighting
8078 @cindex highlighting
8080 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
8081 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
8086 @kindex W H a (Summary)
8087 @findex gnus-article-highlight
8088 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
8089 Do much highlighting of the current article
8090 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
8091 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
8094 @kindex W H h (Summary)
8095 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
8096 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
8097 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
8098 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
8099 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
8100 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
8101 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
8102 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
8103 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
8104 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
8105 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
8108 @kindex W H c (Summary)
8109 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
8110 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
8112 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
8115 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8117 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8118 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
8119 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
8121 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
8122 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
8123 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
8125 @item gnus-cite-face-list
8126 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
8127 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
8128 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
8129 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
8130 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
8132 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
8133 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
8134 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
8136 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8137 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8138 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
8140 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8141 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8142 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
8143 that it's a citation.
8145 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8146 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8147 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
8149 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8150 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8151 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
8153 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
8154 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
8155 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
8156 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8158 @item gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8159 @vindex gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8160 If non-@code{nil}, no citation highlighting will be performed on lines
8161 beginning with @samp{>From }. Those lines may have been quoted by MTAs
8162 in order not to mix up with the envelope From line. The default value
8169 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8170 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8171 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8172 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8173 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8174 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8175 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8176 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8181 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8184 @node Article Fontisizing
8185 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8187 @cindex article emphasis
8189 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8190 @kindex W e (Summary)
8191 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8192 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8193 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8194 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8196 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8197 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8198 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8199 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8200 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8201 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8202 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8203 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8207 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8208 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8209 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8218 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8219 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8220 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8221 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8222 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8223 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8224 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8225 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8226 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8227 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8228 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8229 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8230 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8232 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8233 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8234 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8238 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8241 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8243 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8244 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8245 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8246 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8248 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8251 @node Article Hiding
8252 @subsection Article Hiding
8253 @cindex article hiding
8255 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8256 too much cruft in most articles.
8261 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8262 @findex gnus-article-hide
8263 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8264 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8265 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
8268 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8269 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8270 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8274 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8275 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8276 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8277 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8280 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8281 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8282 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8286 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8287 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8288 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8289 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8290 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8291 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8292 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8293 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8297 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8298 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8299 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8300 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8305 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8306 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8307 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8308 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8311 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8312 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8313 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8314 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8317 @cindex stripping advertisements
8318 @cindex advertisements
8319 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8320 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8321 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8322 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8323 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8324 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8325 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8326 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8327 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8328 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8331 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8332 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8333 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8337 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8338 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8339 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8340 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8341 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8342 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8343 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8344 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8345 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8346 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8347 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8350 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
8351 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8357 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8358 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8359 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8360 customizing the hiding:
8364 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8365 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8366 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8367 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8368 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8369 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8370 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8375 Starting point of the hidden text.
8377 Ending point of the hidden text.
8379 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8381 Number of lines of hidden text.
8384 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8385 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8386 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8387 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8388 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8393 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8394 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8396 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8397 following two variables:
8400 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8401 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8402 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8403 50), hide the cited text.
8405 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8406 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8407 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8412 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8413 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8414 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8415 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8416 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8417 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8421 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8422 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8423 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8425 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8426 citation customization.
8428 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8432 @node Article Washing
8433 @subsection Article Washing
8435 @cindex article washing
8437 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8438 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8440 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8441 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8444 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8445 articles by default.
8450 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8451 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8455 Force redisplaying of the current article
8456 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8457 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8458 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8459 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8462 @kindex W l (Summary)
8463 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8464 Remove page breaks from the current article
8465 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8469 @kindex W r (Summary)
8470 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8471 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8472 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8473 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8474 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8475 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8477 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8478 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8479 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8480 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8483 @kindex W m (Summary)
8484 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8485 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8488 @kindex W i (Summary)
8489 @findex gnus-summary-idna-message
8490 Decode IDNA encoded domain names in the current articles. IDNA
8491 encoded domain names looks like @samp{xn--bar}. If a string remain
8492 unencoded after running invoking this, it is likely an invalid IDNA
8493 string (@samp{xn--bar} is invalid). You must have GNU Libidn
8494 (@url{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/}) installed for this command
8499 @kindex W t (Summary)
8501 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8502 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8503 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8506 @kindex W v (Summary)
8507 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8508 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8509 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8512 @kindex W o (Summary)
8513 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8514 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8517 @kindex W d (Summary)
8518 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8519 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8521 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8523 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8524 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8525 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8526 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8529 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8530 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8531 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8532 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8535 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8536 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8537 @cindex Outlook Express
8538 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8539 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8540 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8543 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8544 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8545 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8546 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8547 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8548 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8549 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8550 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
8551 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8552 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8555 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8556 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8557 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
8558 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8561 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8562 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8563 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8564 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8567 @kindex W w (Summary)
8568 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8569 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8571 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8575 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8576 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8577 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8580 @kindex W C (Summary)
8581 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8582 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8583 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8586 @kindex W c (Summary)
8587 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8588 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8589 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8590 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8591 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8594 @kindex W q (Summary)
8595 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8596 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8597 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
8598 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
8599 makes strings like @samp{d@'ej@`a vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu},
8600 which doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually
8601 done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8602 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8603 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8606 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8607 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8608 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
8609 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
8610 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
8611 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8612 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8613 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8616 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8617 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8618 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8619 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8620 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8623 @kindex W A (Summary)
8624 @findex gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences
8625 @cindex @acronym{ANSI} control sequences
8626 Translate @acronym{ANSI} SGR control sequences into overlays or
8627 extents (@code{gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences}). @acronym{ANSI}
8628 sequences are used in some Chinese hierarchies for highlighting.
8631 @kindex W u (Summary)
8632 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8633 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8634 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8635 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8636 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8639 @kindex W h (Summary)
8640 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8641 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8642 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8643 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
8645 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8647 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8648 The default is to use the function specified by
8649 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
8650 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
8651 @acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
8652 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8660 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
8663 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
8666 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
8669 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
8674 @kindex W b (Summary)
8675 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8676 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8677 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8680 @kindex W B (Summary)
8681 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8682 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8683 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8686 @kindex W p (Summary)
8687 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8688 Verify a signed control message
8689 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
8690 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
8691 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
8692 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8693 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
8694 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8697 @kindex W s (Summary)
8698 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8699 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
8700 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
8701 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8704 @kindex W a (Summary)
8705 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8706 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8707 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8710 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8711 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8712 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8713 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8716 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8717 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8718 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8719 lines with a single empty line.
8720 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8723 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8724 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8725 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8726 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8729 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8730 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8731 Do all the three commands above
8732 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8735 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8736 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8737 Remove all blank lines
8738 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8741 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8742 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8743 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8744 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8747 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8748 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8749 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8750 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8754 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8757 @node Article Header
8758 @subsection Article Header
8760 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8765 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8766 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8767 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8770 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8771 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8772 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8773 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8776 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8777 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8778 Fold all the message headers
8779 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8782 @kindex W E w (Summary)
8783 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8784 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8785 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8790 @node Article Buttons
8791 @subsection Article Buttons
8794 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8795 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8796 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8797 button on these references.
8799 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8800 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8801 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
8802 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
8803 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
8807 @item gnus-button-alist
8808 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8809 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8812 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8818 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8819 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8820 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8821 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8822 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
8825 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8826 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8827 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8830 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8831 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8832 avoid false matches. Often variables named
8833 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
8834 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
8836 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
8839 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8842 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8843 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8847 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8850 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8853 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8854 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8855 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8856 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8857 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8860 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8863 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8866 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
8869 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
8870 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
8872 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
8874 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8875 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8876 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8877 default values of the variables above.
8879 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
8881 @item gnus-button-man-handler
8882 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8883 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
8884 argument with a string naming the man page.
8886 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
8888 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8889 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8890 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
8892 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8893 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8894 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
8895 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
8896 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
8897 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
8898 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
8899 @code{ask}, always query the user what do do. If it is a function, this
8900 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
8901 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
8902 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
8903 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8905 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8906 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8907 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
8908 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
8909 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
8912 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8913 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8914 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
8915 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8917 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-tex-level
8919 @item gnus-button-ctan-handler
8920 @findex gnus-button-ctan-handler
8921 The function to use for displaying CTAN links. It must take one
8922 argument, the string naming the URL.
8925 @vindex gnus-ctan-url
8926 Top directory of a CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) archive used
8927 by @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler}.
8931 @item gnus-article-button-face
8932 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8933 Face used on buttons.
8935 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8936 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8937 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8941 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8944 @node Article Button Levels
8945 @subsection Article button levels
8946 @cindex button levels
8947 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
8948 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
8949 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
8950 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
8951 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
8952 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
8953 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
8954 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
8957 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
8958 (setq gnus-parameters
8959 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
8960 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
8961 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
8966 @item gnus-button-browse-level
8967 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
8968 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
8969 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
8970 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
8971 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
8973 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
8974 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
8975 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
8976 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
8977 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
8978 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
8979 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
8980 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
8981 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
8982 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
8983 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
8984 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
8985 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
8987 @item gnus-button-man-level
8988 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
8989 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
8990 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
8992 @item gnus-button-message-level
8993 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
8994 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
8995 Related variables and functions include
8996 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
8997 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
8998 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
8999 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
9001 @item gnus-button-tex-level
9002 @vindex gnus-button-tex-level
9003 Controls the display of references to @TeX{} or LaTeX stuff, e.g. for CTAN
9004 URLs. See the variables @code{gnus-ctan-url},
9005 @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler},
9006 @code{gnus-button-ctan-directory-regexp}, and
9007 @code{gnus-button-handle-ctan-bogus-regexp}.
9013 @subsection Article Date
9015 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
9016 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
9017 when the article was sent.
9022 @kindex W T u (Summary)
9023 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
9024 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
9025 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
9028 @kindex W T i (Summary)
9029 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
9031 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
9032 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
9035 @kindex W T l (Summary)
9036 @findex gnus-article-date-local
9037 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
9040 @kindex W T p (Summary)
9041 @findex gnus-article-date-english
9042 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
9043 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
9046 @kindex W T s (Summary)
9047 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
9048 @findex gnus-article-date-user
9049 @findex format-time-string
9050 Display the date using a user-defined format
9051 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
9052 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
9053 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
9054 for a list of possible format specs.
9057 @kindex W T e (Summary)
9058 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
9059 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
9060 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
9061 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
9062 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
9065 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
9068 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
9069 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
9070 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
9073 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
9074 into wonderful absurdities.
9076 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
9079 (gnus-start-date-timer)
9082 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
9083 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
9087 @kindex W T o (Summary)
9088 @findex gnus-article-date-original
9089 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
9090 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
9091 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
9092 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
9093 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
9097 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
9098 preferred format automatically.
9101 @node Article Display
9102 @subsection Article Display
9107 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
9108 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
9110 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
9111 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
9113 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
9114 headers (@pxref{Face}).
9116 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
9117 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
9119 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
9120 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
9122 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
9127 @kindex W D x (Summary)
9128 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
9129 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
9130 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
9133 @kindex W D d (Summary)
9134 @findex gnus-article-display-face
9135 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
9136 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
9139 @kindex W D s (Summary)
9140 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
9141 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
9144 @kindex W D f (Summary)
9145 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
9146 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
9149 @kindex W D m (Summary)
9150 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
9151 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9152 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
9155 @kindex W D n (Summary)
9156 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
9157 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
9158 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
9161 @kindex W D D (Summary)
9162 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
9163 Remove all images from the article buffer
9164 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
9170 @node Article Signature
9171 @subsection Article Signature
9173 @cindex article signature
9175 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9176 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
9177 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
9178 that says what is to be considered a signature is
9179 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
9180 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
9181 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
9182 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
9183 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
9186 (setq gnus-signature-separator
9187 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
9188 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
9189 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
9190 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
9191 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
9192 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
9193 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
9196 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
9199 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
9200 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
9201 signature when displaying articles.
9205 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
9208 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
9211 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
9212 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
9214 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
9215 in question is not a signature.
9218 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
9219 listed above. Here's an example:
9222 (setq gnus-signature-limit
9223 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
9226 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
9227 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
9228 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
9229 signature after all.
9232 @node Article Miscellanea
9233 @subsection Article Miscellanea
9237 @kindex A t (Summary)
9238 @findex gnus-article-babel
9239 Translate the article from one language to another
9240 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
9246 @section MIME Commands
9247 @cindex MIME decoding
9249 @cindex viewing attachments
9251 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
9252 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
9258 @kindex K v (Summary)
9259 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
9262 @kindex K o (Summary)
9263 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
9266 @kindex K c (Summary)
9267 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
9270 @kindex K e (Summary)
9271 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
9274 @kindex K i (Summary)
9275 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
9278 @kindex K | (Summary)
9279 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
9282 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
9287 @kindex K b (Summary)
9288 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
9289 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
9293 @kindex K m (Summary)
9294 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
9295 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
9296 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
9297 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
9298 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
9301 @kindex X m (Summary)
9302 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
9303 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
9304 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
9305 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9308 @kindex M-t (Summary)
9309 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
9310 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
9311 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
9314 @kindex W M w (Summary)
9315 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
9316 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
9317 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
9320 @kindex W M c (Summary)
9321 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
9322 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9323 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9325 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9326 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9327 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9328 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9329 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9330 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9333 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9334 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9335 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
9336 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9343 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9344 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9345 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9346 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9349 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9352 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9356 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9357 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9358 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9359 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
9360 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9361 default is @code{nil}.
9363 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9364 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9365 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
9366 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9367 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9368 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9369 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}.
9371 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9372 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9373 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9374 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9375 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9376 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9377 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9378 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
9380 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9381 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9382 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9383 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9384 displayed. This variable overrides
9385 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9386 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9389 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9390 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9391 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9393 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9394 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9395 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
9396 default value is @code{nil}.
9398 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9399 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9400 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
9401 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9402 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9403 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9404 save all jpegs into some directory).
9406 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9409 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9410 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9412 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9413 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9414 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9415 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9416 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9419 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9420 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9421 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9423 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9424 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9425 Display "multipart/alternative" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9427 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9428 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9429 Display "multipart/related" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9431 If displaying "text/html" is discouraged, see
9432 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} in @ref{Display Customization,
9433 Display Customization, , emacs-mime, Emacs-Mime Manual}. Images or
9434 other material inside a "multipart/related" part might be overlooked
9435 when this variable is @code{nil}.
9437 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9438 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9439 Display "multipart" parts as "multipart/mixed". If @code{t}, it
9440 overrides @code{nil} values of
9441 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed} and
9442 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed}.
9444 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9445 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9446 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
9447 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9449 Ready-made functions include@*
9450 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9451 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9452 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9453 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9454 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9455 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9456 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9457 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9458 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9459 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9460 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9461 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9463 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9464 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9466 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9467 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9468 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9471 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9472 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9473 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9474 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9478 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
9487 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
9488 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9489 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
9490 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9491 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9492 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9493 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp}.
9495 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9496 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9497 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9498 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9500 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9501 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
9502 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9503 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9504 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9505 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9506 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9507 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9508 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9510 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9511 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9512 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
9513 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9514 quoted-printable header encoding.
9516 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9517 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9518 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9522 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9525 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9526 means encode all charsets),
9528 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9529 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9530 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9537 @cindex coding system aliases
9538 @cindex preferred charset
9540 @xref{Encoding Customization, , Encoding Customization, emacs-mime,
9541 The Emacs MIME Manual}, for additional variables that control which
9542 MIME charsets are used when sending messages.
9544 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9546 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9547 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9550 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9551 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9554 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9555 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
9557 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9560 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9563 This will almost do the right thing.
9565 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9569 (codepage-setup 1251)
9570 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9574 @node Article Commands
9575 @section Article Commands
9582 @kindex A P (Summary)
9583 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9584 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9585 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9586 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9587 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9588 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9593 @node Summary Sorting
9594 @section Summary Sorting
9595 @cindex summary sorting
9597 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9598 can't really see why you'd want that.
9603 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9604 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9605 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9608 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9609 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9610 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9613 @kindex C-c C-s C-t (Summary)
9614 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient
9615 Sort by recipient (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient}).
9618 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9619 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9620 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9623 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9624 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9625 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9628 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9629 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9630 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9633 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9634 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9635 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9638 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9639 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9640 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9643 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9644 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9645 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9648 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9649 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9650 Sort using the default sorting method
9651 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9654 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9655 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9656 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9657 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9658 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9662 @node Finding the Parent
9663 @section Finding the Parent
9664 @cindex parent articles
9665 @cindex referring articles
9670 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9671 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9672 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9673 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
9674 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9675 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9676 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9677 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9678 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9680 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9681 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9682 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
9683 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9684 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9688 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9689 @kindex A R (Summary)
9690 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9691 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9694 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9695 @kindex A T (Summary)
9696 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9697 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9698 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9699 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9700 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9701 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9702 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9704 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9705 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9706 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9707 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9708 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9709 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9712 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9713 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9715 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9716 You can also ask Gnus for an arbitrary article, no matter what group it
9717 belongs to. @kbd{M-^} (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you
9718 for a @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read
9719 thingies that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}.
9720 You have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9722 Gnus looks for the @code{Message-ID} in the headers that have already
9723 been fetched, but also tries all the select methods specified by
9724 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} if it is not found.
9727 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9728 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9729 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9730 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
9731 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
9732 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9735 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9736 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9737 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9740 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9741 then ask Google if that fails:
9744 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9746 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9749 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9750 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9751 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
9752 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9753 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current
9754 group. (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does
9755 not support this at all.
9758 @node Alternative Approaches
9759 @section Alternative Approaches
9761 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9762 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9765 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9766 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9771 @subsection Pick and Read
9772 @cindex pick and read
9774 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9775 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9776 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9777 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9779 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9780 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9781 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9782 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9783 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9784 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9786 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9791 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9792 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9793 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9794 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9795 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9796 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9797 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9798 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9801 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9802 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9803 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9804 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9808 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9809 Unpick the thread or article
9810 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9811 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9812 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9813 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9814 the thread or article at that line.
9818 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9819 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9820 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9821 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9822 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9823 will still be visible when you are reading.
9827 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9828 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9829 which is mapped to the same function
9830 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9832 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9835 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9838 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9839 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9841 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9842 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9843 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9845 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9846 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9847 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9848 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9849 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9850 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9851 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9855 @subsection Binary Groups
9856 @cindex binary groups
9858 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9859 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9860 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9861 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9862 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9863 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9864 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9867 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9868 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9869 command, when you have turned on this mode
9870 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9872 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9873 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9877 @section Tree Display
9880 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9881 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
9882 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9883 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9886 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9889 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9890 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9891 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9893 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9894 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9895 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9896 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9897 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9899 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9900 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9901 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9902 default is @code{modeline}.
9904 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9905 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9906 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9907 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9908 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9909 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9910 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9916 The name of the poster.
9918 The @code{From} header.
9920 The number of the article.
9922 The opening bracket.
9924 The closing bracket.
9929 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9931 Variables related to the display are:
9934 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9935 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9936 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9937 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
9939 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9940 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
9941 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
9943 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9945 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9946 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9947 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9948 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9952 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9953 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9954 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
9955 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
9956 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9957 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9958 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9959 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9960 other windows displayed next to it.
9962 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9966 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9967 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9970 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9971 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9972 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9973 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9974 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9975 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9976 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9980 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9983 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9993 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9998 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9999 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
10001 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
10003 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
10009 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
10010 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
10011 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
10014 (setq gnus-use-trees t
10015 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
10016 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
10017 (gnus-add-configuration
10021 (summary 0.75 point)
10026 @xref{Window Layout}.
10029 @node Mail Group Commands
10030 @section Mail Group Commands
10031 @cindex mail group commands
10033 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
10034 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
10036 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
10037 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10042 @kindex B e (Summary)
10043 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
10044 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
10045 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
10046 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
10047 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
10050 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
10051 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
10052 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
10053 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
10054 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
10055 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
10058 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
10059 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
10060 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
10061 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
10062 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
10063 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
10066 @kindex B m (Summary)
10068 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
10069 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
10070 Move the article from one mail group to another
10071 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10072 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10075 @kindex B c (Summary)
10077 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
10078 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
10079 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
10080 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10081 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10084 @kindex B B (Summary)
10085 @cindex crosspost mail
10086 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
10087 Crosspost the current article to some other group
10088 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
10089 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
10090 be properly updated.
10093 @kindex B i (Summary)
10094 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
10095 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
10096 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
10097 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10100 @kindex B I (Summary)
10101 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
10102 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
10103 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
10104 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10107 @kindex B r (Summary)
10108 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
10109 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
10110 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
10111 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
10112 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
10113 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
10114 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
10115 (which is the default).
10119 @kindex B w (Summary)
10120 @kindex e (Summary)
10121 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
10122 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
10123 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
10124 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
10125 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
10126 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
10127 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
10130 @kindex B q (Summary)
10131 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
10132 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
10133 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
10134 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
10137 @kindex B t (Summary)
10138 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
10139 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
10140 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
10143 @kindex B p (Summary)
10144 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
10145 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
10146 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
10147 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
10148 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
10149 article from your news server (or rather, from
10150 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
10151 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
10152 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
10153 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
10154 just not have arrived yet.
10157 @kindex K E (Summary)
10158 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
10159 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
10160 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
10161 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
10162 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
10166 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
10167 @cindex moving articles
10168 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
10169 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
10170 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
10171 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
10172 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
10173 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
10174 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
10177 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
10178 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
10179 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
10180 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
10184 @node Various Summary Stuff
10185 @section Various Summary Stuff
10188 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
10189 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
10190 * Summary Generation Commands::
10191 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
10195 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
10196 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
10197 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
10198 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
10199 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
10200 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
10202 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
10203 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
10204 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
10207 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
10208 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
10209 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
10211 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
10212 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
10213 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
10214 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
10215 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
10216 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
10219 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10220 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10221 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
10222 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
10223 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
10225 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10226 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10227 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
10230 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10231 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10232 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
10233 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
10234 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
10235 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
10236 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
10237 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
10238 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
10239 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
10241 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10242 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10243 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
10244 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
10245 list of articles to be selected.
10247 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
10248 the list in one particular group:
10251 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
10252 (if (string= group "some.group")
10253 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
10257 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
10258 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
10259 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
10260 variables and their default expressions to be evalled (when the default
10261 values are not @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary
10264 Note: The default expressions will be evaluated (using function
10265 @code{eval}) before assignment to the local variable rather than just
10266 assigned to it. If the default expression is the symbol @code{global},
10267 that symbol will not be evaluated but the global value of the local
10268 variable will be used instead.
10270 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
10271 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
10272 buffers. For example:
10275 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
10276 '(message-use-followup-to
10277 (gnus-visible-headers .
10278 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
10281 Also @pxref{Group Parameters}.
10285 @node Summary Group Information
10286 @subsection Summary Group Information
10291 @kindex H f (Summary)
10292 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
10293 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
10294 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} (list of frequently asked questions)
10295 for the current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try
10296 to get the @acronym{FAQ} from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which
10297 is usually a directory on a remote machine. This variable can also be
10298 a list of directories. In that case, giving a prefix to this command
10299 will allow you to choose between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp}
10300 or @code{efs} will probably be used for fetching the file.
10303 @kindex H d (Summary)
10304 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
10305 Give a brief description of the current group
10306 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
10307 rereading the description from the server.
10310 @kindex H h (Summary)
10311 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
10312 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
10313 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
10316 @kindex H i (Summary)
10317 @findex gnus-info-find-node
10318 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
10322 @node Searching for Articles
10323 @subsection Searching for Articles
10328 @kindex M-s (Summary)
10329 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
10330 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
10331 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
10334 @kindex M-r (Summary)
10335 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
10336 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
10337 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
10340 @kindex & (Summary)
10341 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
10342 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
10343 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
10344 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
10345 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
10346 search backward instead.
10348 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
10349 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
10352 @kindex M-& (Summary)
10353 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
10354 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
10355 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
10358 @node Summary Generation Commands
10359 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
10364 @kindex Y g (Summary)
10365 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
10366 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
10369 @kindex Y c (Summary)
10370 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
10371 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10372 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10375 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10376 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10377 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10378 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10383 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10384 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10390 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10391 @kindex A D (Summary)
10392 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10393 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10394 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10395 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10396 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10397 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10398 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10399 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10403 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10404 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10405 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10406 several documents into one biiig group
10407 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10408 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10409 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10410 command understands the process/prefix convention
10411 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10414 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10415 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10416 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10417 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10418 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10419 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10422 @kindex = (Summary)
10423 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10424 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10425 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10428 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10429 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10430 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10431 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10434 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10435 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10436 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10437 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10442 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10443 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10444 @cindex summary exit
10445 @cindex exiting groups
10447 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10448 group and return you to the group buffer.
10455 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10456 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
10457 @kindex q (Summary)
10458 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10459 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10460 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10461 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10462 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10463 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10464 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10465 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10466 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10467 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10468 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10469 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10473 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10474 @kindex Q (Summary)
10475 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10476 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10477 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10481 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10482 @kindex c (Summary)
10483 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10484 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10485 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10486 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10489 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10490 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10491 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10492 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10495 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10496 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10497 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10498 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10502 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10503 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
10504 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10505 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10506 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10507 all articles, both read and unread.
10511 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10512 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10513 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10514 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10515 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10516 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10517 articles, both read and unread.
10520 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10521 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10522 Exit the group and go to the next group
10523 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10526 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10527 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10528 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10529 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10532 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10533 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10534 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10535 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10536 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10537 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10540 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10541 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10542 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10543 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10545 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10546 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10547 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10548 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10549 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10550 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10551 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10552 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10553 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10554 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10555 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10556 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10558 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10560 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10561 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10562 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10563 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10564 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10565 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10566 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10567 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10568 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10571 @node Crosspost Handling
10572 @section Crosspost Handling
10576 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10577 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10578 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10579 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10580 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10581 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10584 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10585 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10586 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10587 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10588 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10590 @cindex cross-posting
10592 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
10593 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10594 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
10595 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10596 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
10597 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10598 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10599 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10600 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10601 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10602 the cross reference mechanism.
10604 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10605 @cindex overview.fmt
10606 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10607 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10608 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10609 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10610 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10611 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10614 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10615 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10616 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10621 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10624 @node Duplicate Suppression
10625 @section Duplicate Suppression
10627 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10628 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10629 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10630 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10635 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10636 is evil and not very common.
10639 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10640 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10643 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10644 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
10647 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10650 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10651 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10653 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10654 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10655 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10656 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10657 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10658 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10659 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10662 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10663 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10664 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10665 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10666 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10667 saw the article in.
10670 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10671 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10672 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10674 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10675 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10676 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10677 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10678 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
10679 session are suppressed.
10681 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10682 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10683 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10684 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10686 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10687 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10688 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10689 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10692 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
10693 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10694 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10695 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10696 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
10697 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10698 to you to figure out, I think.
10703 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10704 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
10705 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
10710 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
10711 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
10712 to GnuPG included with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG
10713 Manual}), but Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
10716 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10717 or newer is recommended.
10721 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10722 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10725 @item mm-verify-option
10726 @vindex mm-verify-option
10727 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10728 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10729 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10731 @item mm-decrypt-option
10732 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10733 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10734 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10735 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10738 @vindex mml1991-use
10739 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10740 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10741 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10745 @vindex mml2015-use
10746 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10747 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10748 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10753 @cindex snarfing keys
10754 @cindex importing PGP keys
10755 @cindex PGP key ring import
10756 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
10757 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
10758 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
10759 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
10760 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
10761 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
10762 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
10763 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
10764 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
10767 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
10770 This happens to also be the default action defined in
10771 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
10774 @section Mailing List
10775 @cindex mailing list
10778 @kindex A M (summary)
10779 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10780 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10781 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10782 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10785 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10790 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10791 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10792 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10795 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10796 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10797 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10800 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10801 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10802 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10806 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10807 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10808 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10811 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10812 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10813 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10816 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10817 @findex gnus-mailing-list-archive
10818 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10823 @node Article Buffer
10824 @chapter Article Buffer
10825 @cindex article buffer
10827 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10828 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10829 tell Gnus otherwise.
10832 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10833 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
10834 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10835 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10836 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10840 @node Hiding Headers
10841 @section Hiding Headers
10842 @cindex hiding headers
10843 @cindex deleting headers
10845 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10846 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10848 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10849 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10850 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10851 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10852 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10853 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10854 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
10855 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10856 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10858 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10862 @item gnus-visible-headers
10863 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10864 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10865 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10866 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10868 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10869 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10872 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10875 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10878 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10879 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10880 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10881 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10882 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10883 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10885 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
10886 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
10889 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10892 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10895 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10896 variable will have no effect.
10900 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10901 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10902 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10903 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10904 the headers are to be displayed.
10906 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10907 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10910 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10913 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10914 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10916 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10917 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10918 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10919 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10920 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10921 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
10922 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10925 These conditions are:
10928 Remove all empty headers.
10930 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10931 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10933 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
10934 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
10937 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10940 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10941 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
10943 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10944 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
10946 Remove the @code{CC} header if it only contains the address identical to
10947 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
10949 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10952 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10954 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10957 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10960 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10961 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10964 This is also the default value for this variable.
10968 @section Using MIME
10969 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
10971 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10972 while people stand around yawning.
10974 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10975 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10977 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10978 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10979 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10981 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
10982 @findex gnus-display-mime
10983 Gnus pushes @acronym{MIME} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
10984 to display the @acronym{MIME} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
10985 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
10986 display, save and manipulate the @acronym{MIME} objects.
10988 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
10989 @acronym{MIME} button:
10992 @findex gnus-article-press-button
10993 @item RET (Article)
10994 @kindex RET (Article)
10995 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
10996 Toggle displaying of the @acronym{MIME} object
10997 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If built-in viewers can not display
10998 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
10999 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
11000 object is displayed inline.
11002 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
11003 @item M-RET (Article)
11004 @kindex M-RET (Article)
11006 Prompt for a method, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
11007 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
11009 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
11011 @kindex t (Article)
11012 View the @acronym{MIME} object as if it were a different @acronym{MIME} media type
11013 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
11015 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
11017 @kindex C (Article)
11018 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
11019 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
11021 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
11023 @kindex o (Article)
11024 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @acronym{MIME} object
11025 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
11027 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
11028 @item C-o (Article)
11029 @kindex C-o (Article)
11030 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} object and strip it from
11031 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
11032 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
11033 like. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred via the
11034 message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
11035 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
11037 @findex gnus-mime-delete-part
11039 @kindex d (Article)
11040 Delete the @acronym{MIME} object from the article and replace it with some
11041 information about the removed @acronym{MIME} object
11042 (@code{gnus-mime-delete-part}).
11044 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
11046 @kindex c (Article)
11047 Copy the @acronym{MIME} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
11048 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}). If given a prefix, copy the raw contents
11049 without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual
11050 charset stuff (see @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in
11051 @ref{Paging the Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and
11052 @file{.bz2} are automatically decompressed if
11053 @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled (@pxref{Compressed Files,,
11054 Accessing Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
11056 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
11058 @kindex p (Article)
11059 Print the @acronym{MIME} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
11060 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
11061 @file{.mailcap} file.
11063 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
11065 @kindex i (Article)
11066 Insert the contents of the @acronym{MIME} object into the buffer
11067 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
11068 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
11069 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
11070 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @ref{Paging the
11071 Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and @file{.bz2} are
11072 automatically decompressed depending on @code{jka-compr} regardless of
11073 @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed Files,, Accessing
11074 Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
11076 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
11078 @kindex E (Article)
11079 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
11080 viewer is available, use an external viewer
11081 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
11083 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
11085 @kindex e (Article)
11086 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an external viewer.
11087 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
11089 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
11091 @kindex | (Article)
11092 Output the @acronym{MIME} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
11094 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
11096 @kindex . (Article)
11097 Interactively run an action on the @acronym{MIME} object
11098 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
11102 Gnus will display some @acronym{MIME} objects automatically. The way Gnus
11103 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
11104 @acronym{MIME} manual.
11106 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
11107 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
11108 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @acronym{MIME} has
11109 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
11110 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
11111 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
11112 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
11113 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
11114 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
11116 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
11118 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
11121 @node Customizing Articles
11122 @section Customizing Articles
11123 @cindex article customization
11125 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
11126 exist. You can call these functions interactively
11127 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
11128 called automatically when you select the articles.
11130 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
11131 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
11132 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
11133 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
11135 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
11136 for sensible values.
11140 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
11143 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
11146 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
11149 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
11152 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
11156 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
11157 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
11158 regexps in the list.
11161 A list where the first element is not a string:
11163 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
11164 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
11165 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
11169 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
11174 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
11175 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
11176 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
11177 considered to contain just a single part.
11179 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
11180 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
11181 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
11182 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
11183 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
11184 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
11185 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
11187 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
11188 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
11189 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
11190 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
11193 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
11194 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
11196 @xref{Article Buttons}.
11198 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
11199 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
11200 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
11201 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
11202 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
11203 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
11204 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
11205 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
11206 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
11207 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
11209 @xref{Article Washing}.
11211 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
11212 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
11213 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
11214 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
11215 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
11216 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
11217 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
11219 @xref{Article Date}.
11221 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
11222 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
11223 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
11227 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
11229 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
11231 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
11232 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
11233 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
11237 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
11241 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
11245 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
11246 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
11247 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
11248 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
11249 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
11250 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
11251 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
11252 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
11253 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
11254 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
11256 @xref{Article Hiding}.
11258 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
11259 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
11260 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
11262 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
11264 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
11265 @item gnus-treat-translate
11266 @item gnus-treat-ansi-sequences (t)
11267 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
11269 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
11270 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
11271 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
11272 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
11274 @xref{Article Header}.
11279 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
11280 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
11281 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
11282 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
11283 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
11287 @node Article Keymap
11288 @section Article Keymap
11290 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
11291 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
11292 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
11293 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
11296 A few additional keystrokes are available:
11301 @kindex SPACE (Article)
11302 @findex gnus-article-next-page
11303 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
11304 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
11307 @kindex DEL (Article)
11308 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
11309 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
11310 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
11313 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
11314 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
11315 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
11316 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
11317 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
11320 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
11321 @findex gnus-article-mail
11322 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
11323 given a prefix, include the mail.
11326 @kindex s (Article)
11327 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
11328 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
11329 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
11332 @kindex ? (Article)
11333 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
11334 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
11335 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
11338 @kindex TAB (Article)
11339 @findex gnus-article-next-button
11340 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
11341 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
11344 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
11345 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
11346 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
11349 @kindex R (Article)
11350 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
11351 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
11352 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
11353 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11357 @kindex F (Article)
11358 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
11359 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
11360 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
11361 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11369 @section Misc Article
11373 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
11374 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
11375 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
11376 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
11379 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
11380 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
11381 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11382 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
11383 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
11385 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
11386 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
11387 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
11388 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
11389 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
11390 the contents of the article buffer.
11392 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
11393 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
11394 Hook called in article mode buffers.
11396 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11397 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11398 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
11399 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
11401 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
11402 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
11403 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
11404 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
11406 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
11407 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
11408 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
11409 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Summary Buffer Mode
11410 Line}). It accepts the same format specifications as that variable,
11411 with two extensions:
11416 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
11417 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
11418 performed. The characters and their meaning:
11423 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
11426 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
11429 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
11430 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
11431 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
11434 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
11437 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
11440 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
11445 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
11449 @vindex gnus-break-pages
11451 @item gnus-break-pages
11452 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
11453 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
11454 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
11455 paging will not be done.
11457 @item gnus-page-delimiter
11458 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
11459 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
11463 @cindex internationalized domain names
11464 @vindex gnus-use-idna
11465 @item gnus-use-idna
11466 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
11467 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
11468 @samp{Cc} headers. @xref{IDNA, ,IDNA,message, The Message Manual},
11469 for how to compose such messages. This requires
11470 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
11471 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
11476 @node Composing Messages
11477 @chapter Composing Messages
11478 @cindex composing messages
11481 @cindex sending mail
11486 @cindex using s/mime
11487 @cindex using smime
11489 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
11490 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
11491 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
11492 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
11493 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
11494 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
11497 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
11498 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
11499 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
11500 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
11501 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
11502 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
11503 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
11504 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
11505 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
11508 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
11509 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
11515 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
11518 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
11519 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
11520 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
11521 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
11522 @code{nil} include all headers.
11524 @item gnus-add-to-list
11525 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
11526 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
11527 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
11529 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11530 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11531 This can also be a function receiving the group name as the only
11532 parameter which should return non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is
11533 needed, or a regular expression matching group names, where
11534 confirmation is should be asked for.
11536 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
11537 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
11539 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11540 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11541 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
11542 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
11543 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
11548 @node Posting Server
11549 @section Posting Server
11551 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
11552 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
11554 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
11556 It can be quite complicated.
11558 @vindex gnus-post-method
11559 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
11560 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
11561 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
11562 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
11563 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
11564 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
11565 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
11566 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
11567 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11570 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
11573 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
11574 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
11575 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
11576 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
11578 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
11579 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
11581 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
11582 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
11585 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
11586 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
11588 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11589 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11590 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11591 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11592 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @acronym{SMTP}
11593 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11594 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11595 package correctly. An example:
11598 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11599 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11602 To the thing similar to this, there is
11603 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}. It is useful if your @acronym{ISP}
11604 requires the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication.
11605 @xref{POP before SMTP}.
11607 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11608 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11609 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11611 @node POP before SMTP
11612 @section POP before SMTP
11613 @cindex pop before smtp
11614 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
11615 @findex mail-source-touch-pop
11617 Does your @acronym{ISP} require the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP}
11618 authentication? It is whether you need to connect to the @acronym{POP}
11619 mail server within a certain time before sending mails. If so, there is
11620 a convenient way. To do that, put the following lines in your
11621 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
11624 (setq message-send-mail-function 'message-smtpmail-send-it)
11625 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook 'mail-source-touch-pop)
11629 It means to let Gnus connect to the @acronym{POP} mail server in advance
11630 whenever you send a mail. The @code{mail-source-touch-pop} function
11631 does only a @acronym{POP} authentication according to the value of
11632 @code{mail-sources} without fetching mails, just before sending a mail.
11633 Note that you have to use @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} which runs
11634 @code{message-send-mail-hook} rather than @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
11635 set the value of @code{mail-sources} for a @acronym{POP} connection
11636 correctly. @xref{Mail Sources}.
11638 If you have two or more @acronym{POP} mail servers set in
11639 @code{mail-sources}, you may want to specify one of them to
11640 @code{mail-source-primary-source} as the @acronym{POP} mail server to be
11641 used for the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. If it
11642 is your primary @acronym{POP} mail server (i.e., you are fetching mails
11643 mainly from that server), you can set it permanently as follows:
11646 (setq mail-source-primary-source
11647 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11648 :password "secret"))
11652 Otherwise, bind it dynamically only when performing the
11653 @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication as follows:
11656 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook
11658 (let ((mail-source-primary-source
11659 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11660 :password "secret")))
11661 (mail-source-touch-pop))))
11664 @node Mail and Post
11665 @section Mail and Post
11667 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11671 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11672 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11673 @cindex mailing lists
11675 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11676 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
11677 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11678 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11679 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11680 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11681 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11682 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11683 still a pain, though.
11685 @item gnus-user-agent
11686 @vindex gnus-user-agent
11689 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
11690 User-Agent header. It can be one of the symbols @code{gnus} (show only
11691 Gnus version), @code{emacs-gnus} (show only Emacs and Gnus versions),
11692 @code{emacs-gnus-config} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus system
11693 configuration), @code{emacs-gnus-type} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus
11694 system type) or a custom string. If you set it to a string, be sure to
11695 use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
11699 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11700 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11701 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11704 @findex ispell-message
11706 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11709 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11710 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11713 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11717 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11718 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11720 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11723 Modify to suit your needs.
11726 @node Archived Messages
11727 @section Archived Messages
11728 @cindex archived messages
11729 @cindex sent messages
11731 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11732 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11733 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11734 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11737 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11738 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11741 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11742 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
11743 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11746 (nnfolder "archive"
11747 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11748 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11749 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11750 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11753 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11754 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11755 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11756 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11759 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11760 '(nnfolder "archive"
11761 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11762 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11763 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11766 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11768 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11769 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11770 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11772 This variable can be used to do the following:
11776 Messages will be saved in that group.
11778 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11779 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11780 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11781 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11782 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11783 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11784 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11785 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11788 @item a list of strings
11789 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11791 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11792 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11795 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11800 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11802 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11805 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11807 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11810 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11812 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11813 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11814 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11815 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11818 More complex stuff:
11820 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11821 '((if (message-news-p)
11826 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11827 messages in one file per month:
11830 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11831 '((if (message-news-p)
11833 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11836 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11837 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11839 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11840 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11841 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11842 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11843 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11844 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11845 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11846 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11847 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11848 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11850 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11851 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11852 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11853 this will disable archiving.
11856 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11857 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11858 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11859 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11860 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11863 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11864 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11865 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11868 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11869 but the latter is the preferred method.
11871 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11872 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11873 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11875 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11876 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11877 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11878 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11879 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11880 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11881 changed in the future.
11886 @node Posting Styles
11887 @section Posting Styles
11888 @cindex posting styles
11891 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11893 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11894 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11895 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11898 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11899 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11900 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11901 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11902 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11907 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11908 (organization "What me?"))
11910 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11911 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11912 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11915 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11916 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11917 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11918 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11919 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11920 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11921 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11922 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11924 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11925 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11926 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
11927 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
11928 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
11929 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
11930 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
11931 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11932 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
11933 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11934 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11935 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
11936 said to @dfn{match}.
11938 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11939 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. In
11940 addition, you can also use the @code{(@var{name} :file @var{value})}
11941 form or the @code{(@var{name} :value @var{value})} form. Where
11942 @code{:file} signifies @var{value} represents a file name and its
11943 contents should be used as the attribute value, @code{:value} signifies
11944 @var{value} does not represent a file name explicitly. The attribute
11945 name can be one of:
11948 @item @code{signature}
11949 @item @code{signature-file}
11950 @item @code{x-face-file}
11951 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
11952 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
11956 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
11957 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
11958 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
11959 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
11960 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
11962 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11963 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11964 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11965 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11966 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11967 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11968 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11969 references chars lines xref extra.
11971 @vindex message-reply-headers
11973 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11974 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11975 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11977 @findex message-mail-p
11978 @findex message-news-p
11980 So here's a new example:
11983 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11985 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11987 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11988 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11990 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11991 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
11992 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11993 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
11994 (signature my-news-signature))
11995 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
11996 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11997 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
11998 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11999 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
12000 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
12001 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
12002 (address "user@@bar.foo")
12003 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
12004 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
12006 (From (save-excursion
12007 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
12008 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
12010 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
12013 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
12014 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
12015 if you fill many roles.
12022 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
12023 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
12024 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
12025 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
12026 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
12028 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
12029 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
12030 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
12031 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
12032 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
12036 @vindex nndraft-directory
12037 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
12038 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
12039 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
12040 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
12041 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
12042 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
12044 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
12045 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
12046 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
12047 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
12048 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
12049 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
12050 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
12051 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
12052 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
12054 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
12055 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
12056 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
12057 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
12058 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
12059 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
12060 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
12061 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
12062 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
12063 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
12064 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
12065 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
12066 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
12067 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
12069 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
12070 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
12071 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
12073 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
12074 @kindex D e (Draft)
12075 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
12076 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
12077 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
12079 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
12082 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
12083 @kindex D s (Draft)
12084 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
12085 @kindex D S (Draft)
12086 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
12087 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
12088 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
12089 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
12090 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
12093 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
12094 @kindex D t (Draft)
12095 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
12096 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
12097 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
12100 @node Rejected Articles
12101 @section Rejected Articles
12102 @cindex rejected articles
12104 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
12105 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
12106 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
12107 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
12109 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
12110 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
12111 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
12112 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
12113 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
12115 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
12116 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
12117 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
12119 @node Signing and encrypting
12120 @section Signing and encrypting
12122 @cindex using s/mime
12123 @cindex using smime
12125 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
12126 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
12127 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
12128 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
12130 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
12131 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
12132 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
12133 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
12134 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
12135 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
12136 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
12137 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
12138 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
12139 automatically encrypted messages.
12141 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
12142 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
12143 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
12148 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
12149 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
12151 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12154 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
12155 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12157 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12160 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
12161 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12163 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12166 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
12167 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
12169 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12172 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
12173 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
12175 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12178 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
12179 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
12181 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12184 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
12185 @findex mml-unsecure-message
12186 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
12190 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
12192 @node Select Methods
12193 @chapter Select Methods
12194 @cindex foreign groups
12195 @cindex select methods
12197 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
12198 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
12199 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
12200 personal mail group.
12202 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
12203 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
12204 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
12205 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
12206 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
12207 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
12209 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
12210 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
12212 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
12215 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
12216 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
12217 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
12218 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
12219 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
12221 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
12224 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
12225 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
12226 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
12227 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
12228 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
12229 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
12230 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
12231 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
12232 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
12236 @node Server Buffer
12237 @section Server Buffer
12239 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
12240 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
12241 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
12242 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
12243 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
12244 back end represents a virtual server.
12246 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
12247 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
12248 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
12249 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
12251 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
12252 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
12253 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
12254 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
12255 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
12256 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
12257 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
12259 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
12260 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
12263 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
12264 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
12265 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
12266 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
12267 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
12268 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
12269 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
12272 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
12273 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
12276 @node Server Buffer Format
12277 @subsection Server Buffer Format
12278 @cindex server buffer format
12280 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
12281 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
12282 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
12283 variable, with some simple extensions:
12288 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
12291 The name of this server.
12294 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
12297 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
12300 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
12301 The mode line can also be customized by using the
12302 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
12303 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
12313 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
12316 @node Server Commands
12317 @subsection Server Commands
12318 @cindex server commands
12324 @findex gnus-server-add-server
12325 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
12329 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
12330 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
12333 @kindex SPACE (Server)
12334 @findex gnus-server-read-server
12335 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
12339 @findex gnus-server-exit
12340 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
12344 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
12345 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
12349 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
12350 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
12354 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
12355 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
12359 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
12360 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
12364 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
12365 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
12366 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
12371 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
12372 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
12373 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
12374 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
12379 @node Example Methods
12380 @subsection Example Methods
12382 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
12385 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
12388 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
12394 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
12395 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
12398 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
12399 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
12401 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
12402 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
12406 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
12409 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
12410 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
12412 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
12413 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
12414 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
12418 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
12421 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
12424 Here's the method for a public spool:
12428 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
12429 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
12435 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
12436 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
12437 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12438 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
12439 should probably look something like this:
12443 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
12444 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
12445 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
12446 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12449 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
12450 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
12451 configuration to the example above:
12454 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
12457 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
12459 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
12460 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
12461 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
12465 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12466 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
12467 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
12468 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12471 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
12472 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
12473 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
12474 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
12477 @node Creating a Virtual Server
12478 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
12480 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
12481 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
12483 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
12484 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
12485 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
12487 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
12489 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
12490 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
12491 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
12492 will contain the following:
12502 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
12503 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
12506 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
12507 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
12508 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
12511 @node Server Variables
12512 @subsection Server Variables
12513 @cindex server variables
12514 @cindex server parameters
12516 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
12517 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
12518 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
12519 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
12520 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
12522 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
12523 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
12524 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
12525 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
12526 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
12527 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
12528 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
12529 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
12530 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
12534 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
12535 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
12536 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
12539 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
12541 @node Servers and Methods
12542 @subsection Servers and Methods
12544 Wherever you would normally use a select method
12545 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
12546 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
12547 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
12551 @node Unavailable Servers
12552 @subsection Unavailable Servers
12554 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
12555 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
12556 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
12557 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
12558 actually the case or not.
12560 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
12561 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
12562 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
12563 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
12564 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
12565 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
12566 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
12567 it will regard that server as ``down''.
12569 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
12570 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
12572 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
12573 with the following commands:
12579 @findex gnus-server-open-server
12580 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
12581 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
12585 @findex gnus-server-close-server
12586 Close the connection (if any) to the server
12587 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
12591 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
12592 Mark the current server as unreachable
12593 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
12596 @kindex M-o (Server)
12597 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
12598 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
12599 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
12602 @kindex M-c (Server)
12603 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
12604 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
12605 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
12609 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
12610 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
12611 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
12615 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
12616 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
12622 @section Getting News
12623 @cindex reading news
12624 @cindex news back ends
12626 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
12627 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
12628 or it can read from a local spool.
12631 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12632 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
12640 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
12641 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
12642 server as the, uhm, address.
12644 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
12645 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
12646 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
12647 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12649 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
12650 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
12651 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
12653 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
12658 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
12659 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
12660 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
12662 @cindex authentification
12663 @cindex nntp authentification
12664 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12665 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
12666 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
12667 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
12668 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
12669 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
12670 present in this hook.
12672 @item nntp-authinfo-function
12673 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
12674 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12675 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
12676 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
12677 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
12678 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12679 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12680 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12681 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12682 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12683 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12687 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12690 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12692 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12693 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12694 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12695 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12696 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12697 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12698 @samp{force} is explained below.
12702 Here's an example file:
12705 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12706 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12709 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12710 have to be first, for instance.
12712 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12713 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12714 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12715 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12716 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12717 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12718 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12720 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12721 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12727 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12728 previously mentioned.
12730 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12732 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12733 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12734 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12735 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12736 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12739 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12740 '(("innd" (ding))))
12743 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12745 The default value is
12748 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12749 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12750 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12753 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12754 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12756 @item nntp-maximum-request
12757 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12758 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
12759 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12760 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12761 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12762 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12763 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12765 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12766 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12767 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12768 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
12769 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12770 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12771 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12772 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12773 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12774 no timeouts are done.
12776 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12777 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12778 @c @cindex PPP connections
12779 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12780 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12781 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12782 @c changes after connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will simply sit
12783 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12784 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12785 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12786 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12787 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12788 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12790 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12791 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12792 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12793 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12794 @c described above.
12796 @item nntp-server-hook
12797 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12798 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @acronym{NNTP}
12801 @item nntp-buggy-select
12802 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12803 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12805 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12806 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12807 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
12808 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
12811 @item nntp-xover-commands
12812 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12813 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
12815 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
12816 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12820 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12821 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
12822 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12823 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12824 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
12825 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12826 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12827 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12828 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12829 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12830 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12832 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12833 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12834 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12836 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12837 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12838 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12839 server closes connection.
12841 @item nntp-record-commands
12842 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12843 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12844 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12845 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
12846 that doesn't seem to work.
12848 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12849 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12850 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12851 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12852 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12853 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12854 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12855 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12857 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12858 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12859 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12860 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12861 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12862 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12863 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12866 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12869 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12870 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12872 @item nntp-read-timeout
12873 @vindex nntp-read-timeout
12874 How long nntp should wait between checking for the end of output.
12875 Shorter values mean quicker response, but is more CPU intensive. The
12876 default is 0.1 seconds. If you have a slow line to the server (and
12877 don't like to see Emacs eat your available CPU power), you might set
12883 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12884 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12885 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12886 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
12890 @node Direct Functions
12891 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12892 @cindex direct connection functions
12894 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12895 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
12896 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12897 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12900 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12901 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12902 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12905 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
12906 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
12907 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12908 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
12909 installed. You then define a server as follows:
12912 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12913 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
12915 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12916 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
12917 (nntp-port-number )
12918 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12921 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12922 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12923 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12924 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
12925 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
12926 then define a server as follows:
12929 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12930 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
12932 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12933 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12934 (nntp-port-number 563)
12935 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12938 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12939 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12940 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12941 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12942 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12943 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12944 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12945 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12949 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12950 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12951 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12954 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12955 session, which is not a good idea.
12959 @node Indirect Functions
12960 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12961 @cindex indirect connection functions
12963 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12964 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12965 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12966 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
12967 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12968 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12971 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12972 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12973 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12974 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12975 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12977 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12980 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12981 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12982 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12983 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12985 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12986 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12987 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12988 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12989 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
12990 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12991 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
12992 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
12996 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
12997 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12999 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
13000 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
13001 Does essentially the same, but uses
13002 @uref{http://netcat.sourceforge.net/, netcat} instead of @samp{telnet}
13003 to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the intermediate host.
13005 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat}-specific variables:
13008 @item nntp-via-netcat-command
13009 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-command
13010 Command used to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the
13011 intermediate host. The default is @samp{nc}. You can also use other
13012 programs like @uref{http://www.imasy.or.jp/~gotoh/ssh/connect.html,
13015 @item nntp-via-netcat-switches
13016 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-switches
13017 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
13018 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @code{nil}.
13020 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
13021 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
13022 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
13023 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
13025 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13026 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13027 List of strings to be used as the switches to
13028 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}.
13031 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
13032 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
13033 Does essentially also the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
13034 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
13036 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
13039 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
13040 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
13041 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
13044 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
13045 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
13046 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
13047 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
13049 @item nntp-via-user-password
13050 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
13051 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
13053 @item nntp-via-envuser
13054 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
13055 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
13056 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
13057 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
13059 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
13060 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
13061 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
13062 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
13066 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
13067 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13071 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
13076 @item nntp-via-user-name
13077 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
13078 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
13080 @item nntp-via-address
13081 @vindex nntp-via-address
13082 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
13087 @node Common Variables
13088 @subsubsection Common Variables
13090 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
13091 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
13096 @item nntp-pre-command
13097 @vindex nntp-pre-command
13098 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
13099 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
13100 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is
13101 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
13104 @vindex nntp-address
13105 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
13107 @item nntp-port-number
13108 @vindex nntp-port-number
13109 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13110 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
13111 @acronym{tls}/@acronym{ssl}, you may want to use integer ports rather
13112 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
13113 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
13114 not work with named ports.
13116 @item nntp-end-of-line
13117 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
13118 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
13119 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
13120 using a non native telnet connection function.
13122 @item nntp-telnet-command
13123 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
13124 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
13125 @samp{telnet}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
13126 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13129 @item nntp-telnet-switches
13130 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
13131 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
13137 @subsubsection NNTP marks
13138 @cindex storing NNTP marks
13140 Gnus stores marks (@pxref{Marking Articles}) for @acronym{NNTP}
13141 servers in marks files. A marks file records what marks you have set
13142 in a group and each file is specific to the corresponding server.
13143 Marks files are stored in @file{~/News/marks}
13144 (@code{nntp-marks-directory}) under a classic hierarchy resembling
13145 that of a news server, for example marks for the group
13146 @samp{gmane.discuss} on the news.gmane.org server will be stored in
13147 the file @file{~/News/marks/news.gmane.org/gmane/discuss/.marks}.
13149 Marks files are useful because you can copy the @file{~/News/marks}
13150 directory (using rsync, scp or whatever) to another Gnus installation,
13151 and it will realize what articles you have read and marked. The data
13152 in @file{~/News/marks} has priority over the same data in
13153 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
13155 Note that marks files are very much server-specific: Gnus remembers
13156 the article numbers so if you don't use the same servers on both
13157 installations things are most likely to break (most @acronym{NNTP}
13158 servers do not use the same article numbers as any other server).
13159 However, if you use servers A, B, C on one installation and servers A,
13160 D, E on the other, you can sync the marks files for A and then you'll
13161 get synchronization for that server between the two installations.
13163 Using @acronym{NNTP} marks can possibly incur a performance penalty so
13164 if Gnus feels sluggish, try setting the @code{nntp-marks-is-evil}
13165 variable to @code{t}. Marks will then be stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
13171 @item nntp-marks-is-evil
13172 @vindex nntp-marks-is-evil
13173 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any marks files. The
13174 default is @code{nil}.
13176 @item nntp-marks-directory
13177 @vindex nntp-marks-directory
13178 The directory where marks for nntp groups will be stored.
13184 @subsection News Spool
13188 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
13189 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
13190 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
13193 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
13194 anything else) as the address.
13196 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
13197 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
13198 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
13199 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
13203 @item nnspool-inews-program
13204 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
13205 Program used to post an article.
13207 @item nnspool-inews-switches
13208 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
13209 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
13211 @item nnspool-spool-directory
13212 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
13213 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
13214 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
13216 @item nnspool-nov-directory
13217 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
13218 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
13219 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
13221 @item nnspool-lib-dir
13222 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
13223 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
13225 @item nnspool-active-file
13226 @vindex nnspool-active-file
13227 The name of the active file.
13229 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
13230 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
13231 The name of the group descriptions file.
13233 @item nnspool-history-file
13234 @vindex nnspool-history-file
13235 The name of the news history file.
13237 @item nnspool-active-times-file
13238 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
13239 The name of the active date file.
13241 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
13242 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
13243 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
13246 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13247 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13249 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
13250 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
13251 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
13258 @section Getting Mail
13259 @cindex reading mail
13262 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
13266 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
13267 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
13268 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
13269 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
13270 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
13271 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
13272 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
13273 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
13274 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
13275 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
13276 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
13277 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
13278 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
13282 @node Mail in a Newsreader
13283 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
13285 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
13286 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
13287 of a culture shock.
13289 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
13290 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
13292 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
13293 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
13294 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
13295 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
13297 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
13299 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
13300 deleted? How awful!
13302 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
13303 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
13304 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
13305 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
13308 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
13309 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
13310 they want to treat a message.
13312 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
13313 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
13314 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
13315 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
13316 archived somewhere else.
13318 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
13319 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
13320 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
13321 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
13322 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
13324 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
13325 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
13326 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
13328 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
13329 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
13332 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
13333 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
13334 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
13335 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
13336 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
13338 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
13339 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
13340 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
13341 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
13342 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
13343 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
13347 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
13348 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
13350 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
13351 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
13352 and things will happen automatically.
13354 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
13355 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
13358 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
13361 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
13362 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
13363 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
13364 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
13365 like any other group.
13367 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
13370 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13371 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13372 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13376 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
13377 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
13378 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
13381 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
13382 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
13383 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
13386 @node Splitting Mail
13387 @subsection Splitting Mail
13388 @cindex splitting mail
13389 @cindex mail splitting
13390 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
13392 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
13393 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
13394 to be split into groups.
13397 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13398 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13399 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13400 ("mail.other" "")))
13403 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
13404 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
13405 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
13406 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
13407 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
13408 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
13409 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
13412 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
13416 In that case, @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether
13417 the inserted text should be made lowercase. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
13419 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13420 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
13421 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
13422 mail belongs in that group.
13424 @cindex @samp{bogus} group
13425 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
13426 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{""} so that it matches any mails
13427 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
13428 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first rule
13429 to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled. In
13430 that case, all matching rules will ``win''.) If no rule matched, the mail
13431 will end up in the @samp{bogus} group. When new groups are created by
13432 splitting mail, you may want to run @code{gnus-group-find-new-groups} to
13433 see the new groups. This also applies to the @samp{bogus} group.
13435 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
13436 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
13437 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
13438 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
13439 thinks should carry this mail message.
13441 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
13442 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
13443 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
13444 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
13446 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
13447 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
13448 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
13449 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
13450 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{""}) group.
13452 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
13455 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
13456 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
13457 links. If that's the case for you, set
13458 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
13459 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
13461 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
13462 @findex nnmail-split-history
13463 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
13464 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
13465 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
13466 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
13469 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
13470 Header lines longer than the value of
13471 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
13474 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
13475 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
13476 By default the splitting codes @acronym{MIME} decodes headers so you
13477 can match on non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. The
13478 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset} variable specifies the default
13479 charset for decoding. The behavior can be turned off completely by
13480 binding @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to @code{nil}, which is
13481 useful if you want to match articles based on the raw header data.
13483 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13484 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
13485 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
13486 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
13487 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
13488 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
13489 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
13490 other kinds of entries.)
13492 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
13493 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
13494 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
13495 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
13496 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
13497 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
13498 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
13499 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
13500 month's rent money.
13504 @subsection Mail Sources
13506 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
13507 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
13508 maildir, for instance.
13511 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
13512 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
13513 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
13517 @node Mail Source Specifiers
13518 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
13520 @cindex mail server
13523 @cindex mail source
13525 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
13526 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
13531 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
13534 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
13535 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
13536 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
13539 The following mail source types are available:
13543 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
13549 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
13550 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
13551 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
13555 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13558 An example file mail source:
13561 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
13564 Or using the default file name:
13570 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
13571 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
13572 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
13573 mail spool while moving the mail.
13575 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
13579 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
13582 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
13586 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
13589 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
13591 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
13594 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
13598 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
13599 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
13600 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
13601 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
13602 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
13603 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
13604 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
13605 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
13606 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
13607 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
13609 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13610 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
13611 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
13612 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
13618 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
13622 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
13626 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
13627 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
13628 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
13629 predicate are considered.
13633 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13637 An example directory mail source:
13640 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
13645 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
13651 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
13652 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13655 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
13656 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
13657 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
13658 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
13659 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
13662 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
13666 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
13667 the user is prompted.
13670 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
13671 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
13674 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
13677 The valid format specifier characters are:
13681 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
13682 included in this string.
13685 The name of the server.
13688 The port number of the server.
13691 The user name to use.
13694 The password to use.
13697 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13698 corresponding keywords.
13701 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13702 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13705 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13706 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13709 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
13710 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
13711 mail should be moved to.
13713 @item :authentication
13714 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
13715 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
13720 @vindex pop3-movemail
13721 @vindex pop3-leave-mail-on-server
13722 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
13723 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used. If the
13724 @code{pop3-leave-mail-on-server} is non-@code{nil} the mail is to be
13725 left on the @acronym{POP} server after fetching when using
13726 @code{pop3-movemail}. Note that POP servers maintain no state
13727 information between sessions, so what the client believes is there and
13728 what is actually there may not match up. If they do not, then the whole
13729 thing can fall apart and leave you with a corrupt mailbox.
13731 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server,
13732 using the default user name, and default fetcher:
13738 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
13741 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
13742 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
13745 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
13748 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
13752 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
13753 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
13754 contains exactly one mail.
13760 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
13761 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
13764 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
13765 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
13767 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
13768 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
13769 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13772 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13773 from locking problems).
13777 Two example maildir mail sources:
13780 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13781 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13785 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13790 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
13791 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
13792 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
13793 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
13794 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for more information.
13796 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} and STARTTLS support you
13797 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
13803 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
13804 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13807 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
13808 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
13811 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
13815 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
13819 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13820 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13821 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
13822 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13824 @item :authentication
13825 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13826 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13827 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13828 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13831 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13832 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
13833 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13839 The valid format specifier characters are:
13843 The name of the server.
13846 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
13849 The port number of the server.
13852 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13853 corresponding keywords.
13856 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13857 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13860 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13861 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13862 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
13863 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13864 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13865 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13868 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13869 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13870 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13871 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13874 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
13875 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
13879 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
13882 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13884 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13888 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{http://www.hotmail.com/},
13889 @uref{http://webmail.netscape.com/}, @uref{http://www.netaddress.com/},
13890 @uref{http://mail.yahoo.com/}.
13892 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13893 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13895 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13901 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13902 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13905 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13909 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13913 If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
13914 trash folder after finishing the fetch.
13918 An example webmail source:
13921 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13923 :password "secret")
13928 @item Common Keywords
13929 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13935 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
13936 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
13941 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13946 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13947 useful when you use local mail and news.
13952 @subsubsection Function Interface
13954 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13955 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13956 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13957 consider the following mail-source setting:
13960 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13961 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13964 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13965 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13966 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13967 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13968 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13970 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13973 @node Mail Source Customization
13974 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13976 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13977 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13981 @item mail-source-crash-box
13982 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13983 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
13984 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13986 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13987 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13988 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
13989 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
13990 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
13991 (This will only happen, when receiving new mail). You may also set
13992 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
13993 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
13995 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13996 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13997 If non-@code{nil}, ask for for confirmation before deleting old incoming
13998 files. This variable only applies when
13999 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
14001 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
14002 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
14003 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
14005 @item mail-source-directory
14006 @vindex mail-source-directory
14007 Directory where incoming mail source files (if any) will be stored. The
14008 default is @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for
14009 is to say where the incoming files will be stored if the variable
14010 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a number.
14012 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
14013 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
14014 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
14015 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
14016 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
14017 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a
14020 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
14021 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
14022 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
14024 @item mail-source-movemail-program
14025 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
14026 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
14027 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
14032 @node Fetching Mail
14033 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
14035 @vindex mail-sources
14036 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
14037 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
14038 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
14039 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
14041 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
14042 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
14045 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
14046 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
14051 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
14052 :password "secret")))
14055 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
14059 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
14060 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
14063 :password "secret")))
14067 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
14068 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
14069 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
14070 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
14071 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
14072 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
14076 @node Mail Back End Variables
14077 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
14079 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
14083 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
14084 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
14085 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
14086 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
14088 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
14089 @item nnmail-split-hook
14090 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
14091 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
14092 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
14093 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
14094 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
14095 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
14096 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
14097 in the buffer will show up in any files.
14098 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
14101 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14102 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14103 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14104 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14105 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
14106 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
14107 starting to handle the new mail) and
14108 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
14109 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
14110 default file modes the new mail files get:
14113 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14114 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
14116 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14117 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
14120 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
14121 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
14122 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
14123 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
14124 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
14125 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
14126 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
14128 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
14129 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
14130 @findex delete-file
14131 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
14133 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14134 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14135 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
14136 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
14137 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
14139 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
14140 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
14141 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
14142 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
14143 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
14145 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
14146 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
14147 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
14152 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
14153 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
14154 @cindex mail splitting
14155 @cindex fancy mail splitting
14157 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
14158 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
14159 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
14160 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
14161 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
14162 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
14164 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
14167 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
14168 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
14169 ;; @r{from real errors.}
14170 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
14172 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
14173 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
14174 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
14175 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
14176 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
14177 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
14178 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
14179 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
14180 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
14181 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
14182 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
14183 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
14184 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
14185 (any "mypackage@@somewhere" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
14186 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
14187 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
14188 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
14192 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
14193 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
14194 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
14199 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
14200 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
14202 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split})
14203 If the split is a list, the first element of which is a string, then
14204 store the message as specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field}
14205 (a regexp) contains @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict}
14206 (yet another regexp) matches some string after @var{field} and before
14207 the end of the matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If
14208 none of the @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
14210 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
14211 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
14212 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
14213 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
14214 stored in one or more groups.
14216 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
14217 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
14218 process all @var{split}s in the list.
14221 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
14222 this message. Use with extreme caution.
14224 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
14225 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
14226 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
14227 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
14230 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
14231 body of the messages:
14234 (defun split-on-body ()
14238 (goto-char (point-min))
14239 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
14243 The buffer is narrowed to the message in question when @var{function}
14244 is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called after
14245 @code{save-excursion} and @code{save-restriction} in the example
14246 above. Also note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will
14247 not be downloaded by default. You need to set
14248 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
14249 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
14251 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
14252 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
14253 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
14254 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
14255 should return a split.
14258 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
14262 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
14263 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
14264 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
14265 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
14266 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
14268 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
14269 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
14270 they are expanded as specified by the variable
14271 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
14272 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
14273 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
14274 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
14278 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
14280 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
14281 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
14283 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
14286 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
14287 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
14288 when all this splitting is performed.
14290 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
14291 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
14292 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
14295 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
14298 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
14299 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
14301 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
14302 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
14303 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
14304 groupings 1 through 9.
14306 @vindex nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded
14307 Where @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether the
14308 lowercase of the matched string should be used for the substitution.
14309 Setting it as non-@code{nil} is useful to avoid the creation of multiple
14310 groups when users send to an address using different case
14311 (i.e. mailing-list@@domain vs Mailing-List@@Domain). The default value
14314 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
14315 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} controls whether partial
14316 words are matched during fancy splitting.
14318 Normally, regular expressions given in @code{nnmail-split-fancy} are
14319 implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers, which are word
14320 delimiters. If this variable is true, they are not implicitly
14321 surrounded by anything.
14324 (any "joe" "joemail")
14327 In this example, messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will
14328 normally not be filed in @samp{joemail}. With
14329 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} set to @code{t},
14330 however, the match will happen. In effect, the requirement of a word
14331 boundary is removed and instead the match becomes more like a grep.
14333 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
14334 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
14335 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
14336 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
14337 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
14338 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
14339 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
14340 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
14341 it once per thread.
14343 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
14344 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
14345 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
14346 using the colon feature, like so:
14348 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
14349 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
14351 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
14352 ;; @r{other splits go here}
14356 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
14357 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
14358 in the file specified by the variable
14359 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
14360 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
14361 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
14362 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
14363 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
14364 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
14365 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
14366 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
14367 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
14368 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
14369 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
14370 300 kBytes in size.)
14371 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14372 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
14373 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
14374 messages goes into the new group.
14376 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
14377 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
14378 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
14379 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
14380 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
14381 ``outgoing'' group.
14384 @node Group Mail Splitting
14385 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
14386 @cindex mail splitting
14387 @cindex group mail splitting
14389 @findex gnus-group-split
14390 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
14391 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
14392 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
14393 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
14394 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
14395 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
14396 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
14397 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
14399 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
14400 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
14401 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
14402 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
14404 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
14405 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
14406 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
14407 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
14408 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
14409 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
14410 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
14412 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
14413 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
14414 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
14415 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
14416 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
14417 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
14418 @code{gnus-group-split}.
14420 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
14421 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
14422 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
14423 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
14424 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
14425 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
14426 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
14427 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
14428 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
14429 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
14430 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
14431 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
14432 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
14434 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
14439 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
14440 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
14442 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
14443 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
14444 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
14445 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
14447 ((split-spec . catch-all))
14450 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
14451 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
14452 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
14455 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
14456 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
14457 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
14461 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
14462 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
14463 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
14467 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
14470 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
14471 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
14472 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
14473 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
14474 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
14475 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
14476 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
14477 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
14478 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
14480 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
14481 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
14482 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
14483 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
14484 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
14485 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
14486 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
14487 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
14488 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
14490 @findex gnus-group-split-update
14491 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
14492 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
14493 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
14494 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
14495 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
14498 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
14501 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
14502 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
14503 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
14504 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
14505 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
14508 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
14509 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
14510 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
14511 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
14513 @node Incorporating Old Mail
14514 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
14515 @cindex incorporating old mail
14516 @cindex import old mail
14518 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
14519 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
14520 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
14523 Doing so can be quite easy.
14525 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
14526 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
14527 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
14528 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
14529 your @code{nnml} groups.
14535 Go to the group buffer.
14538 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
14539 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14542 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
14545 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
14546 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14549 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
14550 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
14553 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
14554 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
14555 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
14556 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
14557 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
14559 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
14560 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
14561 using the new mail back end.
14564 @node Expiring Mail
14565 @subsection Expiring Mail
14566 @cindex article expiry
14568 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
14569 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
14570 different approach to mail reading.
14572 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
14573 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
14574 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
14575 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
14576 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
14577 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
14580 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
14581 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
14582 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
14583 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
14584 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
14585 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
14586 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
14587 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
14588 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
14590 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
14591 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
14592 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
14593 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
14594 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
14595 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
14596 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
14599 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
14600 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
14601 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
14602 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
14603 into its own group.)
14605 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
14606 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
14607 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
14608 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
14609 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
14610 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
14611 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
14612 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
14615 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14616 Groups that match the regular expression
14617 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
14618 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
14619 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
14621 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
14622 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
14623 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
14624 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
14625 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14627 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
14629 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
14630 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
14631 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
14634 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
14635 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
14636 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
14637 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
14638 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
14640 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
14641 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
14644 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14645 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
14648 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
14649 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
14651 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
14652 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
14653 don't really mix very well.
14655 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
14656 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
14657 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
14658 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
14661 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
14662 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
14663 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
14664 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
14667 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14669 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14671 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
14673 ((string= group "mail.junk")
14675 ((string= group "important")
14681 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
14682 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
14684 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
14685 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
14686 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
14689 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
14690 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
14692 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
14693 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
14694 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
14695 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
14696 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
14697 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
14698 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
14699 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
14700 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
14701 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
14702 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
14703 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
14704 name or @code{delete}.
14706 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
14708 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
14711 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14712 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14713 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
14714 expire mail to groups according to the variable
14715 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
14718 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14719 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14720 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
14721 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
14722 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
14725 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
14726 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
14727 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
14728 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
14729 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
14730 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
14732 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
14733 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
14734 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
14735 easier for procmail users.
14737 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
14738 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
14739 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
14740 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
14741 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
14742 caution. Even more dangerous is the
14743 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
14744 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
14745 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
14746 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
14747 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
14748 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
14749 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
14752 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
14754 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
14755 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
14756 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
14757 auto-expire turned on.
14761 @subsection Washing Mail
14762 @cindex mail washing
14763 @cindex list server brain damage
14764 @cindex incoming mail treatment
14766 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
14767 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
14768 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
14769 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
14770 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
14771 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
14773 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
14774 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
14775 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
14778 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
14779 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
14780 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
14781 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
14784 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14785 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14786 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
14787 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
14788 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
14791 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14792 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14793 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
14794 Emacs running on MS machines.
14798 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14799 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14800 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
14801 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
14804 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14805 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14806 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
14807 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
14809 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
14810 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
14811 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
14812 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
14813 into a feature by documenting it.)
14815 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14816 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14817 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
14818 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
14819 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
14820 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
14821 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
14824 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
14825 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
14828 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
14829 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
14832 This can also be done non-destructively with
14833 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
14835 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
14836 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
14837 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
14839 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14840 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14842 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
14843 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
14844 @code{References} headers.
14848 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14849 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14850 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
14854 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
14855 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
14856 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
14863 @subsection Duplicates
14865 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
14866 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
14867 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
14868 @cindex duplicate mails
14869 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
14870 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14871 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14872 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14873 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14874 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14875 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14876 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14877 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14878 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14879 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14880 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14881 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14883 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14884 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14885 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14886 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14888 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14891 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14892 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14896 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14897 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
14898 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14899 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
14900 (any mail "mail.misc")
14901 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14907 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14908 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14909 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14913 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14914 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14915 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14916 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14917 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14920 @node Not Reading Mail
14921 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14923 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14924 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14925 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14927 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14928 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14929 mail, which should help.
14931 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14932 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14933 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14934 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14935 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14936 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14937 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old Rmail
14938 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14939 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14940 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14941 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14943 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14944 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14948 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14949 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14951 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14952 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14953 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14955 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14956 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14957 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14961 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14962 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
14963 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14964 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14965 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
14966 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14967 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14971 @node Unix Mail Box
14972 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14974 @cindex unix mail box
14976 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14977 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14978 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14979 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14980 which group it belongs in.
14982 Virtual server settings:
14985 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14986 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14987 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14990 @item nnmbox-active-file
14991 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14992 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14993 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14995 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14996 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14997 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14998 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
15003 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
15007 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
15008 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
15009 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{Rmail
15010 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
15011 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
15013 Virtual server settings:
15016 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
15017 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
15018 The name of the Rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
15020 @item nnbabyl-active-file
15021 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
15022 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
15023 @file{~/.rmail-active}
15025 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
15026 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
15027 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
15033 @subsubsection Mail Spool
15035 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
15037 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
15038 format. It should be used with some caution.
15040 @vindex nnml-directory
15041 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
15042 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
15043 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
15044 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
15046 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
15049 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
15050 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
15051 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
15052 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
15053 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
15054 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
15055 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
15056 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
15058 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
15059 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
15060 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
15061 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
15063 @cindex self contained nnml servers
15065 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
15066 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15067 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15068 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
15069 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
15070 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
15071 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
15072 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
15075 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
15076 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
15077 them next time it starts.
15079 Virtual server settings:
15082 @item nnml-directory
15083 @vindex nnml-directory
15084 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
15085 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
15088 @item nnml-active-file
15089 @vindex nnml-active-file
15090 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
15091 @file{~/Mail/active}.
15093 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
15094 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
15095 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15096 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
15098 @item nnml-get-new-mail
15099 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
15100 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
15103 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
15104 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
15105 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15106 default is @code{nil}.
15108 @item nnml-nov-file-name
15109 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
15110 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
15112 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
15113 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
15114 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
15116 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
15117 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
15118 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15119 default is @code{nil}.
15121 @item nnml-marks-file-name
15122 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
15123 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
15125 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
15126 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
15127 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
15128 files. This variable requires @code{auto-compression-mode} to be
15129 enabled (@pxref{Compressed Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs
15132 @item nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
15133 @vindex nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
15134 Default size threshold for compressed message files. Message files with
15135 bodies larger than that many characters will be automatically compressed
15136 if @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-nil.
15140 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
15141 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of
15142 whack, you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
15143 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
15144 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
15145 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
15146 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
15151 @subsubsection MH Spool
15153 @cindex mh-e mail spool
15155 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
15156 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks
15157 file. This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than
15158 @code{nnml}, but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts
15161 Virtual server settings:
15164 @item nnmh-directory
15165 @vindex nnmh-directory
15166 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
15167 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
15170 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
15171 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
15172 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
15176 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
15177 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
15178 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks
15179 they are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
15180 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
15181 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not
15182 have to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
15187 @subsubsection Maildir
15191 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
15192 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
15193 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
15194 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. @code{nnmaildir}
15195 also stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory
15198 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
15199 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
15200 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
15201 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
15202 can still do that with @code{nnmaildir}, but the more common
15203 configuration is to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs
15204 that appear as group in Gnus.
15206 @code{nnmaildir} is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will
15207 never corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never
15208 corrupt its data in the filesystem.
15210 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each
15211 maildir. So you can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to
15212 another, and you will keep your marks.
15214 Virtual server settings:
15218 For each of your @code{nnmaildir} servers (it's very unlikely that
15219 you'd need more than one), you need to create a directory and populate
15220 it with maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not
15221 choose a directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir
15222 will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
15223 filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
15224 in the directory starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is
15225 scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
15226 the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
15227 @code{nnmaildir} notices at these times.
15229 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
15230 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
15231 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
15232 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
15233 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
15234 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
15235 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
15236 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
15237 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
15238 if @code{nnmaildir} uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical
15241 @item target-prefix
15242 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
15243 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
15244 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
15247 When you create a group on an @code{nnmaildir} server, the maildir is
15248 created with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
15249 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
15250 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
15251 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
15252 the group @code{foo}, @code{nnmaildir} will create
15253 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
15254 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
15255 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
15257 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
15258 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
15259 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
15260 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
15261 symlinks pointing to them will be).
15263 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
15264 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
15265 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
15266 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
15267 @code{force} argument.
15269 @item directory-files
15270 This should be a function with the same interface as
15271 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
15272 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
15273 parameter is optional; the default is
15274 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
15275 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
15276 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
15277 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
15278 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
15279 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
15282 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
15283 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
15284 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
15285 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
15286 value is @code{nil}.
15288 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
15289 an @code{nnmaildir} group. The results might happen to be useful, but
15290 that would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be
15291 different in the future. If your split rules create new groups,
15292 remember to supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
15295 @subsubsection Group parameters
15297 @code{nnmaildir} uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore
15298 all this; the default behavior for @code{nnmaildir} is the same as the
15299 default behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after
15300 one week, etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this
15301 functionality is unique to @code{nnmaildir}, so you can ignore it if
15302 you're just trying to duplicate the behavior you already have with
15305 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
15306 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
15307 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
15308 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
15309 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
15310 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
15311 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
15312 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
15313 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
15317 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article
15318 before it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
15319 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
15320 @code{nnmaildir} falls back to the usual
15321 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (overrideable by
15322 the @code{expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) group parameters. If you
15323 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
15324 60 60)]}; @code{nnmaildir} will evaluate the form and use the result.
15325 An article's age is measured starting from the article file's
15326 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
15327 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
15328 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
15331 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
15333 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
15335 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
15336 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
15337 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an @code{nnmaildir}
15338 group, the article will be just as old in the destination group as it
15339 was in the source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
15340 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
15341 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
15342 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
15343 article. So that form can refer to
15344 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
15345 article. @emph{If this parameter is not set, @code{nnmaildir} does
15346 not fall back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
15347 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
15350 If this is set to @code{t}, @code{nnmaildir} will treat the articles
15351 in this maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed
15352 from @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in
15353 @file{new/}, not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles
15354 cannot be edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the
15355 @file{new/} directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox
15356 containing a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the
15357 maildir outside @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for
15358 a shared mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or
15359 have write permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't
15360 contain extra copies of the articles.
15362 @item directory-files
15363 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
15364 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
15365 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
15366 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
15368 @item distrust-Lines:
15369 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmaildir} will always count the lines of an
15370 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
15371 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
15374 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever
15375 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15376 say that all articles have these marks, regardless of whether the
15377 marks stored in the filesystem say so. This is a proof-of-concept
15378 feature that will probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done
15379 in Gnus proper, or abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15382 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
15383 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15384 say that no articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks
15385 stored in the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
15386 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
15387 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
15388 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15390 @item nov-cache-size
15391 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To
15392 speed things up, @code{nnmaildir} keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory
15393 for a limited number of articles in each group. (This is probably not
15394 worthwhile, and will probably be removed in the future.) This
15395 parameter's value is noticed only the first time a group is seen after
15396 the server is opened---i.e., when you first start Gnus, typically.
15397 The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized until the server is closed
15398 and reopened. The default is an estimate of the number of articles
15399 that would be displayed in the summary buffer: a count of articles
15400 that are either marked with @code{tick} or not marked with
15401 @code{read}, plus a little extra.
15404 @subsubsection Article identification
15405 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
15406 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
15407 contains no colons. @code{nnmaildir} ignores, but preserves, the
15408 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
15409 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
15410 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
15411 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
15412 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
15413 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
15414 request the article in the summary buffer.
15416 @subsubsection NOV data
15417 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used
15418 to generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
15419 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
15420 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
15421 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically
15422 when the article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can
15423 force @code{nnmaildir} to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a
15424 single article simply by deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV}
15425 file, but @emph{beware}: this will also cause @code{nnmaildir} to
15426 assign a new article number for this article, which may cause trouble
15427 with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
15429 @subsubsection Article marks
15430 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
15431 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
15432 When Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for a group's marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15433 looks for such files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus
15434 asks @code{nnmaildir} to store a new set of marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15435 creates and deletes the corresponding files as needed. (Actually,
15436 rather than create a new file for each mark, it just creates hard
15437 links to @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
15439 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
15440 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
15441 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
15442 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
15443 this while Gnus is running and your @code{nnmaildir} server is open,
15444 it's best to exit all summary buffers for @code{nnmaildir} groups and
15445 type @kbd{s} in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or
15446 @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not
15447 pick up the changes, and might undo them.
15451 @subsubsection Mail Folders
15453 @cindex mbox folders
15454 @cindex mail folders
15456 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a
15457 separate file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format.
15458 @code{nnfolder} will add extra headers to keep track of article
15459 numbers and arrival dates.
15461 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
15463 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
15464 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15465 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15466 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
15467 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
15468 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
15469 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder}
15470 directory. Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to
15471 backup, use @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup
15472 into the @code{nnfolder} directory).
15474 Virtual server settings:
15477 @item nnfolder-directory
15478 @vindex nnfolder-directory
15479 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this
15480 directory. The default is the value of @code{message-directory}
15481 (whose default is @file{~/Mail})
15483 @item nnfolder-active-file
15484 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
15485 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
15487 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15488 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15489 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15490 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
15492 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
15493 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
15494 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The
15495 default is @code{t}
15497 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15498 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15499 @cindex backup files
15500 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
15501 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If
15502 you wish to switch this off, you could say something like the
15503 following in your @file{.emacs} file:
15506 (defun turn-off-backup ()
15507 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
15509 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
15512 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15513 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15514 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
15515 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
15516 extract some information from it before removing it.
15518 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15519 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15520 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15521 default is @code{nil}.
15523 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15524 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15525 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
15527 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
15528 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
15529 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
15530 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15532 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15533 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15534 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15535 default is @code{nil}.
15537 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15538 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15539 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
15541 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
15542 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
15543 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
15544 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15549 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
15550 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
15551 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
15552 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
15553 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
15554 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
15557 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
15558 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
15560 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
15561 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
15562 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
15563 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
15564 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
15566 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
15567 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
15568 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
15569 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
15570 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
15571 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
15572 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
15573 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
15576 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
15577 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
15578 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
15579 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
15584 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
15585 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
15586 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
15587 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
15588 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
15589 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
15590 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
15591 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
15592 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
15593 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
15594 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
15595 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
15596 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
15601 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
15602 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
15603 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
15604 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
15605 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
15606 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
15607 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
15608 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
15609 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
15610 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
15611 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
15612 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
15613 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
15614 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
15616 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
15617 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
15622 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
15623 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
15624 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
15625 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
15626 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
15627 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
15628 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
15629 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
15630 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
15631 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
15632 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
15633 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
15634 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
15635 provided by the active file and overviews.
15637 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
15638 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
15639 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
15640 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
15641 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
15644 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
15645 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
15650 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
15651 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
15652 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
15653 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
15654 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
15655 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
15656 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
15660 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
15661 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
15662 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
15663 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
15664 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
15665 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
15666 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
15667 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
15668 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
15670 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
15671 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
15672 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
15673 friendly mail back end all over.
15677 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
15678 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
15681 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
15682 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
15683 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
15684 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
15685 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
15686 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
15687 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to
15688 @uref{http://www.namesys.com/, ReiserFS} or another non-block-structured
15691 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
15692 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
15693 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
15694 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
15695 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
15696 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
15697 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
15698 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
15699 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
15700 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
15701 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
15703 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
15704 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
15705 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
15706 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
15707 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
15710 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
15711 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
15712 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
15713 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
15714 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
15715 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
15716 removed in the future.
15718 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
15719 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
15720 on your file system.
15722 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
15723 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
15728 @node Browsing the Web
15729 @section Browsing the Web
15731 @cindex browsing the web
15735 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
15736 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
15737 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
15738 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
15739 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
15740 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
15741 even know what a news group is.
15743 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
15744 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
15745 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
15746 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
15747 you mad in the end.
15749 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
15752 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
15753 interfaces to these sources.
15757 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
15758 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
15759 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
15760 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
15761 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
15762 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
15765 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
15767 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
15768 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
15769 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
15770 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
15771 though, you should be ok.
15773 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
15774 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
15775 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
15776 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
15777 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
15779 @node Archiving Mail
15780 @subsection Archiving Mail
15781 @cindex archiving mail
15782 @cindex backup of mail
15784 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
15785 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
15786 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
15787 marks is fairly simple.
15789 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
15790 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
15793 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
15794 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
15795 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
15796 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
15797 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
15798 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
15799 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
15800 before you restore the data.
15802 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
15803 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
15804 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
15805 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
15806 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
15807 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
15808 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
15809 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
15810 is unnecessary in that case.
15813 @subsection Web Searches
15818 @cindex Usenet searches
15819 @cindex searching the Usenet
15821 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
15822 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
15823 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
15824 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
15825 searches without having to use a browser.
15827 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
15828 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
15829 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
15830 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
15831 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
15833 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
15834 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
15835 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
15836 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
15837 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
15838 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
15839 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
15840 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
15841 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
15842 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
15845 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
15846 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
15847 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'@^etre} is to
15848 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
15849 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
15850 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
15852 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
15853 to use @code{nnweb}.
15855 Virtual server variables:
15860 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
15861 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
15862 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
15865 @vindex nnweb-search
15866 The search string to feed to the search engine.
15868 @item nnweb-max-hits
15869 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
15870 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
15873 @item nnweb-type-definition
15874 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
15875 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
15876 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
15881 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
15885 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
15888 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
15891 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
15895 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
15902 @subsection Slashdot
15906 @uref{http://slashdot.org/, Slashdot} is a popular news site, with
15907 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
15908 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
15910 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
15911 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
15914 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15915 '((nnslashdot "")))
15918 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
15919 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
15920 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
15921 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
15922 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
15925 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
15926 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
15928 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
15929 comments), some light @acronym{HTML}izations will be performed. In
15930 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
15931 @samp{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @samp{br} added to
15932 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @acronym{HTML}
15933 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
15934 @acronym{HTML} forms.
15936 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
15939 @item nnslashdot-threaded
15940 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
15941 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
15942 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
15943 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
15944 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
15945 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
15947 @item nnslashdot-login-name
15948 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
15949 The login name to use when posting.
15951 @item nnslashdot-password
15952 @vindex nnslashdot-password
15953 The password to use when posting.
15955 @item nnslashdot-directory
15956 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
15957 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
15958 @file{~/News/slashdot/}.
15960 @item nnslashdot-active-url
15961 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
15962 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the
15963 information on news articles and comments. The default is@*
15964 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
15966 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
15967 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
15968 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch comments.
15970 @item nnslashdot-article-url
15971 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
15972 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the news
15973 article. The default is
15974 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
15976 @item nnslashdot-threshold
15977 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
15978 The score threshold. The default is -1.
15980 @item nnslashdot-group-number
15981 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
15982 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
15983 updated. The default is 0.
15990 @subsection Ultimate
15992 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
15994 @uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/, The Ultimate Bulletin Board} is
15995 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
15996 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
15997 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
15999 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
16000 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
16001 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @acronym{URL}
16002 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
16003 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
16004 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
16005 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
16007 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
16010 @item nnultimate-directory
16011 @vindex nnultimate-directory
16012 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is@*
16013 @file{~/News/ultimate/}.
16018 @subsection Web Archive
16020 @cindex Web Archive
16022 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
16023 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
16024 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
16025 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
16028 @findex gnus-group-make-warchive-group
16029 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
16030 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
16031 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET @var{an_egroup} RET egroups RET
16032 www.egroups.com RET @var{your@@email.address} RET}. (Substitute the
16033 @var{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
16034 @var{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
16035 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
16037 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
16040 @item nnwarchive-directory
16041 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
16042 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is@*
16043 @file{~/News/warchive/}.
16045 @item nnwarchive-login
16046 @vindex nnwarchive-login
16047 The account name on the web server.
16049 @item nnwarchive-passwd
16050 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
16051 The password for your account on the web server.
16059 Some web sites have an RDF Site Summary (@acronym{RSS}).
16060 @acronym{RSS} is a format for summarizing headlines from news related
16061 sites (such as BBC or CNN). But basically anything list-like can be
16062 presented as an @acronym{RSS} feed: weblogs, changelogs or recent
16063 changes to a wiki (e.g. @url{http://cliki.net/recent-changes.rdf}).
16065 @acronym{RSS} has a quite regular and nice interface, and it's
16066 possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
16068 Note: you had better use Emacs which supports the @code{utf-8} coding
16069 system because @acronym{RSS} uses UTF-8 for encoding non-@acronym{ASCII}
16070 text by default. It is also used by default for non-@acronym{ASCII}
16073 @kindex G R (Summary)
16074 Use @kbd{G R} from the summary buffer to subscribe to a feed---you will
16075 be prompted for the location, the title and the description of the feed.
16076 The title, which allows any characters, will be used for the group name
16077 and the name of the group data file. The description can be omitted.
16079 An easy way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something like
16080 the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET y}, then
16081 subscribe to groups.
16083 The @code{nnrss} back end saves the group data file in
16084 @code{nnrss-directory} (see below) for each @code{nnrss} group. File
16085 names containing non-@acronym{ASCII} characters will be encoded by the
16086 coding system specified with the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}
16087 variable. If it is @code{nil}, in Emacs the coding system defaults to
16088 the value of @code{default-file-name-coding-system}. If you are using
16089 XEmacs and want to use non-@acronym{ASCII} group names, you should set
16090 the value for the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} variable properly.
16093 You can also use the following commands to import and export your
16094 subscriptions from a file in @acronym{OPML} format (Outline Processor
16097 @defun nnrss-opml-import file
16098 Prompt for an @acronym{OPML} file, and subscribe to each feed in the
16102 @defun nnrss-opml-export
16103 Write your current @acronym{RSS} subscriptions to a buffer in
16104 @acronym{OPML} format.
16107 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
16110 @item nnrss-directory
16111 @vindex nnrss-directory
16112 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
16113 @file{~/News/rss/}.
16115 @item nnrss-file-coding-system
16116 @vindex nnrss-file-coding-system
16117 The coding system used when reading and writing the @code{nnrss} groups
16118 data files. The default is the value of
16119 @code{mm-universal-coding-system} (which defaults to @code{emacs-mule}
16120 in Emacs or @code{escape-quoted} in XEmacs).
16122 @item nnrss-use-local
16123 @vindex nnrss-use-local
16124 @findex nnrss-generate-download-script
16125 If you set @code{nnrss-use-local} to @code{t}, @code{nnrss} will read
16126 the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
16127 the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
16128 download script using @command{wget}.
16131 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
16132 the summary buffer.
16135 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
16136 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
16138 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
16140 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
16141 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
16144 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
16147 (require 'browse-url)
16149 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
16151 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
16154 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
16155 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
16158 (browse-url (cdr url))
16159 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
16160 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
16162 (eval-after-load "gnus"
16163 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
16164 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
16165 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
16168 @node Customizing w3
16169 @subsection Customizing w3
16175 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
16176 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
16177 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
16179 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
16180 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
16181 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
16184 (eval-after-load "w3"
16186 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
16187 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
16188 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
16189 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
16191 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
16194 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
16195 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
16202 @cindex @acronym{IMAP}
16204 @acronym{IMAP} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
16205 think of it as a modernized @acronym{NNTP}. Connecting to a @acronym{IMAP}
16206 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
16207 specify the network address of the server.
16209 @acronym{IMAP} has two properties. First, @acronym{IMAP} can do
16210 everything that @acronym{POP} can, it can hence be viewed as a
16211 @acronym{POP++}. Secondly, @acronym{IMAP} is a mail storage protocol,
16212 similar to @acronym{NNTP} being a news storage protocol---however,
16213 @acronym{IMAP} offers more features than @acronym{NNTP} because news
16214 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
16216 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a @acronym{POP++}, use an imap
16217 entry in @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from
16218 the @acronym{IMAP} server and store them on the local disk. This is
16219 not the usage described in this section---@xref{Mail Sources}.
16221 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
16222 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
16223 manipulate mails stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server. This is the kind of
16224 usage explained in this section.
16226 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus.el} with a few @acronym{IMAP}
16227 servers might look something like the following. (Note that for
16228 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you need external programs and libraries,
16232 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
16233 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; @r{no special configuration}
16234 ; @r{perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:}
16236 (nnimap-address "localhost")
16237 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
16238 ; @r{a UW server running on localhost}
16240 (nnimap-server-port 143)
16241 (nnimap-address "localhost")
16242 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
16243 ; @r{anonymous public cyrus server:}
16244 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
16245 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
16246 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
16247 (nnimap-stream network))
16248 ; @r{a ssl server on a non-standard port:}
16250 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
16251 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
16252 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
16255 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
16256 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
16257 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
16258 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
16260 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
16265 @item nnimap-address
16266 @vindex nnimap-address
16268 The address of the remote @acronym{IMAP} server. Defaults to the virtual
16269 server name if not specified.
16271 @item nnimap-server-port
16272 @vindex nnimap-server-port
16273 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}.
16275 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
16278 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16279 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
16282 @item nnimap-list-pattern
16283 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
16284 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
16285 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
16286 interested in a few---some servers export your home directory via
16287 @acronym{IMAP}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
16288 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
16290 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
16291 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
16292 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
16295 Example server specification:
16298 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16299 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
16300 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
16303 @item nnimap-stream
16304 @vindex nnimap-stream
16305 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
16306 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
16307 of @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}. (@acronym{IMAP} over
16308 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can
16309 be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
16311 Example server specification:
16314 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16315 (nnimap-stream ssl))
16318 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
16322 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
16323 @samp{gsasl} or @samp{imtest} program.
16325 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
16327 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
16328 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
16331 @dfn{tls:} Connect through @acronym{TLS}. Requires GNUTLS (the program
16332 @samp{gnutls-cli}).
16334 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through @acronym{SSL}. Requires OpenSSL (the program
16335 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
16337 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @acronym{IMAP} connection.
16339 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
16342 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
16343 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
16344 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
16345 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
16346 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
16347 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
16348 restrictions on @acronym{IMAP} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
16349 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
16350 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
16353 For @acronym{TLS} connection, the @code{gnutls-cli} program from GNUTLS is
16354 needed. It is available from
16355 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}.
16357 @vindex imap-gssapi-program
16358 This parameter specifies a list of command lines that invoke a GSSAPI
16359 authenticated @acronym{IMAP} stream in a subshell. They are tried
16360 sequentially until a connection is made, or the list has been
16361 exhausted. By default, @samp{gsasl} from GNU SASL, available from
16362 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gsasl/}, and the @samp{imtest}
16363 program from Cyrus IMAPD (see @code{imap-kerberos4-program}), are
16366 @vindex imap-ssl-program
16367 For @acronym{SSL} connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
16368 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
16369 and nnimap support it too---although the most recent versions of
16370 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
16371 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
16372 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
16375 @vindex imap-shell-program
16376 @vindex imap-shell-host
16377 For @acronym{IMAP} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
16378 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
16380 @item nnimap-authenticator
16381 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
16383 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
16384 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
16386 Example server specification:
16389 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16390 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
16393 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
16397 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
16398 external program @code{gsasl} or @code{imtest}.
16400 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
16403 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
16404 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
16406 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
16408 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
16410 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as ``anonymous'', supplying your email address as password.
16413 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
16415 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
16416 Unlike Parmenides the @acronym{IMAP} designers have decided things that
16417 don't exist actually do exist. More specifically, @acronym{IMAP} has
16418 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
16419 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
16420 nnimap does when you delete an article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
16423 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
16424 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
16425 running in circles yet?
16427 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
16428 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
16431 The possible options are:
16436 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
16439 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
16440 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @acronym{IMAP} clients
16441 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
16442 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
16444 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
16449 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
16450 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
16452 If non-@code{nil} (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as
16453 well), for other @acronym{IMAP} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
16454 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
16455 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @acronym{IMAP}
16456 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @acronym{IMAP}
16459 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
16460 enable per-user persistent dormant flags, using something like:
16463 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
16464 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16465 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
16466 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
16469 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
16470 as ticked for other users.
16472 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
16474 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
16476 This variable contain the @acronym{IMAP} search command sent to server when
16477 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
16478 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
16479 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
16481 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
16482 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
16483 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
16484 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
16486 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
16487 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
16489 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
16490 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
16491 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
16492 @ref{NNTP}. An example of an .authinfo line for an IMAP server, is:
16495 machine students.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis port imap
16498 Note that it should be @code{port imap}, or @code{port 143}, if you
16499 use a @code{nnimap-stream} of @code{tls} or @code{ssl}, even if the
16500 actual port number used is port 993 for secured IMAP. For
16501 convenience, Gnus will accept @code{port imaps} as a synonym of
16504 @item nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16505 @vindex nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
16507 Unselect mailboxes before looking for new mail in them. Some servers
16508 seem to need this under some circumstances; it was reported that
16514 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
16515 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
16516 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
16517 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
16518 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
16519 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
16524 @node Splitting in IMAP
16525 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
16526 @cindex splitting imap mail
16528 Splitting is something Gnus users have loved and used for years, and now
16529 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
16530 @acronym{IMAP} servers have server side splitting and those that have
16531 splitting seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that
16532 @acronym{IMAP} support for Gnus has to do its own splitting.
16536 (Incidentally, people seem to have been dreaming on, and Sieve has
16537 gaining a market share and is supported by several IMAP servers.
16538 Fortunately, Gnus support it too, @xref{Sieve Commands}.)
16540 Here are the variables of interest:
16544 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
16545 @cindex splitting, crosspost
16547 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
16549 If non-@code{nil}, do crossposting if several split methods match the
16550 mail. If @code{nil}, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule}
16551 found will be used.
16553 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
16555 @item nnimap-split-inbox
16556 @cindex splitting, inbox
16558 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
16560 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @acronym{IMAP}
16561 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to @code{nil}, which means that
16562 splitting is disabled!
16565 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
16566 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
16569 No nnmail equivalent.
16571 @item nnimap-split-rule
16572 @cindex splitting, rules
16573 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
16575 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
16578 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
16579 sublist gives the name of the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox to move articles
16580 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
16581 Neither did I, we need examples.
16584 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16586 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
16587 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
16588 ("INBOX.private" "")))
16591 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
16592 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
16593 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
16595 The first string may contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by
16596 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
16600 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
16603 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
16604 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
16606 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
16607 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
16608 containing the headers of the article. It should return a
16609 non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
16611 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
16612 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
16613 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
16614 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
16615 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
16616 them every time you fetch new mail.)
16618 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
16619 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
16620 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
16622 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
16623 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
16624 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16626 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
16628 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
16629 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
16630 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
16633 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16634 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
16635 ("junk" "From:.*Simon"))))
16636 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
16637 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
16638 ("junk" my-junk-func))))))
16641 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
16642 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
16643 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
16644 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
16645 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
16646 group/function elements.
16648 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
16650 @item nnimap-split-predicate
16652 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
16654 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
16655 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
16657 This might be useful if you use another @acronym{IMAP} client to read mail in
16658 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
16659 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
16662 @item nnimap-split-fancy
16663 @cindex splitting, fancy
16664 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
16665 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
16667 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16668 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
16669 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
16671 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
16672 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16673 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
16674 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16679 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
16680 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
16683 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
16685 @item nnimap-split-download-body
16686 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
16687 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
16689 Set to non-@code{nil} to download entire articles during splitting.
16690 This is generally not required, and will slow things down
16691 considerably. You may need it if you want to use an advanced
16692 splitting function that analyzes the body to split the article.
16696 @node Expiring in IMAP
16697 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
16698 @cindex expiring imap mail
16700 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
16701 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
16702 Mail}). Unlike splitting in @acronym{IMAP} (@pxref{Splitting in
16703 IMAP}) it does not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
16704 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
16705 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
16708 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server is
16709 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
16710 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
16711 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
16712 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
16713 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
16714 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
16715 messages. Most do, fortunately.
16719 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
16720 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16722 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
16723 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
16725 @item nnmail-expiry-target
16727 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
16728 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
16729 that if the destination is a @acronym{IMAP} group on the same server, the
16730 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
16734 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
16735 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
16736 @cindex editing imap acls
16737 @cindex Access Control Lists
16738 @cindex Editing @acronym{IMAP} ACLs
16739 @kindex G l (Group)
16740 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
16742 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @acronym{IMAP} for
16743 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
16744 @acronym{IMAP} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
16747 To edit an ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
16748 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with an ACL
16749 editing window with detailed instructions.
16751 Some possible uses:
16755 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
16756 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
16757 follow the list without subscribing to it.
16759 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
16760 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
16761 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox
16765 @node Expunging mailboxes
16766 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
16770 @cindex manual expunging
16771 @kindex G x (Group)
16772 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
16774 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
16775 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
16776 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
16778 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
16781 @node A note on namespaces
16782 @subsection A note on namespaces
16783 @cindex IMAP namespace
16786 The @acronym{IMAP} protocol has a concept called namespaces, described
16787 by the following text in the RFC:
16790 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
16792 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
16793 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
16794 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
16795 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
16797 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
16798 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
16799 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
16800 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
16801 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
16802 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
16805 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the
16806 @acronym{IMAP} implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace
16807 prefixes in a way that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
16809 Specifically, University of Washington's @acronym{IMAP} server uses
16810 mailbox names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only
16811 in the @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is
16812 created (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed
16813 without the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do
16814 not make it possible for the user to guarantee that user entered
16815 mailbox names will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands,
16816 you should simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in
16819 See the UoW IMAPD documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
16820 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
16821 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
16823 @node Debugging IMAP
16824 @subsection Debugging IMAP
16825 @cindex IMAP debugging
16826 @cindex protocol dump (IMAP)
16828 @acronym{IMAP} is a complex protocol, more so than @acronym{NNTP} or
16829 @acronym{POP3}. Implementation bugs are not unlikely, and we do our
16830 best to fix them right away. If you encounter odd behavior, chances
16831 are that either the server or Gnus is buggy.
16833 If you are familiar with network protocols in general, you will
16834 probably be able to extract some clues from the protocol dump of the
16835 exchanges between Gnus and the server. Even if you are not familiar
16836 with network protocols, when you include the protocol dump in
16837 @acronym{IMAP}-related bug reports you are helping us with data
16838 critical to solving the problem. Therefore, we strongly encourage you
16839 to include the protocol dump when reporting IMAP bugs in Gnus.
16843 Because the protocol dump, when enabled, generates lots of data, it is
16844 disabled by default. You can enable it by setting @code{imap-log} as
16851 This instructs the @code{imap.el} package to log any exchanges with
16852 the server. The log is stored in the buffer @samp{*imap-log*}. Look
16853 for error messages, which sometimes are tagged with the keyword
16854 @code{BAD}---but when submitting a bug, make sure to include all the
16857 @node Other Sources
16858 @section Other Sources
16860 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
16861 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
16865 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
16866 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
16867 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
16868 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
16869 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
16873 @node Directory Groups
16874 @subsection Directory Groups
16876 @cindex directory groups
16878 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
16879 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
16882 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
16883 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
16884 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
16885 back end to read directories. Big deal.
16887 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
16888 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
16889 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
16890 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
16891 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
16893 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
16895 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
16896 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
16897 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
16898 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
16901 @node Anything Groups
16902 @subsection Anything Groups
16905 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
16906 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
16907 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
16910 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
16911 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
16912 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
16913 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
16914 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
16915 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
16916 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
16917 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
16918 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
16919 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
16922 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
16923 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
16924 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
16925 in the article buffer, just as usual.
16927 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
16928 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
16929 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
16930 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
16932 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
16933 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
16934 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
16935 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
16936 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
16937 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
16938 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
16939 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
16944 @item nneething-map-file-directory
16945 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
16946 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
16947 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
16949 @item nneething-exclude-files
16950 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
16951 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
16952 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
16954 @item nneething-include-files
16955 @vindex nneething-include-files
16956 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
16957 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
16959 @item nneething-map-file
16960 @vindex nneething-map-file
16961 Name of the map files.
16965 @node Document Groups
16966 @subsection Document Groups
16968 @cindex documentation group
16971 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
16972 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
16979 The Babyl (Rmail) mail box.
16984 The standard Unix mbox file.
16986 @cindex MMDF mail box
16988 The MMDF mail box format.
16991 Several news articles appended into a file.
16994 @cindex rnews batch files
16995 The rnews batch transport format.
16996 @cindex forwarded messages
16999 Forwarded articles.
17002 Netscape mail boxes.
17005 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
17007 @item standard-digest
17008 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
17011 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
17013 @item lanl-gov-announce
17014 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
17016 @item rfc822-forward
17017 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
17020 The Outlook mail box.
17023 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
17026 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
17029 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
17032 An RFC934-forwarded message.
17038 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
17041 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
17047 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
17048 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
17049 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
17052 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
17053 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
17054 group. And that's it.
17056 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
17057 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
17058 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
17059 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
17060 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
17061 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
17062 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
17063 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
17064 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
17065 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
17067 Virtual server variables:
17070 @item nndoc-article-type
17071 @vindex nndoc-article-type
17072 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
17073 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
17074 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
17075 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
17076 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
17078 @item nndoc-post-type
17079 @vindex nndoc-post-type
17080 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
17081 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
17086 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
17090 @node Document Server Internals
17091 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
17093 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
17094 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
17095 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
17096 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
17098 First, here's an example document type definition:
17102 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
17103 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
17106 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
17107 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
17108 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
17109 types can be defined with very few settings:
17112 @item first-article
17113 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
17114 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
17117 @item article-begin
17118 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
17119 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
17121 @item head-begin-function
17122 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
17125 @item nndoc-head-begin
17126 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
17129 @item nndoc-head-end
17130 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
17131 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
17133 @item body-begin-function
17134 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
17138 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
17141 @item body-end-function
17142 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
17146 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
17149 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
17150 regexp will be totally ignored.
17154 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
17155 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
17156 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
17157 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
17158 something that's palatable for Gnus:
17161 @item prepare-body-function
17162 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
17163 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
17164 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
17166 @item article-transform-function
17167 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
17168 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
17169 body of the article.
17171 @item generate-head-function
17172 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
17173 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
17174 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
17175 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
17179 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
17184 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17185 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17186 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
17187 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
17188 (head-end . "^ ?$")
17189 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
17190 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
17191 (subtype digest guess))
17194 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
17195 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
17196 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
17197 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
17198 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
17200 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
17201 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
17202 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
17203 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
17204 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
17205 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
17206 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
17207 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
17208 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
17209 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
17210 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
17211 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
17219 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
17220 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
17221 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
17223 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
17224 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
17225 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
17228 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
17229 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
17230 that interested in doing things properly.
17232 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
17233 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
17236 First some terminology:
17241 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
17242 get news and/or mail from.
17245 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
17246 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
17249 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
17253 @item message packets
17254 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
17255 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
17256 default, where @var{x} is a number.
17258 @item response packets
17259 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
17260 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
17261 default, where @var{x} is a number.
17271 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
17272 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
17273 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
17274 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
17277 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
17280 You put the packet in your home directory.
17283 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
17284 the native or secondary server.
17287 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
17288 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
17291 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
17295 You transfer this packet to the server.
17298 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
17301 You then repeat until you die.
17305 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
17306 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
17309 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
17310 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
17311 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
17315 @node SOUP Commands
17316 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
17318 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
17322 @kindex G s b (Group)
17323 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
17324 Pack all unread articles in the current group
17325 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
17326 process/prefix convention.
17329 @kindex G s w (Group)
17330 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
17331 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
17334 @kindex G s s (Group)
17335 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
17336 Send all replies from the replies packet
17337 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
17340 @kindex G s p (Group)
17341 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
17342 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
17345 @kindex G s r (Group)
17346 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
17347 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
17350 @kindex O s (Summary)
17351 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
17352 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
17353 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
17354 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17359 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
17364 @item gnus-soup-directory
17365 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
17366 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
17367 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
17369 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
17370 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
17371 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
17372 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
17374 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
17375 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
17376 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
17377 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
17379 @item gnus-soup-packer
17380 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
17381 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17382 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
17384 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
17385 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
17386 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
17387 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17389 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
17390 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
17391 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
17393 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17394 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
17395 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
17396 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
17402 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
17405 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
17406 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
17407 you can read them at leisure.
17409 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
17413 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
17414 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
17415 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
17416 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
17418 @item nnsoup-directory
17419 @vindex nnsoup-directory
17420 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
17421 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
17423 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
17424 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
17425 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
17426 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/}.
17428 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
17429 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
17430 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
17431 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
17432 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
17434 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
17435 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
17436 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
17437 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
17439 @item nnsoup-active-file
17440 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
17441 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
17442 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
17443 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
17444 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
17446 @item nnsoup-packer
17447 @vindex nnsoup-packer
17448 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
17449 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
17451 @item nnsoup-unpacker
17452 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
17453 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
17454 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
17456 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
17457 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
17458 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
17461 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
17462 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
17463 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
17466 @item nnsoup-always-save
17467 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
17468 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
17474 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
17476 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
17477 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
17478 more for that to happen.
17480 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
17481 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
17482 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
17485 In specific, this is what it does:
17488 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
17489 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
17492 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
17493 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
17494 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
17497 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
17498 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
17499 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
17502 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
17503 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
17504 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
17506 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
17512 @item nngateway-address
17513 @vindex nngateway-address
17514 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
17516 @item nngateway-header-transformation
17517 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
17518 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
17519 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
17520 transformation should be called, and defaults to
17521 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
17522 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
17525 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
17526 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
17527 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
17530 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
17533 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
17536 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
17539 The following pre-defined functions exist:
17541 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17544 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17545 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17546 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
17548 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17550 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17551 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17552 @code{nngateway-address}.
17560 (setq gnus-post-method
17562 "mail2news@@replay.com"
17563 (nngateway-header-transformation
17564 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
17567 So, to use this, simply say something like:
17570 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
17575 @node Combined Groups
17576 @section Combined Groups
17578 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
17582 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
17583 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
17587 @node Virtual Groups
17588 @subsection Virtual Groups
17590 @cindex virtual groups
17591 @cindex merging groups
17593 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
17596 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
17597 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
17598 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
17600 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
17601 regexp to match component groups.
17603 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
17604 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
17605 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
17606 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
17607 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
17608 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
17609 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
17610 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
17612 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
17613 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
17616 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
17619 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
17620 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
17622 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
17623 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
17624 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
17625 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
17628 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
17631 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
17632 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
17633 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
17635 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
17636 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
17637 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
17638 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
17639 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
17641 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
17642 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
17643 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
17645 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
17646 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
17647 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
17648 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
17649 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
17650 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
17651 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
17652 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
17653 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
17654 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
17655 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
17657 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
17658 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
17659 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
17660 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
17661 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
17662 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
17663 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
17665 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
17666 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
17668 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
17669 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
17673 @node Kibozed Groups
17674 @subsection Kibozed Groups
17678 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by the @acronym{OED} as ``grepping through
17679 (parts of) the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will
17680 do this for you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @acronym{NNTP} server
17681 down to a halt with useless requests! Oh happiness!
17683 @kindex G k (Group)
17684 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
17687 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
17688 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
17689 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between
17690 @code{nnkiboze} and @code{nnvirtual} end.
17692 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an
17693 @code{nnkiboze} group must have a score file to say what articles are
17694 to be included in the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
17696 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
17697 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
17698 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
17699 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time.
17700 Lots of time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the
17701 headers from all the articles in all the component groups and run them
17702 through the scoring process to determine if there are any articles in
17703 the groups that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
17705 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
17706 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
17707 @acronym{NNTP} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
17708 Stranger things have happened.
17710 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
17711 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
17713 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
17714 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
17715 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/kiboze/} by default.
17716 One contains the @acronym{NOV} header lines for all the articles in
17717 the group, and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store
17718 information on what groups have been searched through to find
17719 component articles.
17721 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
17722 their @acronym{NOV} lines removed from the @acronym{NOV} file.
17725 @node Email Based Diary
17726 @section Email Based Diary
17728 @cindex email based diary
17731 This section describes a special mail back end called @code{nndiary},
17732 and its companion library @code{gnus-diary}. It is ``special'' in the
17733 sense that it is not meant to be one of the standard alternatives for
17734 reading mail with Gnus. See @ref{Choosing a Mail Back End} for that.
17735 Instead, it is used to treat @emph{some} of your mails in a special way,
17736 namely, as event reminders.
17738 Here is a typical scenario:
17742 You've got a date with Andy Mc Dowell or Bruce Willis (select according
17743 to your sexual preference) in one month. You don't want to forget it.
17745 So you send a ``reminder'' message (actually, a diary one) to yourself.
17747 You forget all about it and keep on getting and reading new mail, as usual.
17749 From time to time, as you type `g' in the group buffer and as the date
17750 is getting closer, the message will pop up again to remind you of your
17751 appointment, just as if it were new and unread.
17753 Read your ``new'' messages, this one included, and start dreaming again
17754 of the night you're gonna have.
17756 Once the date is over (you actually fell asleep just after dinner), the
17757 message will be automatically deleted if it is marked as expirable.
17760 The Gnus Diary back end has the ability to handle regular appointments
17761 (that wouldn't ever be deleted) as well as punctual ones, operates as a
17762 real mail back end and is configurable in many ways. All of this is
17763 explained in the sections below.
17766 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
17767 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
17768 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
17772 @node The NNDiary Back End
17773 @subsection The NNDiary Back End
17775 @cindex the nndiary back end
17777 @code{nndiary} is a back end very similar to @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
17778 Spool}). Actually, it could appear as a mix of @code{nnml} and
17779 @code{nndraft}. If you know @code{nnml}, you're already familiar with
17780 the message storing scheme of @code{nndiary}: one file per message, one
17781 directory per group.
17783 Before anything, there is one requirement to be able to run
17784 @code{nndiary} properly: you @emph{must} use the group timestamp feature
17785 of Gnus. This adds a timestamp to each group's parameters. @ref{Group
17786 Timestamp} to see how it's done.
17789 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
17790 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
17791 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
17794 @node Diary Messages
17795 @subsubsection Diary Messages
17796 @cindex nndiary messages
17797 @cindex nndiary mails
17799 @code{nndiary} messages are just normal ones, except for the mandatory
17800 presence of 7 special headers. These headers are of the form
17801 @code{X-Diary-<something>}, @code{<something>} being one of
17802 @code{Minute}, @code{Hour}, @code{Dom}, @code{Month}, @code{Year},
17803 @code{Time-Zone} and @code{Dow}. @code{Dom} means ``Day of Month'', and
17804 @code{dow} means ``Day of Week''. These headers actually behave like
17805 crontab specifications and define the event date(s):
17809 For all headers except the @code{Time-Zone} one, a header value is
17810 either a star (meaning all possible values), or a list of fields
17811 (separated by a comma).
17813 A field is either an integer, or a range.
17815 A range is two integers separated by a dash.
17817 Possible integer values are 0--59 for @code{Minute}, 0--23 for
17818 @code{Hour}, 1--31 for @code{Dom}, 1--12 for @code{Month}, above 1971
17819 for @code{Year} and 0--6 for @code{Dow} (0 meaning Sunday).
17821 As a special case, a star in either @code{Dom} or @code{Dow} doesn't
17822 mean ``all possible values'', but ``use only the other field''. Note
17823 that if both are star'ed, the use of either one gives the same result.
17825 The @code{Time-Zone} header is special in that it can only have one
17826 value (@code{GMT}, for instance). A star doesn't mean ``all possible
17827 values'' (because it makes no sense), but ``the current local time
17828 zone''. Most of the time, you'll be using a star here. However, for a
17829 list of available time zone values, see the variable
17830 @code{nndiary-headers}.
17833 As a concrete example, here are the diary headers to add to your message
17834 for specifying ``Each Monday and each 1st of month, at 12:00, 20:00,
17835 21:00, 22:00, 23:00 and 24:00, from 1999 to 2010'' (I'll let you find
17840 X-Diary-Hour: 12, 20-24
17843 X-Diary-Year: 1999-2010
17845 X-Diary-Time-Zone: *
17848 @node Running NNDiary
17849 @subsubsection Running NNDiary
17850 @cindex running nndiary
17851 @cindex nndiary operation modes
17853 @code{nndiary} has two modes of operation: ``traditional'' (the default)
17854 and ``autonomous''. In traditional mode, @code{nndiary} does not get new
17855 mail by itself. You have to move (@kbd{B m}) or copy (@kbd{B c}) mails
17856 from your primary mail back end to nndiary groups in order to handle them
17857 as diary messages. In autonomous mode, @code{nndiary} retrieves its own
17858 mail and handles it independently from your primary mail back end.
17860 One should note that Gnus is not inherently designed to allow several
17861 ``master'' mail back ends at the same time. However, this does make
17862 sense with @code{nndiary}: you really want to send and receive diary
17863 messages to your diary groups directly. So, @code{nndiary} supports
17864 being sort of a ``second primary mail back end'' (to my knowledge, it is
17865 the only back end offering this feature). However, there is a limitation
17866 (which I hope to fix some day): respooling doesn't work in autonomous
17869 In order to use @code{nndiary} in autonomous mode, you have several
17874 Allow @code{nndiary} to retrieve new mail by itself. Put the following
17875 line in your @file{gnusrc} file:
17878 (setq nndiary-get-new-mail t)
17881 You must arrange for diary messages (those containing @code{X-Diary-*}
17882 headers) to be split in a private folder @emph{before} Gnus treat them.
17883 Again, this is needed because Gnus cannot (yet ?) properly handle
17884 multiple primary mail back ends. Getting those messages from a separate
17885 source will compensate this misfeature to some extent.
17887 As an example, here's my procmailrc entry to store diary files in
17888 @file{~/.nndiary} (the default @code{nndiary} mail source file):
17897 Once this is done, you might want to customize the following two options
17898 that affect the diary mail retrieval and splitting processes:
17900 @defvar nndiary-mail-sources
17901 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
17902 @code{mail-sources} variable. It obeys the same syntax, and defaults to
17903 @code{(file :path "~/.nndiary")}.
17906 @defvar nndiary-split-methods
17907 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
17908 @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable. It obeys the same syntax.
17911 Finally, you may add a permanent @code{nndiary} virtual server
17912 (something like @code{(nndiary "diary")} should do) to your
17913 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}.
17915 Hopefully, almost everything (see the TODO section in
17916 @file{nndiary.el}) will work as expected when you restart Gnus: in
17917 autonomous mode, typing @kbd{g} and @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer, will
17918 also get your new diary mails and split them according to your
17919 diary-specific rules, @kbd{F} will find your new diary groups etc.
17921 @node Customizing NNDiary
17922 @subsubsection Customizing NNDiary
17923 @cindex customizing nndiary
17924 @cindex nndiary customization
17926 Now that @code{nndiary} is up and running, it's time to customize it.
17927 The custom group is called @code{nndiary} (no, really ?!). You should
17928 browse it to figure out which options you'd like to tweak. The following
17929 two variables are probably the only ones you will want to change:
17931 @defvar nndiary-reminders
17932 This is the list of times when you want to be reminded of your
17933 appointements (e.g. 3 weeks before, then 2 days before, then 1 hour
17934 before and that's it). Remember that ``being reminded'' means that the
17935 diary message will pop up as brand new and unread again when you get new
17939 @defvar nndiary-week-starts-on-monday
17940 Rather self-explanatory. Otherwise, Sunday is assumed (this is the
17945 @node The Gnus Diary Library
17946 @subsection The Gnus Diary Library
17948 @cindex the gnus diary library
17950 Using @code{nndiary} manually (I mean, writing the headers by hand and
17951 so on) would be rather boring. Fortunately, there is a library called
17952 @code{gnus-diary} written on top of @code{nndiary}, that does many
17953 useful things for you.
17955 In order to use it, add the following line to your @file{gnusrc} file:
17958 (require 'gnus-diary)
17961 Also, you shouldn't use any @code{gnus-user-format-function-[d|D]}
17962 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} provides both of these
17963 (sorry if you used them before).
17967 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
17968 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
17969 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
17970 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
17973 @node Diary Summary Line Format
17974 @subsubsection Diary Summary Line Format
17975 @cindex diary summary buffer line
17976 @cindex diary summary line format
17978 Displaying diary messages in standard summary line format (usually
17979 something like @samp{From Joe: Subject}) is pretty useless. Most of
17980 the time, you're the one who wrote the message, and you mostly want to
17981 see the event's date.
17983 @code{gnus-diary} provides two supplemental user formats to be used in
17984 summary line formats. @code{D} corresponds to a formatted time string
17985 for the next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00''),
17986 while @code{d} corresponds to an approximative remaining time until the
17987 next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``in 6 months, 1 week'').
17989 For example, here's how Joe's birthday is displayed in my
17990 @code{nndiary+diary:birthdays} summary buffer (note that the message is
17991 expirable, but will never be deleted, as it specifies a periodic event):
17994 E Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00: Joe's birthday (in 6 months, 1 week)
17997 In order to get something like the above, you would normally add the
17998 following line to your diary groups'parameters:
18001 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z %uD: %(%s%) (%ud)\n")
18004 However, @code{gnus-diary} does it automatically (@pxref{Diary Group
18005 Parameters}). You can however customize the provided summary line format
18006 with the following user options:
18008 @defvar gnus-diary-summary-line-format
18009 Defines the summary line format used for diary groups (@pxref{Summary
18010 Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} uses it to automatically update the
18011 diary groups'parameters.
18014 @defvar gnus-diary-time-format
18015 Defines the format to display dates in diary summary buffers. This is
18016 used by the @code{D} user format. See the docstring for details.
18019 @defvar gnus-diary-delay-format-function
18020 Defines the format function to use for displaying delays (remaining
18021 times) in diary summary buffers. This is used by the @code{d} user
18022 format. There are currently built-in functions for English and French;
18023 you can also define your own. See the docstring for details.
18026 @node Diary Articles Sorting
18027 @subsubsection Diary Articles Sorting
18028 @cindex diary articles sorting
18029 @cindex diary summary lines sorting
18030 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule
18031 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule
18032 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-schedule
18034 @code{gnus-diary} provides new sorting functions (@pxref{Sorting the
18035 Summary Buffer} ) called @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule},
18036 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule} and
18037 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-schedule}. These functions let you organize
18038 your diary summary buffers from the closest event to the farthest one.
18040 @code{gnus-diary} automatically installs
18041 @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule} as a menu item in the summary
18042 buffer's ``sort'' menu, and the two others as the primary (hence
18043 default) sorting functions in the group parameters (@pxref{Diary Group
18046 @node Diary Headers Generation
18047 @subsubsection Diary Headers Generation
18048 @cindex diary headers generation
18049 @findex gnus-diary-check-message
18051 @code{gnus-diary} provides a function called
18052 @code{gnus-diary-check-message} to help you handle the @code{X-Diary-*}
18053 headers. This function ensures that the current message contains all the
18054 required diary headers, and prompts you for values or corrections if
18057 This function is hooked into the @code{nndiary} back end, so that
18058 moving or copying an article to a diary group will trigger it
18059 automatically. It is also bound to @kbd{C-c D c} in @code{message-mode}
18060 and @code{article-edit-mode} in order to ease the process of converting
18061 a usual mail to a diary one.
18063 This function takes a prefix argument which will force prompting of
18064 all diary headers, regardless of their presence or validity. That way,
18065 you can very easily reschedule an already valid diary message, for
18068 @node Diary Group Parameters
18069 @subsubsection Diary Group Parameters
18070 @cindex diary group parameters
18072 When you create a new diary group, or visit one, @code{gnus-diary}
18073 automatically checks your group parameters and if needed, sets the
18074 summary line format to the diary-specific value, installs the
18075 diary-specific sorting functions, and also adds the different
18076 @code{X-Diary-*} headers to the group's posting-style. It is then easier
18077 to send a diary message, because if you use @kbd{C-u a} or @kbd{C-u m}
18078 on a diary group to prepare a message, these headers will be inserted
18079 automatically (although not filled with proper values yet).
18081 @node Sending or Not Sending
18082 @subsection Sending or Not Sending
18084 Well, assuming you've read of of the above, here are two final notes on
18085 mail sending with @code{nndiary}:
18089 @code{nndiary} is a @emph{real} mail back end. You really send real diary
18090 messsages for real. This means for instance that you can give
18091 appointements to anybody (provided they use Gnus and @code{nndiary}) by
18092 sending the diary message to them as well.
18094 However, since @code{nndiary} also has a @code{request-post} method, you
18095 can also use @kbd{C-u a} instead of @kbd{C-u m} on a diary group and the
18096 message won't actually be sent; just stored locally in the group. This
18097 comes in very handy for private appointments.
18100 @node Gnus Unplugged
18101 @section Gnus Unplugged
18106 @cindex Gnus unplugged
18108 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
18109 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
18110 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
18111 read news. Believe it or not.
18113 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
18114 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
18115 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
18116 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
18117 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
18119 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
18120 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
18121 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
18122 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
18123 reading news on a machine.
18125 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
18126 fact, you don't have to configure anything as the agent is now enabled
18127 by default (@pxref{Agent Variables, gnus-agent}).
18129 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
18132 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
18133 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
18134 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
18135 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
18136 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
18137 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
18138 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
18139 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
18140 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
18141 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
18142 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
18143 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
18144 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
18149 @subsection Agent Basics
18151 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
18153 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
18154 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
18155 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
18156 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
18158 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
18159 connected to the net continuously.
18161 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
18162 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
18164 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
18165 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
18166 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
18167 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
18168 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
18170 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
18171 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
18172 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
18173 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
18174 they're kinda like plugged always).
18176 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
18177 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
18178 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
18181 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
18182 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
18183 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
18184 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
18185 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
18187 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
18192 @findex gnus-unplugged
18193 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
18194 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
18195 already fetched while in this mode.
18198 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
18199 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
18200 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
18201 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
18202 Source Specifiers}).
18205 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
18206 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
18207 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
18208 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
18209 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
18212 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
18213 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
18214 then you read the news offline.
18217 And then you go to step 2.
18220 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
18226 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
18227 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
18228 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
18229 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
18230 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
18231 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
18232 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
18233 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
18236 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
18237 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
18238 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
18239 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
18241 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
18242 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
18243 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
18244 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
18245 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
18246 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
18250 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
18254 @node Agent Categories
18255 @subsection Agent Categories
18257 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
18258 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
18259 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
18260 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
18261 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
18262 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
18263 you're interested in the articles anyway.
18265 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
18266 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
18267 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
18268 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
18269 buffer for creating and managing categories.
18271 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
18272 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
18273 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
18274 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
18275 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
18278 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
18279 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
18280 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
18281 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
18282 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
18283 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
18287 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
18288 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
18289 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
18293 @node Category Syntax
18294 @subsubsection Category Syntax
18296 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
18297 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
18298 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
18301 @cindex Agent Parameters
18303 @item agent-cat-name
18304 The name of the category.
18307 The list of groups that are in this category.
18309 @item agent-predicate
18310 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
18311 are eligible for downloading; and
18313 @item agent-score-file
18314 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
18315 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
18316 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
18318 @item agent-enable-expiration
18319 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
18320 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
18321 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
18322 only groups that should not be expired.
18324 @item agent-days-until-old
18325 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
18326 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
18328 @item agent-low-score
18329 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
18331 @item agent-high-score
18332 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
18334 @item agent-length-when-short
18335 an integer that overrides the value of
18336 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
18338 @item agent-length-when-long
18339 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
18341 @item agent-enable-undownloaded-faces
18342 a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should display
18343 undownloaded articles using the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face}
18344 faces. Any symbol other than @code{nil} will enable the use of
18345 undownloaded faces.
18348 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
18351 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
18352 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
18353 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
18356 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
18357 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
18358 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
18359 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
18361 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
18362 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
18363 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
18365 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
18366 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
18367 operators sprinkled in between.
18369 Perhaps some examples are in order.
18371 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
18372 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
18378 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
18379 short (for some value of ``short'').
18381 Here's a more complex predicate:
18390 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
18391 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
18394 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
18395 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
18396 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
18398 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
18399 you want to do, you can write your own.
18401 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
18402 bound to the value determined by calling
18403 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
18404 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
18405 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
18406 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
18407 predicate to individual groups.
18411 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
18412 lines; default 100.
18415 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
18416 lines; default 200.
18419 True iff the article has a download score less than
18420 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
18423 True iff the article has a download score greater than
18424 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
18427 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
18428 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
18429 checksum and sees whether articles match.
18438 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
18439 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
18440 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
18443 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
18444 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
18445 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
18446 something along the lines of the following:
18449 (defun my-article-old-p ()
18450 "Say whether an article is old."
18451 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
18452 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
18455 with the predicate then defined as:
18458 (not my-article-old-p)
18461 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
18462 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
18466 (require 'gnus-agent)
18467 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
18468 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
18469 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
18472 and simply specify your predicate as:
18478 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
18479 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
18480 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
18481 just don't give a damn.
18483 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
18484 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
18485 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
18486 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
18487 parameters like so:
18490 (agent-predicate . short)
18493 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
18494 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
18495 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
18497 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
18500 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
18503 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
18504 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
18505 predicate is assumed to be a list.
18508 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
18509 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
18510 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
18511 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
18512 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
18513 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
18515 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
18516 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
18517 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
18518 if it's to be specific to that group.
18520 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
18527 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
18528 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
18534 Category specification
18538 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18544 Group/Topic Parameter specification
18547 (agent-score ("from"
18548 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18553 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
18559 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
18560 keywords stated above.
18566 Category specification
18569 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
18575 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
18579 Group Parameter specification
18582 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
18585 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
18590 Use @code{normal} score files
18592 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
18593 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
18594 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
18595 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
18597 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
18598 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
18599 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
18600 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
18604 Category Specification
18611 Group Parameter specification
18614 (agent-score . file)
18619 @node Category Buffer
18620 @subsubsection Category Buffer
18622 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
18623 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
18624 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
18626 The following commands are available in this buffer:
18630 @kindex q (Category)
18631 @findex gnus-category-exit
18632 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
18635 @kindex e (Category)
18636 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
18637 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
18638 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
18641 @kindex k (Category)
18642 @findex gnus-category-kill
18643 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
18646 @kindex c (Category)
18647 @findex gnus-category-copy
18648 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
18651 @kindex a (Category)
18652 @findex gnus-category-add
18653 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
18656 @kindex p (Category)
18657 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
18658 Edit the predicate of the current category
18659 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
18662 @kindex g (Category)
18663 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
18664 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
18665 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
18668 @kindex s (Category)
18669 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
18670 Edit the download score rule of the current category
18671 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
18674 @kindex l (Category)
18675 @findex gnus-category-list
18676 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
18680 @node Category Variables
18681 @subsubsection Category Variables
18684 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
18685 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
18686 Hook run in category buffers.
18688 @item gnus-category-line-format
18689 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
18690 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
18691 Variables}). Valid elements are:
18695 The name of the category.
18698 The number of groups in the category.
18701 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
18702 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
18703 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
18705 @item gnus-agent-short-article
18706 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
18707 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
18709 @item gnus-agent-long-article
18710 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
18711 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
18713 @item gnus-agent-low-score
18714 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
18715 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
18718 @item gnus-agent-high-score
18719 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
18720 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
18723 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
18724 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18725 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
18726 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
18727 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
18728 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
18729 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
18730 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
18734 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18735 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18736 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
18737 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
18738 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
18739 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
18740 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
18745 @node Agent Commands
18746 @subsection Agent Commands
18747 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
18748 @kindex J j (Agent)
18750 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
18751 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
18752 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
18756 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
18757 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
18758 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
18764 @node Group Agent Commands
18765 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
18769 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
18770 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
18771 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
18772 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
18775 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
18776 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
18777 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
18780 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
18781 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
18782 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
18783 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
18786 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
18787 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
18788 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
18789 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
18792 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
18793 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
18794 Add the current group to an Agent category
18795 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
18796 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18799 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
18800 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
18801 Remove the current group from its category, if any
18802 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
18803 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18806 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
18807 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18808 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
18814 @node Summary Agent Commands
18815 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
18819 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
18820 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
18821 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
18824 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
18825 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
18826 Remove the downloading mark from the article
18827 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
18831 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
18832 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
18833 Toggle whether to download the article
18834 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
18838 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
18839 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
18840 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
18843 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
18844 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
18845 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
18846 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
18849 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
18850 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-series
18851 Download all processable articles in this group.
18852 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-series}).
18855 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
18856 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
18857 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
18858 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
18863 @node Server Agent Commands
18864 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
18868 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
18869 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
18870 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
18871 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
18874 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
18875 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
18876 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
18877 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
18882 @node Agent Visuals
18883 @subsection Agent Visuals
18885 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
18886 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
18887 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
18888 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
18889 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
18890 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
18891 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
18892 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
18893 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
18894 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
18896 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
18897 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
18898 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
18899 way, ``If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
18900 less than satisfying unplugged session''. For this reason, the Agent
18901 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
18902 the download status of each article so that you always know which
18903 articles will be available when unplugged.
18905 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
18906 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
18907 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
18908 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
18909 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
18910 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
18911 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
18912 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
18914 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
18915 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
18916 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
18917 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
18918 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
18919 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
18920 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
18921 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
18922 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
18924 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
18925 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
18926 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
18927 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
18928 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear. For those
18929 users using the agent to improve online performance by caching the NOV
18930 database (most users since 5.10.2), the undownloaded faces may appear
18931 to be an absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since none
18932 of their articles have been fetched into the Agent, all of the
18933 normal faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces.
18935 If you would like to use the undownloaded faces, you must enable the
18936 undownloaded faces by setting the @code{agent-enable-undownloaded-faces}
18937 group parameter to @code{t}. This parameter, like all other agent
18938 parameters, may be set on an Agent Category (@pxref{Agent Categories}),
18939 a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic Parameters}), or an individual group
18940 (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
18942 The one problem common to all users using the agent is how quickly it
18943 can consume disk space. If you using the agent on many groups, it is
18944 even more difficult to effectively recover disk space. One solution
18945 is the @samp{%F} format available in @code{gnus-group-line-format}.
18946 This format will display the actual disk space used by articles
18947 fetched into both the agent and cache. By knowing which groups use
18948 the most space, users know where to focus their efforts when ``agent
18949 expiring'' articles.
18951 @node Agent as Cache
18952 @subsection Agent as Cache
18954 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
18955 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
18956 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
18957 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
18958 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
18959 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
18960 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
18961 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
18962 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
18964 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
18965 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
18966 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
18967 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
18968 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
18971 @subsection Agent Expiry
18973 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18974 @findex gnus-agent-expire
18975 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
18976 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
18977 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
18978 @cindex agent expiry
18979 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
18982 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
18983 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
18984 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
18985 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
18986 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
18987 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
18988 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
18989 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
18991 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
18992 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
18993 synchronized with the group.
18995 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
18996 prevent expiration in selected groups.
18998 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
18999 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
19000 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
19001 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
19002 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
19003 be kept indefinitely.
19005 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
19006 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
19007 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
19008 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
19010 @node Agent Regeneration
19011 @subsection Agent Regeneration
19013 @cindex agent regeneration
19014 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
19015 @cindex regeneration
19017 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
19018 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
19019 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
19020 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
19021 internal inconsistencies.
19023 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
19024 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
19025 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
19026 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
19027 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
19028 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
19030 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
19031 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
19032 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
19033 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
19034 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
19035 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
19037 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19038 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19039 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
19040 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
19041 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
19042 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
19045 @node Agent and IMAP
19046 @subsection Agent and IMAP
19048 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
19049 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
19050 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
19051 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
19053 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
19054 are kept on the @acronym{IMAP} server, rather than in @file{.newsrc} as is the
19055 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
19056 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
19058 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
19059 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
19060 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
19061 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
19063 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19064 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
19065 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
19066 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
19067 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
19068 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
19070 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
19071 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
19072 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
19073 in the group buffer.
19075 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
19076 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
19081 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
19084 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
19088 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
19089 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
19090 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
19091 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group and
19092 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
19093 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
19094 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
19095 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
19098 @node Outgoing Messages
19099 @subsection Outgoing Messages
19101 By default, when Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail
19102 and news) are stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}).
19103 You can view them there after posting, and edit them at will.
19105 You can control the circumstances under which outgoing mail is queued
19106 (see @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail}, @pxref{Agent Variables}). Outgoing
19107 news is always queued when Gnus is unplugged, and never otherwise.
19109 You can send the messages either from the draft group with the special
19110 commands available there, or you can use the @kbd{J S} command in the
19111 group buffer to send all the sendable messages in the draft group.
19112 Posting news will only work when Gnus is plugged, but you can send
19115 If sending mail while unplugged does not work for you and you worry
19116 about hitting @kbd{J S} by accident when unplugged, you can have Gnus
19117 ask you to confirm your action (see
19118 @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue}, @pxref{Agent Variables}).
19120 @node Agent Variables
19121 @subsection Agent Variables
19126 Is the agent enabled? The default is @code{t}. When first enabled,
19127 the agent will use @code{gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods} to
19128 automatically mark some back ends as agentized. You may change which
19129 back ends are agentized using the agent commands in the server buffer.
19131 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
19132 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
19135 @item gnus-agent-directory
19136 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
19137 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
19138 @file{~/News/agent/}.
19140 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
19141 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
19142 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
19143 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
19144 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
19147 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19148 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19149 Hook run when connecting to the network.
19151 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19152 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19153 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
19155 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19156 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19157 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
19159 @item gnus-agent-cache
19160 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
19161 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
19162 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
19163 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
19165 @item gnus-agent-go-online
19166 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
19167 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
19168 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
19169 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
19170 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
19171 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
19174 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19175 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19176 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
19177 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
19178 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
19179 read. The default is @code{t}.
19181 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19182 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19183 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
19184 agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
19185 downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
19186 the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
19187 are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
19188 into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
19189 the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
19190 over and over again.
19192 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19193 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19194 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
19195 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
19196 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
19197 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
19198 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
19199 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
19200 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
19201 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
19202 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
19203 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
19206 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
19207 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
19208 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
19209 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
19210 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
19211 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
19212 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
19213 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
19214 is only valid if the Agent is used.
19216 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19217 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19218 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
19219 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
19220 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
19221 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
19223 The valid values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
19224 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
19225 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
19226 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
19227 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
19229 @item gnus-agent-queue-mail
19230 @vindex gnus-agent-queue-mail
19231 When @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail} is @code{always}, Gnus will always
19232 queue mail rather than sending it straight away. When @code{t}, Gnus
19233 will queue mail when unplugged only. When @code{nil}, never queue
19234 mail. The default is @code{t}.
19236 @item gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19237 @vindex gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19238 When @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue} is non-@code{nil} Gnus will
19239 prompt you to confirm that you really wish to proceed if you hit
19240 @kbd{J S} while unplugged. The default is @code{nil}.
19242 @item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19243 @vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19244 If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
19245 @file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
19246 automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
19247 which back ends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
19248 to agentize remote back ends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
19249 as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
19250 If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
19251 removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
19252 start Gnus. The default is @samp{(nntp nnimap)}.
19257 @node Example Setup
19258 @subsection Example Setup
19260 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
19261 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
19262 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
19265 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
19266 ;;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
19267 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
19269 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
19270 ;;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
19271 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
19273 ;;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
19274 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
19276 ;;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
19277 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
19278 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
19281 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
19282 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
19285 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
19286 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
19287 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
19288 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
19289 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
19292 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
19293 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
19294 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
19295 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
19296 back all the killed groups.)
19298 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
19299 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
19300 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
19303 @node Batching Agents
19304 @subsection Batching Agents
19305 @findex gnus-agent-batch
19307 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
19308 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
19309 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
19311 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
19312 following incantation:
19316 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
19320 @node Agent Caveats
19321 @subsection Agent Caveats
19323 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
19324 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
19328 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
19330 @strong{No}. If you want this behavior, add
19331 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
19332 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
19334 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
19335 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
19337 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
19341 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
19342 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
19343 locally stored articles.
19350 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
19351 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
19352 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
19355 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
19356 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
19357 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
19358 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
19359 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
19361 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
19362 before generating the summary buffer.
19364 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
19365 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
19366 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
19368 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
19369 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
19370 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
19371 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
19374 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
19375 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
19376 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
19377 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
19378 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
19379 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
19380 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
19381 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
19382 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
19383 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
19384 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
19385 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
19386 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
19387 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
19388 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
19389 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
19393 @node Summary Score Commands
19394 @section Summary Score Commands
19395 @cindex score commands
19397 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
19398 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
19399 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
19400 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
19401 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
19403 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
19404 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
19405 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
19406 score file the current one.
19408 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
19413 @kindex V s (Summary)
19414 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
19415 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
19418 @kindex V S (Summary)
19419 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
19420 Display the score of the current article
19421 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
19424 @kindex V t (Summary)
19425 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
19426 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
19427 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
19428 may type @kbd{e} to edit score file corresponding to the score rule on
19429 current line and @kbd{f} to format (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) the
19430 score file and edit it.
19433 @kindex V w (Summary)
19434 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
19435 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
19438 @kindex V R (Summary)
19439 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
19440 Run the current summary through the scoring process
19441 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
19442 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
19443 effect you're having.
19446 @kindex V c (Summary)
19447 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
19448 Make a different score file the current
19449 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
19452 @kindex V e (Summary)
19453 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
19454 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
19455 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
19459 @kindex V f (Summary)
19460 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
19461 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
19462 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
19465 @kindex V F (Summary)
19466 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19467 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
19468 after editing score files.
19471 @kindex V C (Summary)
19472 @findex gnus-score-customize
19473 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
19474 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
19478 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
19483 @kindex V m (Summary)
19484 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
19485 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
19486 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
19489 @kindex V x (Summary)
19490 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
19491 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
19492 expunge all articles below this score
19493 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
19496 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
19497 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
19500 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
19501 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
19505 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
19506 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
19508 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
19509 keys are available:
19513 Score on the author name.
19516 Score on the subject line.
19519 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
19522 Score on the @code{References} line.
19528 Score on the number of lines.
19531 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
19534 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
19535 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
19538 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
19539 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
19540 @file{ADAPT} files.)
19549 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
19555 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
19556 what headers you are scoring on.
19568 Substring matching.
19571 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
19600 Greater than number.
19605 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
19606 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
19607 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
19612 Temporary score entry.
19615 Permanent score entry.
19618 Immediately scoring.
19622 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
19623 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
19624 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
19628 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
19629 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
19630 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
19631 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
19633 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
19634 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
19635 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
19636 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
19637 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
19639 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
19640 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
19641 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
19642 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
19643 current score file.
19645 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
19646 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
19647 pretend they are keymaps or not.
19650 @node Group Score Commands
19651 @section Group Score Commands
19652 @cindex group score commands
19654 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
19659 @kindex W e (Group)
19660 @findex gnus-score-edit-all-score
19661 Edit the apply-to-all-groups all.SCORE file. You will be popped into
19662 a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File Editing}).
19665 @kindex W f (Group)
19666 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19667 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
19668 all the time. This command will flush the cache
19669 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
19673 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
19675 @findex gnus-batch-score
19676 @cindex batch scoring
19678 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
19682 @node Score Variables
19683 @section Score Variables
19684 @cindex score variables
19688 @item gnus-use-scoring
19689 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
19690 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
19691 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
19693 @item gnus-kill-killed
19694 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
19695 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
19696 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
19697 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
19698 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
19699 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
19700 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
19702 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
19703 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
19704 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
19705 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
19706 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
19708 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
19709 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
19710 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
19711 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
19713 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19714 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19715 @cindex score cache
19716 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
19717 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
19718 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
19719 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
19720 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
19721 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
19722 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
19725 @item gnus-save-score
19726 @vindex gnus-save-score
19727 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
19728 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
19729 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
19731 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
19732 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
19733 across group visits.
19735 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19736 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19737 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
19738 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
19739 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
19740 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
19741 manually entered data.
19743 @item gnus-summary-default-score
19744 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
19745 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
19747 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
19748 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
19749 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
19750 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
19751 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
19752 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
19754 @item gnus-score-over-mark
19755 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
19756 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
19757 default. Default is @samp{+}.
19759 @item gnus-score-below-mark
19760 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
19761 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
19762 default. Default is @samp{-}.
19764 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19765 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19766 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
19767 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
19769 Predefined functions available are:
19772 @item gnus-score-find-single
19773 @findex gnus-score-find-single
19774 Only apply the group's own score file.
19776 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
19777 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
19778 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
19779 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
19780 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
19781 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
19782 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
19783 then a regexp match is done.
19785 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
19786 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
19788 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
19789 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
19790 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
19791 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
19793 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19794 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19795 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
19796 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
19797 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
19801 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
19802 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
19803 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
19804 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
19805 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
19806 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
19807 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
19810 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
19811 overall score file, you could use the value
19813 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
19814 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
19817 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
19818 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
19819 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
19820 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
19821 are expired. It's 7 by default.
19823 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19824 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19825 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
19826 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
19827 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
19828 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
19829 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
19830 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
19832 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19833 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19834 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
19836 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
19837 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
19838 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
19839 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
19840 threading---according to the current value of
19841 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
19842 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
19843 simplified in this manner.
19848 @node Score File Format
19849 @section Score File Format
19850 @cindex score file format
19852 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
19853 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
19854 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
19856 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
19860 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
19862 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
19864 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
19866 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
19871 (mark-and-expunge -10)
19875 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
19876 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
19877 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
19878 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
19882 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
19883 Scoring}, for a different approach.
19885 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
19886 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
19887 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
19889 Six keys are supported by this alist:
19894 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
19895 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
19896 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
19897 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
19898 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
19899 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
19900 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
19901 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
19902 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
19903 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
19904 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
19905 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
19906 to articles that matches these score entries.
19908 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
19909 score entry has one to four elements.
19913 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
19914 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
19918 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
19919 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
19920 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
19921 is successful. If this element is not present, the
19922 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
19923 instead. This is 1000 by default.
19926 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
19927 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
19928 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
19929 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
19930 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
19933 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
19934 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
19935 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
19936 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
19939 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
19940 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
19941 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
19942 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
19943 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
19944 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
19945 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
19946 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
19947 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
19948 instead, if you feel like.
19951 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
19952 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
19953 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
19954 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
19955 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
19956 host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
19960 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
19961 "NNTP-Posting-Host")
19965 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
19966 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
19968 These predicates are true if
19971 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
19974 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
19975 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
19982 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
19983 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
19984 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
19985 it's not. I think.)
19987 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
19988 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
19989 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
19990 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
19993 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
19994 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
19995 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
19996 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
19997 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
19998 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
19999 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
20003 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
20004 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
20005 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
20006 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
20007 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
20008 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
20009 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
20010 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
20013 @item Head, Body, All
20014 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
20018 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
20019 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
20020 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
20021 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
20022 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
20023 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
20024 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
20028 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
20029 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
20030 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
20031 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
20032 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
20033 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
20034 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
20035 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
20036 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
20037 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
20038 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
20042 @cindex score file atoms
20044 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20045 lower than this number will be marked as read.
20048 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20049 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
20051 @item mark-and-expunge
20052 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20053 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
20056 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
20057 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
20058 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
20059 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
20060 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
20063 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
20064 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
20067 @item exclude-files
20068 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
20069 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
20073 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
20074 ignored when handling global score files.
20077 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
20078 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
20079 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
20080 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
20083 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
20084 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
20085 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
20086 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
20088 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
20092 (mark-and-expunge -100)
20095 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
20096 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
20097 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
20098 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
20099 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
20101 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
20102 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
20103 scoring rules exist.
20106 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
20107 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
20108 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
20109 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
20110 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
20111 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
20112 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20113 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
20114 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
20115 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
20116 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
20120 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
20121 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
20122 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
20123 file for a number of groups.
20126 @cindex local variables
20127 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
20128 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
20129 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
20130 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
20131 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
20136 @node Score File Editing
20137 @section Score File Editing
20139 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
20140 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
20141 with a mode for that.
20143 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
20144 additional commands:
20149 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
20150 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
20151 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
20152 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
20155 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
20156 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
20157 Insert the current date in numerical format
20158 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
20159 you were wondering.
20162 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
20163 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
20164 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
20165 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
20166 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
20171 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
20173 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
20174 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
20176 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f}, @kbd{V e} and
20177 @kbd{V t} to begin editing score files.
20180 @node Adaptive Scoring
20181 @section Adaptive Scoring
20182 @cindex adaptive scoring
20184 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
20185 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
20186 stupidity, to be precise.
20188 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
20189 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
20190 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
20191 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
20192 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20193 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
20194 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
20195 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
20196 variable to @code{(word line)}.
20198 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20199 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
20200 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
20201 might look something like this:
20204 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20205 '((gnus-unread-mark)
20206 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
20207 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
20208 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
20209 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
20210 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
20211 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
20212 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
20213 (gnus-ancient-mark)
20214 (gnus-low-score-mark)
20215 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
20218 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
20219 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
20220 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
20221 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
20222 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
20223 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
20226 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
20227 will be applied to each article.
20229 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
20230 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
20231 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
20232 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
20234 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
20235 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
20236 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
20237 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
20239 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
20240 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
20241 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
20242 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
20244 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
20245 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
20246 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
20247 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
20248 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
20249 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
20251 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
20252 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
20253 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
20255 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
20256 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
20257 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
20259 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
20260 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
20261 let you use different rules in different groups.
20263 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
20264 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
20265 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
20268 @vindex gnus-adaptive-pretty-print
20269 Adaptive score files can get huge and are not meant to be edited by
20270 human hands. If @code{gnus-adaptive-pretty-print} is @code{nil} (the
20271 deafult) those files will not be written in a human readable way.
20273 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
20274 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
20275 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
20276 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
20277 the length of the match is less than
20278 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
20279 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
20282 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20283 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
20284 headers. If you adapt on words, the
20285 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
20286 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
20289 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20290 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
20291 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
20292 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
20293 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
20296 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
20297 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
20298 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
20299 score with 30 points.
20301 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
20302 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
20303 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
20304 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
20305 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
20307 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
20308 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
20309 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
20310 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
20311 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
20313 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
20314 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
20315 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
20316 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
20318 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
20319 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
20320 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
20321 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
20323 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
20324 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
20325 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
20326 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
20327 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
20329 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
20330 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
20331 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
20333 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
20334 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
20335 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
20336 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
20339 @node Home Score File
20340 @section Home Score File
20342 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
20343 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
20344 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
20345 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
20347 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
20348 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
20349 could perhaps use the same home score file.
20351 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
20352 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
20357 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
20361 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
20362 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
20366 A list. The elements in this list can be:
20370 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
20371 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
20374 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
20375 be used as the home score file.
20378 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
20381 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
20386 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
20389 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20390 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
20393 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
20394 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
20396 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
20398 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20399 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
20402 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
20403 Other functions include
20406 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
20407 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
20408 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
20409 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
20413 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
20414 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
20415 their own home score files:
20418 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20419 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
20420 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
20421 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
20422 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
20425 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
20426 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
20427 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
20428 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
20429 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
20431 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
20432 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
20433 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
20434 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
20435 precedence over this variable.
20438 @node Followups To Yourself
20439 @section Followups To Yourself
20441 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
20442 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
20443 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
20444 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
20445 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
20446 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
20450 @item gnus-score-followup-article
20451 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
20452 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
20455 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
20456 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
20457 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
20461 @vindex message-sent-hook
20462 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
20463 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
20465 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
20469 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
20470 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
20474 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
20475 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
20478 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
20479 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
20484 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
20488 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
20489 is system-dependent.
20492 @node Scoring On Other Headers
20493 @section Scoring On Other Headers
20494 @cindex scoring on other headers
20496 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
20497 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
20498 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
20499 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
20500 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
20502 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
20503 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
20504 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
20505 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
20506 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
20508 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
20511 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
20512 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
20515 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
20516 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
20517 time if you have much mail.
20519 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
20520 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
20526 @section Scoring Tips
20527 @cindex scoring tips
20533 @cindex scoring crossposts
20534 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
20535 the @code{Xref} header.
20537 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
20540 @item Multiple crossposts
20541 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
20542 more than, say, 3 groups:
20545 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
20549 @item Matching on the body
20550 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
20551 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
20552 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
20553 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
20554 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
20555 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
20556 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
20559 @item Marking as read
20560 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
20561 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
20562 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
20566 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
20568 @item Negated character classes
20569 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
20570 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
20571 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
20575 @node Reverse Scoring
20576 @section Reverse Scoring
20577 @cindex reverse scoring
20579 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
20580 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
20581 like this in your score file:
20585 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
20590 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
20591 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
20594 @node Global Score Files
20595 @section Global Score Files
20596 @cindex global score files
20598 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
20599 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
20600 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
20602 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
20603 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
20604 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
20606 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
20607 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
20608 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
20609 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
20610 files are applicable to which group.
20612 To use the score file
20613 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
20614 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
20618 (setq gnus-global-score-files
20619 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
20620 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
20623 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
20625 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
20626 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
20627 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
20628 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
20630 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
20631 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
20633 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
20634 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
20635 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
20636 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
20637 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
20638 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
20640 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
20646 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
20648 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
20650 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
20652 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
20653 lowered out of existence.
20655 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
20656 articles completely.
20659 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
20660 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
20661 old articles for a long time.
20664 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
20665 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
20666 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
20667 holding our breath yet?
20671 @section Kill Files
20674 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
20675 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
20676 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
20678 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
20679 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
20680 files into score files.
20682 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
20683 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
20684 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
20685 that isn't a very good idea.
20687 Normal kill files look like this:
20690 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20691 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
20695 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
20696 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
20698 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
20699 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
20702 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
20707 @kindex M-k (Summary)
20708 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
20709 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
20712 @kindex M-K (Summary)
20713 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
20714 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
20717 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
20722 @kindex M-k (Group)
20723 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
20724 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
20727 @kindex M-K (Group)
20728 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
20729 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
20732 Kill file variables:
20735 @item gnus-kill-file-name
20736 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
20737 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
20738 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
20739 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
20740 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
20741 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
20743 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20744 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20745 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
20746 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
20749 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
20750 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
20751 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
20752 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
20753 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
20754 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
20755 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
20756 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
20757 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
20759 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20760 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20761 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
20766 @node Converting Kill Files
20767 @section Converting Kill Files
20769 @cindex converting kill files
20771 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
20772 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
20773 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
20776 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
20777 You can fetch it from
20778 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
20780 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
20781 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
20782 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
20786 @node Advanced Scoring
20787 @section Advanced Scoring
20789 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
20790 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
20791 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
20792 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
20793 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
20795 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
20799 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
20800 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
20801 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
20805 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
20806 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
20808 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
20809 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
20810 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
20811 non-@code{nil} value.
20813 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
20814 operator, and various match operators.
20821 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20822 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
20823 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
20828 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20829 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
20830 then this operator will return @code{false}.
20835 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
20836 logical negation of the value of its argument.
20840 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
20841 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
20842 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
20843 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
20844 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
20845 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
20846 the ancestry you want to go.
20848 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
20849 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
20850 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
20851 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
20852 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
20855 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
20856 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
20858 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
20859 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
20862 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
20863 when he's talking about Gnus:
20868 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20869 ("subject" "Gnus"))
20876 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
20880 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20887 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
20888 really don't want to read what he's written:
20892 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20893 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
20897 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
20898 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
20899 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
20906 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
20907 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
20908 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
20909 ("body" "white.*socks"))
20913 Suppose you're reading a high volume group and you're only interested
20914 in replies. The plan is to score down all articles that don't have
20915 subject that begin with "Re:", "Fw:" or "Fwd:" and then score up all
20916 parents of articles that have subjects that begin with reply marks.
20919 ((! ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
20921 ((1- ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
20925 The possibilities are endless.
20927 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
20928 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
20930 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
20931 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
20932 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
20933 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
20934 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
20935 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
20936 @samp{subject}) first.
20938 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
20939 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
20950 Then that means ``score on the from header of the grandparent of the
20951 current article''. An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
20957 ("subject" "Gnus")))
20964 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
20965 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
20970 @section Score Decays
20971 @cindex score decays
20974 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
20975 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
20976 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
20977 use them in any sensible way.
20979 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
20980 @findex gnus-decay-score
20981 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
20982 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
20983 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
20984 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
20985 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
20986 If @code{gnus-decay-scores} is a regexp, only score files matching this
20987 regexp are treated. E.g. you may set it to @samp{\\.ADAPT\\'} if only
20988 @emph{adaptive} score files should be decayed. The decay itself if
20989 performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function} function, which is
20990 @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the definition of that
20994 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
20995 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
20996 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
20998 (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
21000 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
21002 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
21003 (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
21004 ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
21005 ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
21006 (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
21008 (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
21012 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
21013 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
21014 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
21015 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
21019 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
21022 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
21025 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
21029 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
21030 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
21031 the new score, which should be an integer.
21033 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
21034 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
21039 @include message.texi
21040 @chapter Emacs MIME
21041 @include emacs-mime.texi
21043 @include sieve.texi
21055 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
21056 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
21057 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
21058 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
21059 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
21060 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
21061 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
21062 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
21063 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
21064 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
21065 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
21066 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
21067 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
21068 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
21069 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
21070 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
21071 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
21072 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
21073 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
21074 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
21075 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
21079 @node Process/Prefix
21080 @section Process/Prefix
21081 @cindex process/prefix convention
21083 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
21084 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
21086 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
21087 command to be performed on.
21091 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
21092 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
21093 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
21094 with the current one.
21096 @vindex transient-mark-mode
21097 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
21098 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
21100 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
21101 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
21104 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
21105 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
21107 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
21110 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
21111 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
21112 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
21113 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
21115 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
21116 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
21117 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
21118 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
21119 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
21120 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
21121 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
21122 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
21124 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
21125 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
21126 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
21127 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
21128 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
21132 @section Interactive
21133 @cindex interaction
21137 @item gnus-novice-user
21138 @vindex gnus-novice-user
21139 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
21140 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
21141 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
21142 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
21145 @item gnus-expert-user
21146 @vindex gnus-expert-user
21147 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
21148 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
21149 matter how strange.
21151 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
21152 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
21153 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
21154 is @code{t} by default.
21156 @item gnus-interactive-exit
21157 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
21158 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21163 @node Symbolic Prefixes
21164 @section Symbolic Prefixes
21165 @cindex symbolic prefixes
21167 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
21168 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
21169 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
21170 rule of 900 to the current article.
21172 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
21173 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
21174 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
21175 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
21176 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
21177 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
21178 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
21180 @kindex M-i (Summary)
21181 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
21182 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
21183 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
21184 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
21185 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
21186 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
21187 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
21188 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
21190 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
21191 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
21192 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
21194 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
21198 @node Formatting Variables
21199 @section Formatting Variables
21200 @cindex formatting variables
21202 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
21203 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
21204 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
21205 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
21206 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
21209 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
21210 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
21211 lots of percentages everywhere.
21214 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
21215 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
21216 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
21217 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
21218 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
21219 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
21220 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
21221 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
21224 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
21225 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
21226 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
21227 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
21228 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
21229 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
21230 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
21231 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
21233 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
21234 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
21236 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
21237 @findex gnus-update-format
21238 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
21239 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
21240 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
21241 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
21245 @node Formatting Basics
21246 @subsection Formatting Basics
21248 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
21249 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
21250 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
21252 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
21253 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
21254 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
21255 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
21256 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
21259 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
21260 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
21261 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
21262 less than 4 characters wide.
21264 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
21265 @samp{%&user-date;}.
21268 @node Mode Line Formatting
21269 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
21271 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
21272 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
21273 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
21274 with the following two differences:
21279 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
21282 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
21283 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
21284 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
21285 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
21286 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
21287 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
21288 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
21293 @node Advanced Formatting
21294 @subsection Advanced Formatting
21296 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
21297 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
21298 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
21299 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
21301 These are the valid modifiers:
21306 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
21310 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
21315 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
21318 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
21323 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
21326 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
21329 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
21332 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
21338 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
21343 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
21344 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
21345 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
21346 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
21347 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
21348 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
21349 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
21351 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
21352 last operation, padding.
21354 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
21355 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
21356 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
21357 @xref{Compilation}.
21360 @node User-Defined Specs
21361 @subsection User-Defined Specs
21363 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
21364 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
21365 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
21366 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
21367 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
21368 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
21369 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
21370 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
21371 should protect against that.
21373 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
21374 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
21376 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
21377 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
21378 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
21379 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
21383 @node Formatting Fonts
21384 @subsection Formatting Fonts
21386 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
21387 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
21388 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
21389 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
21392 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
21393 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
21394 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
21395 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
21396 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
21397 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
21399 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
21400 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
21401 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
21402 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
21403 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
21404 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
21405 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
21406 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
21407 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
21408 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
21409 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
21412 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
21415 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
21416 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
21417 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
21419 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
21420 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
21421 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
21422 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
21423 ;; @r{Set the color.}
21424 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
21425 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
21427 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
21428 (setq gnus-group-line-format
21429 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
21432 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
21433 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
21435 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
21436 mode-line variables.
21438 @node Positioning Point
21439 @subsection Positioning Point
21441 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
21442 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
21443 line. You can customize this behavior in three different ways.
21445 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
21447 @findex gnus-goto-colon
21448 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
21449 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
21451 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
21452 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
21453 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
21458 @subsection Tabulation
21460 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
21461 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
21462 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
21463 about lining up the following text afterwards.
21465 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
21466 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
21468 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
21469 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
21470 This is the soft tabulator.
21472 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
21473 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
21474 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
21477 @node Wide Characters
21478 @subsection Wide Characters
21480 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
21481 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
21482 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
21484 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
21485 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
21486 these countries, that's not true.
21488 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
21489 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
21490 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
21491 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
21495 @node Window Layout
21496 @section Window Layout
21497 @cindex window layout
21499 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
21501 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
21502 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
21503 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
21504 @code{t} by default.
21506 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
21507 glitches. Use at your own peril.
21509 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
21510 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
21511 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
21514 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
21515 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
21516 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
21520 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
21521 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
21522 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
21523 possible names is listed below.
21525 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
21526 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
21529 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
21533 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
21534 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
21535 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
21536 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
21537 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
21538 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
21539 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
21540 size spec per split.
21542 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
21543 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
21544 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
21545 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
21546 present) gets focus.
21548 Here's a more complicated example:
21551 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
21552 (summary 0.25 point)
21553 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
21557 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
21558 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
21559 occupy, not a percentage.
21561 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
21562 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
21563 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
21564 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
21565 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
21568 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
21571 (article (horizontal 1.0
21576 (summary 0.25 point)
21581 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
21582 @code{horizontal} thingie?
21584 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
21585 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
21586 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
21587 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
21588 the screen is to be given to this strip.
21590 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
21591 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
21592 lines from the splits.
21594 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
21599 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
21600 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
21601 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
21602 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
21603 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
21604 size = number | frame-params
21605 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
21609 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
21610 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
21611 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
21612 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
21614 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
21615 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
21616 @cindex window height
21617 @cindex window width
21618 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
21619 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
21620 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
21621 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
21622 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
21623 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
21625 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
21626 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
21627 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
21628 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
21630 @findex gnus-configure-frame
21631 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
21632 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
21633 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
21634 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
21635 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
21636 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
21637 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
21638 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
21639 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
21640 configuration list.
21643 (gnus-configure-frame
21647 (article 0.3 point))
21655 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
21656 @code{frame} split:
21659 (gnus-configure-frame
21662 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
21664 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
21665 (user-position . t)
21666 (left . -1) (top . 1))
21671 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
21672 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
21673 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
21674 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
21675 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
21676 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
21677 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
21678 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
21680 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
21681 be found in its default value.
21683 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
21684 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
21685 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
21689 (message (horizontal 1.0
21690 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
21692 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
21697 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
21698 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
21699 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
21704 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
21705 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
21706 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
21707 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
21708 (name . "Message"))
21709 (message 1.0 point))))
21712 @findex gnus-add-configuration
21713 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
21714 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
21715 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
21716 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
21719 (gnus-add-configuration
21720 '(article (vertical 1.0
21722 (summary .25 point)
21726 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
21727 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
21728 Gnus has been loaded.
21730 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
21731 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
21732 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
21733 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
21734 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
21736 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
21737 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
21738 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
21741 @subsection Example Window Configurations
21745 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
21746 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
21761 (gnus-add-configuration
21764 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21766 (summary 0.16 point)
21769 (gnus-add-configuration
21772 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
21773 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
21779 @node Faces and Fonts
21780 @section Faces and Fonts
21785 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
21786 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
21787 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
21792 @section Compilation
21793 @cindex compilation
21794 @cindex byte-compilation
21796 @findex gnus-compile
21798 Remember all those line format specification variables?
21799 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
21800 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
21801 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
21802 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
21803 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
21806 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
21807 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
21808 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
21809 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
21810 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
21811 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
21812 them into the @file{~/.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
21816 @section Mode Lines
21819 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
21820 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
21821 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
21822 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
21823 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
21824 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
21825 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
21828 @cindex display-time
21830 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
21831 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
21832 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
21833 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
21834 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
21835 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
21836 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
21837 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
21840 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
21842 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
21843 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
21845 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
21846 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
21847 (length display-time-string)))))
21850 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
21851 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
21852 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
21853 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
21854 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
21857 @node Highlighting and Menus
21858 @section Highlighting and Menus
21860 @cindex highlighting
21863 @vindex gnus-visual
21864 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
21865 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
21866 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
21869 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
21870 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
21873 @item group-highlight
21874 Do highlights in the group buffer.
21875 @item summary-highlight
21876 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
21877 @item article-highlight
21878 Do highlights in the article buffer.
21880 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
21882 Create menus in the group buffer.
21884 Create menus in the summary buffers.
21886 Create menus in the article buffer.
21888 Create menus in the browse buffer.
21890 Create menus in the server buffer.
21892 Create menus in the score buffers.
21894 Create menus in all buffers.
21897 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
21898 buffers, you could say something like:
21901 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
21904 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
21907 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
21910 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
21911 in all Gnus buffers.
21913 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
21916 @item gnus-mouse-face
21917 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
21918 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
21919 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
21923 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
21927 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
21928 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
21929 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
21931 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
21932 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
21933 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
21935 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
21936 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
21937 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
21939 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
21940 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
21941 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
21943 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
21944 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
21945 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
21947 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
21948 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
21949 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
21960 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
21961 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
21962 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
21963 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
21964 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
21968 @vindex gnus-carpal
21969 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
21970 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
21971 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
21976 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21977 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21978 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
21980 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
21981 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
21982 Face used on buttons.
21984 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
21985 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
21986 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
21988 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21989 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21990 Buttons in the group buffer.
21992 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21993 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21994 Buttons in the summary buffer.
21996 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21997 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21998 Buttons in the server buffer.
22000 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
22001 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
22002 Buttons in the browse buffer.
22005 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
22006 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
22007 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
22015 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
22016 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
22017 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
22018 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
22019 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
22021 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
22022 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
22023 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
22025 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
22026 been idle for thirty minutes:
22029 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
22032 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
22036 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
22039 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
22040 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
22041 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
22043 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
22044 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
22045 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
22046 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
22048 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
22049 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
22050 @var{idle} minutes.
22052 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
22053 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
22056 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
22057 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
22058 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
22060 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
22061 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
22062 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
22063 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
22065 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
22066 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22068 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
22070 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
22073 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
22074 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
22075 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
22076 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
22077 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
22078 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
22079 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
22080 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
22081 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
22082 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
22083 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
22085 @findex gnus-demon-init
22086 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
22087 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
22088 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
22089 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
22090 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
22092 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
22093 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
22094 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
22103 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
22104 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
22106 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
22107 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
22108 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
22109 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
22112 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
22113 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
22114 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
22115 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
22117 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
22118 this will make spam disappear.
22120 There are some variables to customize, of course:
22123 @item gnus-use-nocem
22124 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
22125 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
22128 @item gnus-nocem-groups
22129 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
22130 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
22133 ("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
22134 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")
22137 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
22138 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
22139 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
22140 people you want to listen to. The default is
22142 ("Automoose-1" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
22143 "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo" "hweede@@snafu.de")
22145 fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
22147 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at@*
22148 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
22150 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
22151 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
22152 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
22153 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
22154 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
22155 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
22156 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
22157 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
22158 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
22159 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
22161 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
22162 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
22165 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
22168 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
22169 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
22172 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
22175 The specs are applied left-to-right.
22178 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
22179 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
22181 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
22182 says she is. The default is @code{pgg-verify}, which returns
22183 non-@code{nil} if the verification is successful, otherwise (including
22184 the case the NoCeM message was not signed) returns @code{nil}. If this
22185 is too slow and you don't care for verification (which may be dangerous),
22186 you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
22188 Formerly the default was @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
22189 function. While you can still use it, you can change it into
22190 @code{pgg-verify} running with GnuPG if you are willing to add the
22191 @acronym{PGP} public keys to GnuPG's keyring.
22193 @item gnus-nocem-directory
22194 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
22195 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is@*
22196 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
22198 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
22199 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
22200 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
22201 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
22202 might then see old spam.
22204 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
22205 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
22206 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
22207 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
22208 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
22211 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
22212 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
22213 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
22214 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
22218 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
22219 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
22220 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
22221 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
22228 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
22229 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
22230 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
22232 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
22233 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
22234 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
22235 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
22236 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
22237 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
22238 @code{undo} function.
22240 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
22241 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
22242 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
22243 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
22244 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
22245 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
22246 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
22247 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
22248 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
22249 never be totally undoable.
22251 @findex gnus-undo-mode
22252 @vindex gnus-use-undo
22254 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
22255 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
22256 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
22257 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
22261 @node Predicate Specifiers
22262 @section Predicate Specifiers
22263 @cindex predicate specifiers
22265 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
22266 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
22267 to type all that much.
22269 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
22274 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
22275 gnus-article-unread-p)
22278 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
22279 functions all take one parameter.
22281 @findex gnus-make-predicate
22282 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
22283 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
22284 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
22289 @section Moderation
22292 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
22293 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
22294 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
22297 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
22301 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
22304 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
22306 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
22311 You split your incoming mail by matching on
22312 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
22313 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
22316 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
22317 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
22320 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
22321 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
22325 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
22328 (setq gnus-moderated-list
22329 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
22333 @node Fetching a Group
22334 @section Fetching a Group
22335 @cindex fetching a group
22337 @findex gnus-fetch-group
22338 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
22339 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
22340 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
22341 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
22342 It takes the group name as a parameter.
22345 @node Image Enhancements
22346 @section Image Enhancements
22348 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
22349 support images yet.}, is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has
22350 taken advantage of that.
22353 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
22354 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
22355 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
22356 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
22357 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
22365 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
22366 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
22367 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
22371 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
22372 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
22373 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
22381 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
22382 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
22383 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
22384 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
22386 The variable that controls this is the
22387 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
22388 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
22389 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
22390 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
22391 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
22393 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
22394 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
22395 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
22396 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
22399 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
22400 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
22401 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
22402 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
22403 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
22404 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
22405 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
22406 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
22408 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
22416 @vindex gnus-x-face
22417 Face to show X-Face. The colors from this face are used as the
22418 foreground and background colors of the displayed X-Faces. The
22419 default colors are black and white.
22421 @item gnus-face-properties-alist
22422 @vindex gnus-face-properties-alist
22423 Alist of image types and properties applied to Face (@pxref{Face}) and
22424 X-Face images. The default value is @code{((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face))
22425 (png . nil))} for Emacs or @code{((xface . (:face gnus-x-face)))} for
22426 XEmacs. Here are examples:
22429 ;; Specify the altitude of Face and X-Face images in the From header.
22430 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
22431 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :ascent 80))
22432 (png . (:ascent 80))))
22434 ;; Show Face and X-Face images as pressed buttons.
22435 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
22436 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :relief -2))
22437 (png . (:relief -2))))
22440 @pxref{Image Descriptors, ,Image Descriptors, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
22441 Reference Manual} for the valid properties for various image types.
22442 Currently, @code{pbm} is used for X-Face images and @code{png} is used
22443 for Face images in Emacs. Only the @code{:face} property is effective
22444 on the @code{xface} image type in XEmacs if it is built with the
22445 @samp{libcompface} library.
22448 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
22449 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
22451 @findex gnus-random-x-face
22452 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
22453 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
22454 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
22455 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
22456 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
22457 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
22458 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
22459 header data as a string.
22461 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
22462 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
22463 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
22464 randomly generated data.
22466 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
22467 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
22468 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
22469 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
22470 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
22472 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
22473 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22476 (setq message-required-news-headers
22477 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22478 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
22481 Using the last function would be something like this:
22484 (setq message-required-news-headers
22485 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22486 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
22487 (gnus-x-face-from-file
22488 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
22496 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces'implementations should really be harmonized.
22498 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
22499 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
22500 represent the author of the message.
22503 @findex gnus-article-display-face
22504 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
22505 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
22508 The @code{gnus-face-properties-alist} variable affects the appearance of
22509 displayed Face images. @xref{X-Face}.
22511 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
22512 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
22514 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
22515 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
22516 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
22518 @findex gnus-face-from-file
22519 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
22520 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
22521 converts the file to Face format by using the
22522 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
22524 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
22525 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22528 (setq message-required-news-headers
22529 (nconc message-required-news-headers
22530 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
22531 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
22536 @subsection Smileys
22541 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
22546 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
22547 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
22549 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
22550 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22553 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
22556 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
22557 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
22558 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
22559 text and maps that to file names.
22561 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
22562 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
22563 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
22564 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
22565 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
22568 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
22573 @item smiley-data-directory
22574 @vindex smiley-data-directory
22575 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
22577 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
22578 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
22579 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
22593 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
22594 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
22595 over your shoulder as you read news.
22597 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
22606 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
22607 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
22608 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
22609 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
22610 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
22611 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
22612 @code{GIF} formats.
22615 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
22616 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
22617 point your Web browser at
22618 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
22620 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
22621 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
22623 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
22624 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
22627 @vindex gnus-picon-style
22628 The variable @code{gnus-picon-style} controls how picons are displayed.
22629 If @code{inline}, the textual representation is replaced. If
22630 @code{right}, picons are added right to the textual representation.
22632 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
22636 @item gnus-picon-databases
22637 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
22638 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
22639 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
22640 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
22641 "/usr/local/faces")}.
22643 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
22644 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
22645 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
22646 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
22648 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
22649 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
22650 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
22651 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
22653 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
22654 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
22655 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
22656 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
22657 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
22659 @item gnus-picon-file-types
22660 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
22661 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
22662 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
22668 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
22671 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22672 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
22673 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
22674 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
22675 unusual directory structure.
22677 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
22678 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
22679 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
22680 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
22682 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
22683 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
22684 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
22685 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
22686 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
22687 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
22689 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22690 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
22691 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
22696 @subsubsection Toolbar
22700 @item gnus-use-toolbar
22701 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
22702 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
22703 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
22704 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
22706 @item gnus-group-toolbar
22707 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
22708 The toolbar in the group buffer.
22710 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
22711 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
22712 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
22714 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22715 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
22716 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
22727 @node Fuzzy Matching
22728 @section Fuzzy Matching
22729 @cindex fuzzy matching
22731 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
22732 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
22734 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
22735 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
22736 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
22738 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
22739 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
22740 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
22741 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
22742 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
22745 @node Thwarting Email Spam
22746 @section Thwarting Email Spam
22750 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22752 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
22753 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
22754 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
22755 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
22756 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
22757 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
22758 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
22759 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
22762 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
22763 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
22764 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
22765 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
22766 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
22767 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
22769 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
22772 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
22773 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
22774 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
22775 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
22776 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
22777 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
22780 @node The problem of spam
22781 @subsection The problem of spam
22783 @cindex spam filtering approaches
22784 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
22786 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22788 First, some background on spam.
22790 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
22791 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it
22792 exists because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail,
22793 so only a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to
22794 make it worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most
22795 common spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for
22796 further spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers},
22797 but terms like @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, @emph{sociopaths}, and
22798 @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
22800 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
22801 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
22802 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
22803 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
22804 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
22805 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
22806 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
22807 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
22808 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
22811 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering, at the mail
22812 server or when you sort through incoming mail. If you get 200 spam
22813 messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you block
22814 @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about @samp{VIAGRA}, you
22815 discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the message. If you get
22816 lots of spam from Bulgaria, for example, you try to filter all mail
22817 from Bulgarian IPs.
22819 This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate e-mail. The
22820 risks of blocking a whole country (Bulgaria, Norway, Nigeria, China,
22821 etc.) or even a continent (Asia, Africa, Europe, etc.) from contacting
22822 you should be obvious, so don't do it if you have the choice.
22824 In another instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest has
22825 been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it @strong{contained}
22826 words that were common in spam messages. Nevertheless, in isolated
22827 cases, with great care, direct filtering of mail can be useful.
22829 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
22830 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
22831 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
22832 Ghana, Estonia, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
22833 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into a
22834 database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the number
22835 of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When a user
22836 of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a message is
22837 spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
22839 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
22840 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
22841 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
22842 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
22843 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
22844 sending spam, and their web sites and mailing lists have been shut
22845 down for some time because of the incident.
22847 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
22848 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
22849 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
22850 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
22851 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
22852 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
22853 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
22854 to store the database of spam analyses. Statistical analysis on the
22855 server is gaining popularity. This has the advantage of letting the
22856 user Just Read Mail, but has the disadvantage that it's harder to tell
22857 the server that it has misclassified mail.
22859 Fighting spam is not easy, no matter what anyone says. There is no
22860 magic switch that will distinguish Viagra ads from Mom's e-mails.
22861 Even people are having a hard time telling spam apart from non-spam,
22862 because spammers are actively looking to fool us into thinking they
22863 are Mom, essentially. Spamming is irritating, irresponsible, and
22864 idiotic behavior from a bunch of people who think the world owes them
22865 a favor. We hope the following sections will help you in fighting the
22868 @node Anti-Spam Basics
22869 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
22873 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
22875 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
22876 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
22878 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
22879 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
22880 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
22881 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
22882 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
22883 part of the mail address.)
22886 (setq message-default-news-headers
22887 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
22890 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
22891 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
22895 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
22896 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
22897 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
22902 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
22903 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
22904 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
22905 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
22907 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
22908 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
22909 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
22910 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
22911 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
22912 your fancy split rule in this way:
22917 (to "larsi" "misc")
22921 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
22922 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
22923 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
22924 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
22925 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
22927 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
22928 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
22929 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
22930 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
22932 Be careful with this approach. Spammers are wise to it.
22936 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
22937 @cindex SpamAssassin
22938 @cindex Vipul's Razor
22941 The days where the hints in the previous section were sufficient in
22942 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
22943 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
22944 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
22945 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
22946 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
22947 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
22949 Note that this section does not involve the @code{spam.el} package,
22950 which is discussed in the next section. If you don't care for all
22951 the features of @code{spam.el}, you can make do with these simple
22954 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
22955 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
22956 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
22957 Specifiers}) follow.
22961 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
22965 "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
22968 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
22969 the mail contain e.g.@: a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
22970 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
22973 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
22977 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
22980 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
22981 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
22985 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
22986 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
22987 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
22988 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
22991 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
22993 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
22997 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
22998 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
23002 Note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will not be
23003 downloaded by default. You need to set
23004 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
23005 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
23007 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
23008 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
23009 spam. And here is the nifty function:
23012 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
23013 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
23015 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
23016 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
23017 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
23021 @subsection Hashcash
23024 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
23025 costly and demonstrably unique for each message they send. This has
23026 the obvious drawback that you cannot rely on everyone in the world
23027 using this technique, since it is not part of the Internet standards,
23028 but it may be useful in smaller communities.
23030 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
23031 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
23032 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
23033 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
23034 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
23035 instead prefers that everyone you contact through e-mail supports the
23036 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
23037 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
23038 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
23039 one of them separately.
23042 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
23043 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
23044 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:} header.
23045 For more details, and for the external application @code{hashcash} you
23046 need to install to use this feature, see
23047 @uref{http://www.hashcash.org/}. Even more information can be found
23048 at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
23050 If you wish to generate hashcash for each message you send, you can
23051 customize @code{message-generate-hashcash} (@pxref{Mail Headers, ,Mail
23052 Headers,message, The Message Manual}), as in:
23055 (setq message-generate-hashcash t)
23058 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
23062 @item hashcash-default-payment
23063 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
23064 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
23065 should consist of. By default this is 20. Suggested useful values
23068 @item hashcash-payment-alist
23069 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
23070 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
23071 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
23072 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
23073 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
23074 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
23075 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
23076 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
23078 @item hashcash-path
23079 @vindex hashcash-path
23080 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed. This variable should
23081 be automatically set by @code{executable-find}, but if it's @code{nil}
23082 (usually because the @code{hashcash} binary is not in your path)
23083 you'll get a warning when you check hashcash payments and an error
23084 when you generate hashcash payments.
23088 Gnus can verify hashcash cookies, although this can also be done by
23089 hand customized mail filtering scripts. To verify a hashcash cookie
23090 in a message, use the @code{mail-check-payment} function in the
23091 @code{hashcash.el} library. You can also use the @code{spam.el}
23092 package with the @code{spam-use-hashcash} back end to validate hashcash
23093 cookies in incoming mail and filter mail accordingly (@pxref{Anti-spam
23094 Hashcash Payments}).
23096 @node Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
23097 @subsection Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
23098 @cindex spam filtering
23101 The idea behind @code{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
23102 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @code{spam.el} does two things: it
23103 filters new mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
23104 @dfn{Ham} is the name used throughout @code{spam.el} to indicate
23107 Make sure you read the section on the @code{spam.el} sequence of
23108 events. See @xref{Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events}.
23110 @cindex spam-initialize
23111 To use @code{spam.el}, you @strong{must} run the function
23112 @code{spam-initialize} to autoload @file{spam.el} and to install the
23113 @code{spam.el} hooks. There is one exception: if you use the
23114 @code{spam-use-stat} (@pxref{spam-stat spam filtering}) setting, you
23115 should turn it on before @code{spam-initialize}:
23118 (setq spam-use-stat t) ;; if needed
23122 So, what happens when you load @file{spam.el}?
23124 First, some hooks will get installed by @code{spam-initialize}. There
23125 are some hooks for @code{spam-stat} so it can save its databases, and
23126 there are hooks so interesting things will happen when you enter and
23127 leave a group. More on the sequence of events later (@pxref{Spam
23128 ELisp Package Sequence of Events}).
23130 You get the following keyboard commands:
23140 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
23141 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
23143 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark.
23144 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
23145 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
23146 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
23152 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
23153 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
23155 You must have Bogofilter installed for that command to work properly.
23161 Also, when you load @file{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
23162 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
23166 * Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events::
23167 * Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail::
23168 * Spam ELisp Package Global Variables::
23169 * Spam ELisp Package Sorting and Score Display in Summary Buffer::
23170 * Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples::
23171 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
23172 * BBDB Whitelists::
23173 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
23174 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
23176 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
23178 * SpamAssassin back end::
23179 * ifile spam filtering::
23180 * spam-stat spam filtering::
23182 * Extending the Spam ELisp package::
23185 @node Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events
23186 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Sequence of Events
23187 @cindex spam filtering
23188 @cindex spam filtering sequence of events
23190 You must read this section to understand how @code{spam.el} works.
23191 Do not skip, speed-read, or glance through this section.
23193 There are two @emph{contact points}, if you will, between
23194 @code{spam.el} and the rest of Gnus: checking new mail for spam, and
23197 Getting new mail in Gnus is done in one of two ways. You can either
23198 split your incoming mail or you can classify new articles as ham or
23199 spam when you enter the group.
23201 Splitting incoming mail is better suited to mail back ends such as
23202 @code{nnml} or @code{nnimap} where new mail appears in a single file
23203 called a @dfn{Spool File}. See @xref{Spam ELisp Package Filtering of
23206 @vindex gnus-spam-autodetect
23207 @vindex gnus-spam-autodetect-methods
23208 For back ends such as @code{nntp} there is no incoming mail spool, so
23209 an alternate mechanism must be used. This may also happen for
23210 back ends where the server is in charge of splitting incoming mail, and
23211 Gnus does not do further splitting. The @code{spam-autodetect} and
23212 @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameters (accessible with
23213 @kbd{G c} and @kbd{G p} as usual), and the corresponding variables
23214 @code{gnus-spam-autodetect} and @code{gnus-spam-autodetect-methods}
23215 (accessible with @kbd{M-x customize-variable} as usual) can help.
23217 When @code{spam-autodetect} is used (you can turn it on for a
23218 group/topic or wholesale by regular expression matches, as needed), it
23219 hooks into the process of entering a group. Thus, entering a group
23220 with unseen or unread articles becomes the substitute for checking
23221 incoming mail. Whether only unseen articles or all unread articles
23222 will be processed is determined by the
23223 @code{spam-autodetect-recheck-messages}. When set to @code{t}, unread
23224 messages will be rechecked. You should probably stick with the
23225 default of only checking unseen messages.
23227 @code{spam-autodetect} grants the user at once more and less control
23228 of spam filtering. The user will have more control over each group's
23229 spam methods, so for instance the @samp{ding} group may have
23230 @code{spam-use-BBDB} as the autodetection method, while the
23231 @samp{suspect} group may have the @code{spam-use-blacklist} and
23232 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} methods enabled. Every article detected to
23233 be spam will be marked with the spam mark @samp{$} and processed on
23234 exit from the group as normal spam. The user has less control over
23235 the @emph{sequence} of checks, as he might with @code{spam-split}.
23237 When the newly split mail goes into groups, or messages are
23238 autodetected to be ham or spam, those groups must be exited (after
23239 entering, if needed) for further spam processing to happen. It
23240 matters whether the group is considered a ham group, a spam group, or
23241 is unclassified, based on its @code{spam-content} parameter
23242 (@pxref{Spam ELisp Package Global Variables}). Spam groups have the
23243 additional characteristic that, when entered, any unseen or unread
23244 articles (depending on the @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam}
23245 variable) will be marked as spam. Thus, mail split into a spam group
23246 gets automatically marked as spam when you enter the group.
23248 Thus, when you exit a group, the @code{spam-processors} are applied,
23249 if any are set, and the processed mail is moved to the
23250 @code{ham-process-destination} or the @code{spam-process-destination}
23251 depending on the article's classification. If the
23252 @code{ham-process-destination} or the @code{spam-process-destination},
23253 whichever is appropriate, are @code{nil}, the article is left in the
23256 If a spam is found in any group (this can be changed to only non-spam
23257 groups with @code{spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only}), it is
23258 processed by the active @code{spam-processors} (@pxref{Spam ELisp
23259 Package Global Variables}) when the group is exited. Furthermore, the
23260 spam is moved to the @code{spam-process-destination} (@pxref{Spam
23261 ELisp Package Global Variables}) for further training or deletion.
23262 You have to load the @code{gnus-registry.el} package and enable the
23263 @code{spam-log-to-registry} variable if you want spam to be processed
23264 no more than once. Thus, spam is detected and processed everywhere,
23265 which is what most people want. If the
23266 @code{spam-process-destination} is @code{nil}, the spam is marked as
23267 expired, which is usually the right thing to do.
23269 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23270 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23272 If a ham mail is found in a ham group, as determined by the
23273 @code{ham-marks} parameter, it is processed as ham by the active ham
23274 @code{spam-processor} when the group is exited. With the variables
23275 @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} and
23276 @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} the behavior can be further
23277 altered so ham found anywhere can be processed. You have to load the
23278 @code{gnus-registry.el} package and enable the
23279 @code{spam-log-to-registry} variable if you want ham to be processed
23280 no more than once. Thus, ham is detected and processed only when
23281 necessary, which is what most people want. More on this in
23282 @xref{Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples}.
23284 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23285 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23287 If all this seems confusing, don't worry. Soon it will be as natural
23288 as typing Lisp one-liners on a neural interface@dots{} err, sorry, that's
23289 50 years in the future yet. Just trust us, it's not so bad.
23291 @node Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail
23292 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Filtering of Incoming Mail
23293 @cindex spam filtering
23294 @cindex spam filtering incoming mail
23297 To use the @code{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
23298 must add the following to your fancy split list
23299 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
23305 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
23306 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
23307 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
23309 Also, @code{spam-split} will not modify incoming mail in any way.
23311 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
23312 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
23313 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
23314 but you can customize @code{spam-split-group}. Make sure the contents
23315 of @code{spam-split-group} are an @emph{unqualified} group name, for
23316 instance in an @code{nnimap} server @samp{your-server} the value
23317 @samp{spam} will turn out to be @samp{nnimap+your-server:spam}. The
23318 value @samp{nnimap+server:spam}, therefore, is wrong and will
23319 actually give you the group
23320 @samp{nnimap+your-server:nnimap+server:spam} which may or may not
23321 work depending on your server's tolerance for strange group names.
23323 You can also give @code{spam-split} a parameter,
23324 e.g. @code{spam-use-regex-headers} or @code{"maybe-spam"}. Why is
23327 Take these split rules (with @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and
23328 @code{spam-use-blackholes} set):
23331 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
23332 (any "ding" "ding")
23334 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23338 Now, the problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the
23339 ding folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam
23340 detected by SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through,
23341 when it's sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to
23342 the ding list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the
23343 invocation of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
23345 You can let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, but all other
23346 @code{spam-split} rules (including a second invocation of the
23347 regex-headers check) will be after the ding rule:
23352 ;; @r{all spam detected by @code{spam-use-regex-headers} goes to @samp{regex-spam}}
23353 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
23354 (any "ding" "ding")
23355 ;; @r{all other spam detected by spam-split goes to @code{spam-split-group}}
23357 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23361 This lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks depending on
23362 your particular needs, and to target the results of those checks to a
23363 particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail into all the
23364 spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that messages to
23365 mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have resource-intensive
23366 blackhole checks performed on them. You could also specify different
23367 spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap split. Go crazy.
23369 You should still have specific checks such as
23370 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} set to @code{t}, even if you
23371 specifically invoke @code{spam-split} with the check. The reason is
23372 that when loading @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done
23373 depending on what @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set. This
23374 is usually not critical, though.
23376 @emph{Note for IMAP users}
23378 The boolean variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} needs to be
23379 set, if you want to split based on the whole message instead of just
23380 the headers. By default, the nnimap back end will only retrieve the
23381 message headers. If you use a @emph{statistical} filter,
23382 e.g. @code{spam-check-bogofilter}, @code{spam-check-ifile}, or
23383 @code{spam-check-stat} (the splitters that can benefit from the full
23384 message body), this variable will be set automatically. It is not set
23385 for non-statistical back ends by default because it will slow
23386 @acronym{IMAP} down.
23388 @xref{Splitting in IMAP}.
23390 @node Spam ELisp Package Global Variables
23391 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Global Variables
23392 @cindex spam filtering
23393 @cindex spam filtering variables
23394 @cindex spam variables
23397 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
23398 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
23399 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
23400 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
23401 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
23402 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
23403 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
23404 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
23405 will be detected later.
23407 The format of the spam or ham processor entry used to be a symbol,
23408 but now it is a @sc{cons} cell. See the individual spam processor entries
23409 for more information.
23411 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
23412 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
23413 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
23414 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
23415 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
23416 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
23417 by customizing the corresponding variable
23418 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
23419 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
23420 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
23421 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
23422 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
23423 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
23424 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
23427 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
23429 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
23430 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
23431 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
23432 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
23433 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
23434 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
23435 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
23436 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
23437 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
23438 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
23439 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
23440 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
23441 processor which will study them as spam samples.
23443 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
23444 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
23445 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
23446 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
23447 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
23448 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
23449 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
23450 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
23453 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
23454 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
23455 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks (the idea is
23456 that these articles have been read, but are not spam). It can be
23457 useful to also include the tick mark in the ham marks. It is not
23458 recommended to make the unread mark a ham mark, because it normally
23459 indicates a lack of classification. But you can do it, and we'll be
23464 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
23465 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
23466 the spam mark. It is not recommended to change that, but you can if
23467 you really want to.
23470 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
23471 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
23472 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
23473 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
23474 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
23475 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
23478 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
23479 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
23480 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
23481 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
23482 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
23483 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
23484 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
23485 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
23486 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with @kbd{M-x
23487 customize-variable @key{RET} gnus-ham-process-destinations}). Each
23488 group name list is a standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize
23489 the variable manually. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
23490 parameter is not set, ham articles are left in place. If the
23491 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
23492 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
23494 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23495 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23497 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
23498 expression! This enables you to send your ham to a regular mail
23499 group and to a @emph{ham training} group.
23501 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
23502 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
23504 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
23505 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
23506 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
23507 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
23508 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
23510 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
23511 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
23512 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
23513 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
23514 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
23517 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
23518 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
23519 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
23520 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
23521 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
23522 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
23523 customize this variable with @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET}
23524 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). Each group name list is a standard
23525 Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually. If the
23526 @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set, the spam
23527 articles are only expired. The group name is fully qualified, meaning
23528 that if you see @samp{nntp:servername} before the group name in the
23529 group buffer then you need it here as well.
23531 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
23532 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
23534 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
23535 expression! This enables you to send your spam to multiple @emph{spam
23538 @vindex spam-log-to-registry
23539 The problem with processing ham and spam is that Gnus doesn't track
23540 this processing by default. Enable the @code{spam-log-to-registry}
23541 variable so @code{spam.el} will use @code{gnus-registry.el} to track
23542 what articles have been processed, and avoid processing articles
23543 multiple times. Keep in mind that if you limit the number of registry
23544 entries, this won't work as well as it does without a limit.
23546 @vindex spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam
23547 Set this variable if you want only unseen articles in spam groups to
23548 be marked as spam. By default, it is set. If you set it to
23549 @code{nil}, unread articles will also be marked as spam.
23551 @vindex spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group
23552 Set this variable if you want ham to be unmarked before it is moved
23553 out of the spam group. This is very useful when you use something
23554 like the tick mark @samp{!} to mark ham---the article will be placed
23555 in your @code{ham-process-destination}, unmarked as if it came fresh
23556 from the mail server.
23558 @vindex spam-autodetect-recheck-messages
23559 When autodetecting spam, this variable tells @code{spam.el} whether
23560 only unseen articles or all unread articles should be checked for
23561 spam. It is recommended that you leave it off.
23563 @node Spam ELisp Package Sorting and Score Display in Summary Buffer
23564 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Sorting and Score Display in Summary Buffer
23565 @cindex spam scoring
23566 @cindex spam sorting
23567 @cindex spam score summary buffer
23568 @cindex spam sort summary buffer
23571 You can display the spam score of articles in your summary buffer, and
23572 you can sort articles by their spam score.
23574 First you need to decide which back end you will be using. If you use
23575 the @code{spam-use-spamassassin},
23576 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}, or @code{spam-use-regex-headers}
23577 back end, the @code{X-Spam-Status} header will be used. If you use
23578 @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, the @code{X-Bogosity} header will be used.
23579 If you use @code{spam-use-crm114}, any header that matches the CRM114
23580 score format will be used. As long as you set the appropriate back end
23581 variable to t @emph{before} you load @file{spam.el}, you will be
23582 fine. @code{spam.el} will automatically add the right header to the
23583 internal Gnus list of required headers.
23585 To show the spam score in your summary buffer, add this line to your
23586 @code{gnus.el} file (note @code{spam.el} does not do that by default
23587 so it won't override any existing @code{S} formats you may have).
23590 (defalias 'gnus-user-format-function-S 'spam-user-format-function-S)
23593 Now just set your summary line format to use @code{%uS}. Here's an
23594 example that formats the spam score in a 5-character field:
23597 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
23598 "%U%R %10&user-date; $%5uS %6k %B %(%4L: %*%-25,25a%) %s \n")
23601 Finally, to sort by spam status, either do it globally:
23605 gnus-show-threads nil
23606 gnus-article-sort-functions
23607 '(spam-article-sort-by-spam-status))
23610 or per group (@pxref{Sorting the Summary Buffer}).
23612 @node Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples
23613 @subsubsection Spam ELisp Package Configuration Examples
23614 @cindex spam filtering
23615 @cindex spam filtering configuration examples
23616 @cindex spam configuration examples
23619 @subsubheading Ted's setup
23621 From Ted Zlatanov <tzz@@lifelogs.com>.
23623 ;; @r{for @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent} and spam autodetection}
23624 ;; @r{see @file{gnus-registry.el} for more information}
23625 (gnus-registry-initialize)
23628 ;; @r{I like @kbd{C-s} for marking spam}
23629 (define-key gnus-summary-mode-map "\C-s" 'gnus-summary-mark-as-spam)
23632 spam-log-to-registry t ; @r{for spam autodetection}
23634 spam-use-regex-headers t ; @r{catch X-Spam-Flag (SpamAssassin)}
23635 ;; @r{all groups with @samp{spam} in the name contain spam}
23636 gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
23637 '(("spam" gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
23638 ;; @r{see documentation for these}
23639 spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only nil
23640 spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam t
23641 spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group t
23642 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
23643 ;; @r{understand what this does before you copy it to your own setup!}
23644 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
23645 ;; @r{trace references to parents and put in their group}
23646 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
23647 ;; @r{this will catch server-side SpamAssassin tags}
23648 (: spam-split 'spam-use-regex-headers)
23649 (any "ding" "ding")
23650 ;; @r{note that spam by default will go to @samp{spam}}
23652 ;; @r{default mailbox}
23655 ;; @r{my parameters, set with @kbd{G p}}
23657 ;; @r{all nnml groups, and all nnimap groups except}
23658 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} and}
23659 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam}: any spam goes to nnimap training,}
23660 ;; @r{because it must have been detected manually}
23662 ((spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
23664 ;; @r{all @acronym{NNTP} groups}
23665 ;; @r{autodetect spam with the blacklist and ham with the BBDB}
23666 ((spam-autodetect-methods spam-use-blacklist spam-use-BBDB)
23667 ;; @r{send all spam to the training group}
23668 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
23670 ;; @r{only some @acronym{NNTP} groups, where I want to autodetect spam}
23671 ((spam-autodetect . t))
23673 ;; @r{my nnimap @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam} group}
23675 ;; @r{this is a spam group}
23676 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam)
23678 ;; @r{any spam (which happens when I enter for all unseen messages,}
23679 ;; @r{because of the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} setting above), goes to}
23680 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} unless I mark it as ham}
23682 (spam-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train")
23684 ;; @r{any ham goes to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail} folder, but}
23685 ;; @r{also to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham} folder for training}
23687 (ham-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail"
23688 "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham")
23689 ;; @r{in this group, only @samp{!} marks are ham}
23691 (gnus-ticked-mark))
23692 ;; @r{remembers senders in the blacklist on the way out---this is}
23693 ;; @r{definitely not needed, it just makes me feel better}
23694 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist)))
23696 ;; @r{Later, on the @acronym{IMAP} server I use the @samp{train} group for training}
23697 ;; @r{SpamAssassin to recognize spam, and the @samp{trainham} group fora}
23698 ;; @r{recognizing ham---but Gnus has nothing to do with it.}
23702 @subsubheading Using @code{spam.el} on an IMAP server with a statistical filter on the server
23703 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
23705 My provider has set up bogofilter (in combination with @acronym{DCC}) on
23706 the mail server (@acronym{IMAP}). Recognized spam goes to
23707 @samp{spam.detected}, the rest goes through the normal filter rules,
23708 i.e. to @samp{some.folder} or to @samp{INBOX}. Training on false
23709 positives or negatives is done by copying or moving the article to
23710 @samp{training.ham} or @samp{training.spam} respectively. A cron job on
23711 the server feeds those to bogofilter with the suitable ham or spam
23712 options and deletes them from the @samp{training.ham} and
23713 @samp{training.spam} folders.
23715 With the following entries in @code{gnus-parameters}, @code{spam.el}
23716 does most of the job for me:
23719 ("nnimap:spam\\.detected"
23720 (gnus-article-sort-functions '(gnus-article-sort-by-chars))
23721 (ham-process-destination "nnimap:INBOX" "nnimap:training.ham")
23722 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
23723 ("nnimap:\\(INBOX\\|other-folders\\)"
23724 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap:training.spam")
23725 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham))
23730 @item @b{The Spam folder:}
23732 In the folder @samp{spam.detected}, I have to check for false positives
23733 (i.e. legitimate mails, that were wrongly judged as spam by
23734 bogofilter or DCC).
23736 Because of the @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam} entry, all
23737 messages are marked as spam (with @code{$}). When I find a false
23738 positive, I mark the message with some other ham mark (@code{ham-marks},
23739 @ref{Spam ELisp Package Global Variables}). On group exit, those
23740 messages are copied to both groups, @samp{INBOX} (where I want to have
23741 the article) and @samp{training.ham} (for training bogofilter) and
23742 deleted from the @samp{spam.detected} folder.
23744 The @code{gnus-article-sort-by-chars} entry simplifies detection of
23745 false positives for me. I receive lots of worms (sweN, @dots{}), that all
23746 have a similar size. Grouping them by size (i.e. chars) makes finding
23747 other false positives easier. (Of course worms aren't @i{spam}
23748 (@acronym{UCE}, @acronym{UBE}) strictly speaking. Anyhow, bogofilter is
23749 an excellent tool for filtering those unwanted mails for me.)
23751 @item @b{Ham folders:}
23753 In my ham folders, I just hit @kbd{S x}
23754 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) whenever I see an unrecognized spam
23755 mail (false negative). On group exit, those messages are moved to
23756 @samp{training.spam}.
23759 @subsubheading Reporting spam articles in Gmane groups with @code{spam-report.el}
23761 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
23763 With following entry in @code{gnus-parameters}, @kbd{S x}
23764 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) marks articles in @code{gmane.*}
23765 groups as spam and reports the to Gmane at group exit:
23769 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane)))
23772 Additionally, I use @code{(setq spam-report-gmane-use-article-number nil)}
23773 because I don't read the groups directly from news.gmane.org, but
23774 through my local news server (leafnode). I.e. the article numbers are
23775 not the same as on news.gmane.org, thus @code{spam-report.el} has to check
23776 the @code{X-Report-Spam} header to find the correct number.
23778 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
23779 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
23780 @cindex spam filtering
23781 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
23782 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
23785 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
23787 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
23788 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
23789 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
23790 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
23795 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
23797 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
23798 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
23799 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
23800 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
23801 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
23805 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
23807 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
23808 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
23809 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
23813 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
23815 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23816 customizing the group parameters or the
23817 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23818 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23819 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
23823 Instead of the obsolete
23824 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist}, it is recommended
23825 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-blacklist)}. Everything will work
23826 the same way, we promise.
23830 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
23832 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23833 customizing the group parameters or the
23834 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23835 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23836 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
23841 Instead of the obsolete
23842 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist}, it is recommended
23843 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-whitelist)}. Everything will work
23844 the same way, we promise.
23848 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
23849 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
23850 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
23851 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
23852 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
23854 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
23855 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
23856 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
23857 Emacs regular expression syntax.
23859 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
23860 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
23861 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
23862 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
23863 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
23864 @file{blacklist} respectively.
23866 @node BBDB Whitelists
23867 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
23868 @cindex spam filtering
23869 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
23870 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
23873 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
23875 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
23876 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
23877 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
23878 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
23879 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
23880 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
23881 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
23885 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
23887 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
23888 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
23889 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
23890 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
23891 classified as spammers.
23893 While @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} @emph{can} be used as an alias
23894 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} as far as @code{spam.el} is concerned, it is
23895 @emph{not} a separate back end. If you set
23896 @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} to t, @emph{all} your BBDB splitting
23901 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
23903 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23904 customizing the group parameters or the
23905 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23906 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
23907 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
23912 Instead of the obsolete
23913 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB}, it is recommended
23914 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-BBDB)}. Everything will work
23915 the same way, we promise.
23919 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
23920 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
23921 @cindex spam reporting
23922 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
23923 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
23926 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
23928 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
23929 customizing the group parameters or the
23930 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
23931 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
23932 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
23935 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
23939 Instead of the obsolete
23940 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane}, it is recommended
23941 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-gmane)}. Everything will work the
23942 same way, we promise.
23946 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
23948 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
23949 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
23950 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
23951 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
23952 @code{spam-report.el} will use the @code{X-Report-Spam} header that
23957 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
23958 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
23959 @cindex spam filtering
23960 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
23963 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
23965 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
23966 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
23967 instead of the sender address. Messages without a hashcash payment
23968 token will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an explicit
23969 filter, meaning that unless a hashcash token is found, the messages
23970 are not assumed to be spam or ham.
23975 @subsubsection Blackholes
23976 @cindex spam filtering
23977 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
23980 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
23982 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
23983 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
23984 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
23985 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
23986 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
23987 contains outdated servers.
23989 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
23990 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
23991 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
23992 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
23993 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
23994 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
23998 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
24000 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
24004 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
24006 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
24007 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
24011 @defvar spam-use-dig
24013 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
24014 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
24018 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
24019 ham processor for blackholes.
24021 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
24022 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
24023 @cindex spam filtering
24024 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
24027 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
24029 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
24030 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
24031 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
24032 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
24033 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
24034 message is spam or ham, respectively.
24038 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
24040 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
24041 the message, positively identify it as spam.
24045 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
24047 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
24048 the message, positively identify it as ham.
24052 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
24053 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
24056 @subsubsection Bogofilter
24057 @cindex spam filtering
24058 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
24061 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
24063 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
24066 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
24067 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
24068 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
24069 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
24070 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
24071 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
24073 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
24074 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
24077 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
24078 processing will be turned off.
24080 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
24084 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
24086 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
24087 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
24088 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
24089 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
24090 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
24091 installation documents for details.
24093 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
24097 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
24098 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24099 customizing the group parameters or the
24100 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24101 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
24102 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
24106 Instead of the obsolete
24107 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
24108 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
24109 the same way, we promise.
24112 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
24113 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24114 customizing the group parameters or the
24115 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24116 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
24117 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
24118 of non-spam messages.
24122 Instead of the obsolete
24123 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
24124 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
24125 the same way, we promise.
24128 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
24130 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
24131 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
24132 database directory.
24136 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
24137 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
24138 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
24139 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
24140 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
24141 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
24143 @node SpamAssassin back end
24144 @subsubsection SpamAssassin back end
24145 @cindex spam filtering
24146 @cindex spamassassin, spam filtering
24149 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin
24151 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use SpamAssassin.
24153 SpamAssassin assigns a score to each article based on a set of rules
24154 and tests, including a Bayesian filter. The Bayesian filter can be
24155 trained by associating the @samp{$} mark for spam articles. The
24156 spam score can be viewed by using the command @kbd{S t} in summary
24159 If you set this variable, each article will be processed by
24160 SpamAssassin when @code{spam-split} is called. If your mail is
24161 preprocessed by SpamAssassin, and you want to just use the
24162 SpamAssassin headers, set @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}
24165 You should not enable this is you use
24166 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}.
24170 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin-headers
24172 Set this variable if your mail is preprocessed by SpamAssassin and
24173 want @code{spam-split} to split based on the SpamAssassin headers.
24175 You should not enable this is you use @code{spam-use-spamassassin}.
24179 @defvar spam-spamassassin-path
24181 This variable points to the SpamAssassin executable. If you have
24182 @code{spamd} running, you can set this variable to the @code{spamc}
24183 executable for faster processing. See the SpamAssassin documentation
24184 for more information on @code{spamd}/@code{spamc}.
24188 SpamAssassin is a powerful and flexible spam filter that uses a wide
24189 variety of tests to identify spam. A ham and a spam processors are
24190 provided, plus the @code{spam-use-spamassassin} and
24191 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers} variables to indicate to
24192 spam-split that SpamAssassin should be either used, or has already
24193 been used on the article. The 2.63 version of SpamAssassin was used
24194 to test this functionality.
24196 @node ifile spam filtering
24197 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
24198 @cindex spam filtering
24199 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
24202 @defvar spam-use-ifile
24204 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
24205 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
24209 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
24211 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
24212 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
24213 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
24217 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
24219 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
24220 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
24221 the default value of @samp{spam}.
24224 @defvar spam-ifile-database-path
24226 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
24227 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
24231 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
24232 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
24233 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
24234 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
24237 @node spam-stat spam filtering
24238 @subsubsection spam-stat spam filtering
24239 @cindex spam filtering
24240 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
24244 @xref{Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat}.
24246 @defvar spam-use-stat
24248 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use
24249 spam-stat.el, an Emacs Lisp statistical analyzer.
24253 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
24254 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24255 customizing the group parameters or the
24256 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24257 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
24258 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
24262 Instead of the obsolete
24263 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
24264 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
24265 the same way, we promise.
24268 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
24269 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24270 customizing the group parameters or the
24271 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24272 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
24273 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
24274 of non-spam messages.
24278 Instead of the obsolete
24279 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
24280 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
24281 the same way, we promise.
24284 This enables @code{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
24285 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
24286 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
24287 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
24288 @code{spam-split} are provided.
24291 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
24292 @cindex spam filtering
24296 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
24297 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
24298 installed separately.
24300 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
24301 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
24302 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
24303 mail as a spam mail or not.
24305 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
24306 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
24307 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
24309 The easiest method is to make @code{spam.el} (@pxref{Filtering Spam
24310 Using The Spam ELisp Package}) call SpamOracle.
24312 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
24313 To enable SpamOracle usage by @code{spam.el}, set the variable
24314 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
24315 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy} as described in
24316 the section @xref{Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package}. In
24317 this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is filtered using
24318 SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be moved to
24319 @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham messages stay
24323 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
24324 spam-split-group "Junk"
24325 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
24326 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
24327 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
24330 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
24331 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
24335 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
24336 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
24337 user's PATH. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
24341 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
24342 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
24343 store its analyses. This is controlled by the variable
24344 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
24345 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
24346 database to live somewhere special, set
24347 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
24350 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
24351 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
24352 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns the
24353 characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
24354 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
24355 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary buffer
24356 and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using @code{spam.el}'s
24357 spam- and ham-processors, which is much more convenient. For a
24358 detailed description of spam- and ham-processors, @xref{Filtering Spam
24359 Using The Spam ELisp Package}.
24361 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
24362 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24363 customizing the group parameter or the
24364 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
24365 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
24366 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
24370 Instead of the obsolete
24371 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
24372 that you use @code{'(spam spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
24373 the same way, we promise.
24376 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
24377 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24378 customizing the group parameter or the
24379 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
24380 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
24381 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
24386 Instead of the obsolete
24387 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
24388 that you use @code{'(ham spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
24389 the same way, we promise.
24392 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of a group that has been
24393 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
24396 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
24397 (spam-process ((ham spam-use-spamoracle)
24398 (spam spam-use-spamoracle))))
24400 For this group the @code{spam-use-spamoracle} is installed for both
24401 ham and spam processing. If the group contains spam message
24402 (e.g. because SpamOracle has not had enough sample messages yet) and
24403 the user marks some messages as spam messages, these messages will be
24404 processed by SpamOracle. The processor sends the messages to
24405 SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
24407 @node Extending the Spam ELisp package
24408 @subsubsection Extending the Spam ELisp package
24409 @cindex spam filtering
24410 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
24411 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
24413 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
24414 incoming mail, provide the following:
24422 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
24423 "True if blackbox should be used.")
24426 Write @code{spam-check-blackbox} if Blackbox can check incoming mail.
24428 Write @code{spam-blackbox-register-routine} and
24429 @code{spam-blackbox-unregister-routine} using the bogofilter
24430 register/unregister routines as a start, or other restister/unregister
24431 routines more appropriate to Blackbox, if Blackbox can
24432 register/unregister spam and ham.
24437 The @code{spam-check-blackbox} function should return @samp{nil} or
24438 @code{spam-split-group}, observing the other conventions. See the
24439 existing @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can
24440 do, and stick to the template unless you fully understand the reasons
24445 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
24452 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
24453 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
24455 Also, ham and spam processors are being phased out as single
24456 variables. Instead the form @code{'(spam spam-use-blackbox)} or
24457 @code{'(ham spam-use-blackbox)} is favored. For now, spam/ham
24458 processor variables are still around but they won't be for long.
24461 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-spam"
24462 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
24463 Only applicable to spam groups.")
24465 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-ham"
24466 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
24467 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
24476 (const :tag "Spam: Blackbox" (spam spam-use-blackbox))
24477 (const :tag "Ham: Blackbox" (ham spam-use-blackbox))
24479 to the @code{spam-process} group parameter in @code{gnus.el}. Make
24480 sure you do it twice, once for the parameter and once for the
24481 variable customization.
24485 (variable-item spam-use-blackbox)
24487 to the @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameter in
24488 @code{gnus.el} if Blackbox can check incoming mail for spam contents.
24490 Finally, use the appropriate @code{spam-install-*-backend} function in
24491 @code{spam.el}. Here are the available functions.
24497 @code{spam-install-backend-alias}
24499 This function will simply install an alias for a back end that does
24500 everything like the original back end. It is currently only used to
24501 make @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} act like @code{spam-use-BBDB}.
24504 @code{spam-install-nocheck-backend}
24506 This function installs a back end that has no check function, but can
24507 register/unregister ham or spam. The @code{spam-use-gmane} back end is
24511 @code{spam-install-checkonly-backend}
24513 This function will install a back end that can only check incoming mail
24514 for spam contents. It can't register or unregister messages.
24515 @code{spam-use-blackholes} and @code{spam-use-hashcash} are such
24519 @code{spam-install-statistical-checkonly-backend}
24521 This function installs a statistical back end (one which requires the
24522 full body of a message to check it) that can only check incoming mail
24523 for contents. @code{spam-use-regex-body} is such a filter.
24526 @code{spam-install-statistical-backend}
24528 This function install a statistical back end with incoming checks and
24529 registration/unregistration routines. @code{spam-use-bogofilter} is
24533 @code{spam-install-backend}
24535 This is the most normal back end installation, where a back end that can
24536 check and register/unregister messages is set up without statistical
24537 abilities. The @code{spam-use-BBDB} is such a back end.
24540 @code{spam-install-mover-backend}
24542 Mover back ends are internal to @code{spam.el} and specifically move
24543 articles around when the summary is exited. You will very probably
24544 never install such a back end.
24550 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
24551 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
24552 @cindex Paul Graham
24553 @cindex Graham, Paul
24554 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
24555 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
24556 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
24558 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
24559 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
24560 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
24561 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
24562 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
24563 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
24564 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
24565 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
24566 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
24569 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
24570 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
24571 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
24572 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
24573 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
24574 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
24575 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
24576 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
24578 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
24579 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
24580 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
24581 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
24582 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
24585 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
24586 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
24587 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
24590 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
24591 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
24593 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
24594 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
24595 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
24596 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
24597 need several hundred emails in both collections.
24599 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
24600 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
24601 per mail. Use the following:
24603 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
24604 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
24605 is treated as one spam mail.
24608 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
24609 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
24610 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
24613 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
24614 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
24615 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
24616 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
24617 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
24618 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
24620 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
24621 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
24622 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
24623 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
24624 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
24627 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
24628 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
24629 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
24630 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
24633 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
24634 reset the dictionary.
24636 @defun spam-stat-reset
24637 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
24640 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
24641 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
24642 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
24643 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
24644 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
24645 only non-spam mails.
24647 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
24648 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
24649 to update the dictionary incrementally.
24652 @defun spam-stat-save
24653 Save the dictionary.
24656 @defvar spam-stat-file
24657 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
24658 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
24661 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
24662 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
24664 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
24665 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
24668 (require 'spam-stat)
24672 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
24675 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
24676 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
24677 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
24678 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
24680 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
24681 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
24682 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
24683 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
24686 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24687 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24691 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
24692 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
24695 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
24696 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
24697 expression are considered potential spam.
24700 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24701 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24702 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24706 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
24707 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
24708 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
24709 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
24710 mails, when creating the dictionary!
24713 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24714 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24715 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24719 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
24720 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
24721 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
24722 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
24723 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
24727 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
24728 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
24729 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
24730 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
24735 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
24736 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
24738 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
24740 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
24741 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
24742 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
24745 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
24746 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
24747 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
24750 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
24751 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
24752 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
24753 already been processed as non-spam.
24756 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
24757 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
24758 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
24759 been processed as spam.
24762 @defun spam-stat-save
24763 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
24764 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
24767 @defun spam-stat-load
24768 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
24769 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
24772 @defun spam-stat-score-word
24773 Return the spam score for a word.
24776 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
24777 Return the spam score for a buffer.
24780 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
24781 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
24782 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
24785 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
24786 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
24789 (require 'spam-stat)
24793 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
24796 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
24797 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24798 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24799 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24800 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
24801 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
24802 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24803 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24804 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
24805 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24806 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
24807 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
24808 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24809 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24812 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
24815 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
24816 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
24817 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
24818 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
24819 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
24820 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
24824 @section Interaction with other modes
24829 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} provided some useful functions for dired
24830 buffers. It is enabled with
24832 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
24837 @findex gnus-dired-attach
24838 Send dired's marked files as an attachment (@code{gnus-dired-attach}).
24839 You will be prompted for a message buffer.
24842 @findex gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap
24843 Visit a file according to the appropriate mailcap entry
24844 (@code{gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap}). With prefix, open file in a new
24848 @findex gnus-dired-print
24849 Print file according to the mailcap entry (@code{gnus-dired-print}). If
24850 there is no print command, print in a PostScript image.
24853 @node Various Various
24854 @section Various Various
24860 @item gnus-home-directory
24861 @vindex gnus-home-directory
24862 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
24863 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
24865 @item gnus-directory
24866 @vindex gnus-directory
24867 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
24868 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
24869 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
24871 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{~/.gnus.el} file is read.
24872 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
24873 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
24874 @file{~/.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
24876 @item gnus-default-directory
24877 @vindex gnus-default-directory
24878 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
24879 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
24880 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
24881 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
24882 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
24883 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
24886 @vindex gnus-verbose
24887 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
24888 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
24889 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
24890 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
24891 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
24893 @item gnus-verbose-backends
24894 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
24895 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
24896 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
24898 @item nnheader-max-head-length
24899 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
24900 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
24901 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
24902 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
24903 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
24904 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
24905 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
24906 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
24907 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
24909 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
24910 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
24911 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
24912 read when doing the operation described above.
24914 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24915 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24917 @cindex invalid characters in file names
24918 @cindex characters in file names
24919 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
24920 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
24921 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
24925 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
24930 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
24931 Windows (phooey) systems.
24933 @item gnus-hidden-properties
24934 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
24935 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
24936 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
24937 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
24939 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
24940 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
24941 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
24942 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
24943 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
24945 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
24946 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
24947 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
24949 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
24950 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
24952 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
24953 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
24954 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
24955 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
24958 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
24966 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
24967 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
24969 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
24971 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
24977 Not because of victories @*
24980 but for the common sunshine,@*
24982 the largess of the spring.
24986 but for the day's work done@*
24987 as well as I was able;@*
24988 not for a seat upon the dais@*
24989 but at the common table.@*
24994 @chapter Appendices
24997 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
24998 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
24999 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
25000 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
25001 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
25002 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
25003 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
25004 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
25005 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
25012 @cindex installing under XEmacs
25014 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
25015 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
25016 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{mail-lib}, @samp{xemacs-base},
25017 @samp{eterm}, @samp{sh-script}, @samp{net-utils}, @samp{os-utils},
25018 @samp{dired}, @samp{mh-e}, @samp{sieve}, @samp{ps-print}, @samp{w3},
25019 @samp{pgg}, @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{ecrypto}, and @samp{sasl}.
25026 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
25027 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
25029 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
25030 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
25031 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
25032 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
25033 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
25035 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
25036 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
25037 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
25038 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
25039 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
25040 appropriate name, don't you think?)
25042 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
25043 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
25044 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
25045 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
25048 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
25049 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
25050 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
25051 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
25052 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
25053 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
25054 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
25055 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
25056 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
25060 @node Gnus Versions
25061 @subsection Gnus Versions
25063 @cindex September Gnus
25065 @cindex Quassia Gnus
25066 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
25069 @cindex Gnus versions
25071 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
25072 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
25073 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
25075 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
25076 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
25078 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
25079 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
25081 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
25082 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
25084 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
25085 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
25088 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
25090 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
25091 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
25092 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
25093 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
25094 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
25095 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
25098 @node Other Gnus Versions
25099 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
25102 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
25103 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
25104 Japan. It's based on a library called @acronym{SEMI}, which provides
25105 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
25107 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
25108 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
25109 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
25110 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
25117 What's the point of Gnus?
25119 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
25120 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
25121 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
25122 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
25123 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
25124 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
25125 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
25126 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
25127 keep track of millions of people who post?
25129 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
25130 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
25131 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
25132 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
25133 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
25134 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
25135 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
25136 every one of you to explore and invent.
25138 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
25139 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
25142 @node Compatibility
25143 @subsection Compatibility
25145 @cindex compatibility
25146 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
25147 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
25148 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
25153 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
25157 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
25160 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
25163 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
25164 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
25165 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
25166 important variables have their values copied into their global
25167 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
25168 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
25170 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
25171 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
25172 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
25173 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
25174 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
25178 @cindex highlighting
25179 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
25180 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
25181 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
25182 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
25183 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
25184 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
25187 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
25188 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
25189 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
25190 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
25192 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
25193 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
25194 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
25195 to stop doing it the old way.
25197 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
25199 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
25201 @cindex reporting bugs
25203 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
25204 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
25205 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
25207 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
25208 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
25209 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
25210 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
25215 @subsection Conformity
25217 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
25218 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
25226 There are no known breaches of this standard.
25230 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
25232 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
25233 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
25234 We do have some breaches to this one.
25240 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
25241 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
25242 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
25243 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
25244 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
25249 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
25250 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
25251 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
25252 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
25254 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
25255 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
25256 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
25258 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
25259 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
25261 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
25264 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
25265 published as an informational RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
25266 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
25267 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
25268 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
25271 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
25272 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
25273 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
25274 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
25276 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
25277 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
25279 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
25280 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
25281 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
25282 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
25283 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
25284 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
25285 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
25286 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
25290 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
25291 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
25296 @subsection Emacsen
25302 Gnus should work on:
25310 XEmacs 21.4 and up.
25314 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
25315 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
25318 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
25319 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
25320 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
25324 @node Gnus Development
25325 @subsection Gnus Development
25327 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
25328 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
25329 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
25330 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
25331 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
25332 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
25333 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
25334 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
25336 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
25337 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
25338 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
25339 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
25340 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
25343 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
25344 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
25345 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
25346 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
25347 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
25349 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
25350 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
25351 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
25352 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
25353 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
25354 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
25355 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
25356 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
25357 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
25358 can't be assumed to do so.
25363 @subsection Contributors
25364 @cindex contributors
25366 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
25367 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
25368 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
25369 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
25370 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
25371 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
25372 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
25373 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
25374 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
25375 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
25377 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
25383 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
25386 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
25387 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
25388 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
25389 functionality and stuff.
25392 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
25393 well as numerous other things).
25396 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
25399 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
25402 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
25405 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
25408 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
25409 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
25412 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
25415 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section.
25418 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
25421 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
25424 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
25427 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
25430 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
25431 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
25434 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
25437 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
25440 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
25443 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
25447 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
25450 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
25453 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
25456 Fran@,{c}ois Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
25457 well as autoconf support.
25461 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
25462 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
25464 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
25479 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
25481 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
25485 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
25495 Alexei V. Barantsev,
25510 Massimo Campostrini,
25515 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
25516 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
25520 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
25523 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
25529 Michael Welsh Duggan,
25534 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
25538 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
25546 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
25548 Michelangelo Grigni,
25552 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
25554 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
25556 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
25563 Fran@,{c}ois Felix Ingrand,
25564 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
25565 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
25567 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
25577 Peter Skov Knudsen,
25578 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
25580 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
25581 Thor Kristoffersen,
25584 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
25602 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
25603 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
25610 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
25615 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
25619 John McClary Prevost,
25625 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
25630 Christian von Roques,
25633 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
25640 Philippe Schnoebelen,
25642 Randal L. Schwartz,
25656 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
25661 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
25681 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
25682 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
25683 (550kB and counting).
25685 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
25688 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
25689 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
25693 @subsection New Features
25694 @cindex new features
25697 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
25698 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
25699 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
25700 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
25701 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
25702 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
25703 * No Gnus:: Lars, FIXME!
25706 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
25707 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
25708 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
25711 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
25713 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
25718 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
25719 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
25722 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
25723 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
25726 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
25729 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
25730 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
25731 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
25734 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
25735 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
25736 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
25737 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
25740 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
25741 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25744 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
25745 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
25746 (@pxref{The Active File}).
25749 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
25750 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
25753 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
25754 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
25755 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
25758 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
25759 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
25760 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
25763 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
25764 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
25767 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
25768 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
25771 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
25772 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
25775 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
25776 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25779 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
25780 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
25783 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
25784 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
25787 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
25790 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
25791 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
25794 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
25795 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
25798 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
25799 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
25802 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
25805 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
25806 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
25809 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
25813 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
25817 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
25818 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
25821 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
25827 @node September Gnus
25828 @subsubsection September Gnus
25832 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
25836 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
25841 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
25842 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
25846 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
25847 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
25851 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
25855 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
25856 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
25859 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
25863 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions.
25866 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
25869 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
25872 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
25876 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
25877 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
25880 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
25884 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
25888 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
25892 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
25896 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
25899 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
25900 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
25903 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
25907 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
25908 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
25911 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
25914 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
25915 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
25916 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
25919 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
25923 The Gnus cache is much faster.
25926 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
25930 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
25931 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
25934 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
25935 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
25938 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
25939 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
25942 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
25943 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
25944 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
25947 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
25948 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
25951 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
25954 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
25957 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
25960 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
25963 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
25964 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
25967 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
25971 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
25974 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
25979 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
25982 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
25986 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
25989 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
25993 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
25996 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
25999 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
26000 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
26003 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
26004 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
26008 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
26009 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
26012 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
26016 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
26017 buffer to allow easier treatment.
26020 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
26023 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
26027 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
26031 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
26032 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
26035 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
26039 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
26040 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
26043 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
26044 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
26047 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
26051 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
26054 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
26057 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
26063 @subsubsection Red Gnus
26065 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
26069 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
26076 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
26079 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
26080 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
26083 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
26084 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
26088 Article washing status can be displayed in the
26089 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
26092 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
26095 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
26096 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
26099 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
26103 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
26104 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
26108 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
26109 Server Internals}).
26112 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
26116 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
26119 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
26120 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
26123 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
26124 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
26125 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
26128 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
26129 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
26132 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
26133 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
26136 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
26140 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
26141 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
26144 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
26145 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
26148 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
26152 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
26155 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
26159 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
26160 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
26163 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
26164 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
26167 A new command for reading collections of documents
26168 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
26169 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
26172 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
26176 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
26177 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
26180 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
26181 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
26182 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
26185 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
26186 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
26190 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
26194 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
26198 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
26203 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
26207 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
26211 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
26212 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
26215 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
26221 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
26223 New features in Gnus 5.6:
26228 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
26229 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
26230 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
26233 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
26234 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
26235 group, which is created automatically.
26238 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
26242 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
26245 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
26246 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
26249 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
26253 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
26256 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
26257 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
26260 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
26263 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
26267 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
26268 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
26271 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
26272 control over simplification.
26275 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
26278 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
26282 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
26285 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
26288 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
26289 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
26290 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
26293 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
26294 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
26297 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
26301 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
26302 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
26305 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
26306 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
26309 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
26313 A history of where mails have been split is available.
26316 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
26319 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
26320 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
26323 A new function for citing in Message has been
26324 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
26327 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
26330 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
26334 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
26335 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
26338 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
26339 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
26342 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
26345 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
26349 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
26350 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
26352 New features in Gnus 5.8:
26357 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
26358 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
26360 If you used procmail like in
26363 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
26364 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
26365 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
26366 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
26369 this now has changed to
26373 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
26377 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
26380 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
26381 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
26384 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
26385 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
26388 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
26389 called to position point.
26392 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
26393 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
26396 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
26397 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
26400 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
26401 subtly different manner.
26404 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
26405 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
26406 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
26409 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
26414 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
26417 New features in Gnus 5.10:
26422 @kbd{F} (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}) and @kbd{R}
26423 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}) only yank the text in the
26424 region if the region is active.
26427 @code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group} can be called interactively,
26431 In draft groups, @kbd{e} is now bound to @code{gnus-draft-edit-message}.
26432 Use @kbd{B w} for @code{gnus-summary-edit-article} instead.
26435 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
26436 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
26439 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
26441 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
26442 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
26443 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
26444 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
26445 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
26446 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
26447 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
26448 isn't save in general.
26453 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
26454 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
26455 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
26456 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
26461 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} (see @ref{Other modes}) installs key
26462 bindings in dired buffers to send a file as an attachment, open a file
26463 using the appropriate mailcap entry, and print a file using the mailcap
26467 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
26470 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
26475 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
26476 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
26478 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
26479 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
26483 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
26484 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
26487 Retrieval of charters and control messages
26489 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
26490 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
26495 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
26496 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
26497 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
26500 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
26501 decompressed when activated.
26504 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
26505 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
26508 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
26511 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
26512 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
26515 Warn about email replies to news
26517 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
26518 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
26522 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
26523 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
26527 The new @code{recent} mark @samp{.} indicates newly arrived messages (as
26528 opposed to old but unread messages).
26531 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
26532 Gcc articles as read.
26535 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
26538 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
26539 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
26542 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
26543 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
26546 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
26547 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
26550 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
26551 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
26554 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
26556 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
26557 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS. The old
26558 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} support via (external third party)
26559 @file{ssl.el} and OpenSSL still works.
26562 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
26564 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
26565 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
26566 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, iff you want
26567 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
26568 the second parameter.
26570 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
26571 automatic recognition of XEmacs and GNU Emacs, generates
26572 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
26573 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
26574 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
26575 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
26576 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
26577 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
26578 cycle used under Unix systems.
26580 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} superfluous, so it has
26584 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
26586 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
26587 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
26588 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
26589 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
26590 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
26594 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
26596 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
26597 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
26598 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
26599 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
26603 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
26605 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
26606 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
26607 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
26608 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
26610 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
26611 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
26612 message cited below.
26615 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
26618 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
26620 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
26621 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
26622 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
26623 variable in @file{~/.emacs} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
26624 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
26627 (setq gnus-parameters
26629 (gnus-show-threads nil)
26630 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
26631 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
26632 (to-group . "\\1"))))
26636 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now iconized for Emacs too.
26638 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.emacs} to
26642 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
26644 Earlier it was generated iff the user configurable email address was
26645 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
26646 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
26647 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
26648 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
26649 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
26650 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
26651 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
26652 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
26655 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
26657 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
26658 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
26659 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
26660 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
26661 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
26662 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
26665 References and X-Draft-Headers are no longer generated when you start
26666 composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
26670 Improved anti-spam features.
26672 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
26673 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
26674 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
26675 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
26676 are also new. @xref{Thwarting Email Spam}.
26679 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers.
26682 Face headers handling.
26685 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
26686 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
26689 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
26692 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
26694 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
26695 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
26696 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
26697 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
26698 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
26699 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
26700 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
26701 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
26702 when getting new mail, remove the function.
26705 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
26707 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
26708 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
26709 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
26710 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
26711 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
26712 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
26713 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
26714 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
26715 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
26716 was inserted directly.
26719 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
26721 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
26722 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
26728 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
26729 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
26730 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
26731 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
26732 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
26733 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
26734 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
26735 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
26736 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
26737 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
26738 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
26739 behavior of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
26740 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
26741 is not needed any more.
26744 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
26746 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
26747 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
26748 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
26749 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
26750 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
26754 @file{deuglify.el} (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article})
26756 A new file from Raymond Scholz @email{rscholz@@zonix.de} for deuglifying
26757 broken Outlook (Express) articles.
26760 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
26762 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
26763 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
26764 lisp directory into load-path.
26766 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
26767 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
26770 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
26772 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
26775 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
26777 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
26778 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
26779 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
26780 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
26783 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
26785 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
26787 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
26788 'bbdb-complete-name)
26792 Externalizing and deleting of attachments.
26794 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
26795 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
26796 local files as external parts.
26798 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
26799 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
26800 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
26801 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
26802 that support editing.
26805 @code{gnus-default-charset}
26807 The default value is determined from the
26808 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
26809 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
26810 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
26813 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
26815 Add a new format of match like
26817 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
26818 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
26820 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
26822 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
26823 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
26827 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
26829 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
26830 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
26831 need add those two headers too.
26834 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
26836 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
26837 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
26838 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
26841 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
26842 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
26843 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
26847 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
26849 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
26852 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
26854 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
26857 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
26859 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
26860 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
26861 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
26864 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
26866 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
26870 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
26872 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
26873 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
26874 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
26875 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
26876 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
26877 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
26878 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
26879 The behavior can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
26882 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
26884 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
26885 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
26886 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
26887 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
26888 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
26891 Extended format specs.
26893 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
26894 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
26895 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
26896 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
26897 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
26898 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
26901 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
26903 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
26904 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
26905 out other articles.
26907 @item Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
26909 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
26910 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
26911 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
26912 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
26915 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
26917 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
26918 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
26919 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
26922 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
26924 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
26925 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
26926 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
26927 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
26928 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
26929 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
26930 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
26931 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
26932 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
26933 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
26934 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
26937 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
26938 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
26941 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
26942 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
26943 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
26944 message, Message Manual}).
26947 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
26948 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
26950 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
26951 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
26952 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
26954 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
26958 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
26959 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
26961 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
26962 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
26963 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
26964 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
26967 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
26970 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
26973 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
26974 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
26977 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to symbol @code{best}.
26979 The behavior for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
26980 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
26981 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
26982 invalidate the digital signature.
26986 @subsubsection No Gnus
26989 New features in No Gnus:
26990 @c FIXME: Gnus 5.12?
26992 @include gnus-news.texi
26998 @section The Manual
27002 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
27003 either @code{texi2dvi}
27005 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
27006 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
27008 to get what you hold in your hands now.
27010 The following conventions have been used:
27015 This is a @samp{string}
27018 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
27021 This is a @file{file}
27024 This is a @code{symbol}
27028 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
27032 (setq flargnoze "yes")
27035 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
27038 (setq flumphel 'yes)
27041 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
27042 ever get them confused.
27046 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
27047 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
27048 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
27049 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
27050 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
27051 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
27052 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
27058 @node On Writing Manuals
27059 @section On Writing Manuals
27061 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
27062 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
27063 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
27064 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
27065 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
27066 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
27069 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
27070 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
27071 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
27074 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
27075 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
27080 @section Terminology
27082 @cindex terminology
27087 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
27088 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
27089 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
27090 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
27091 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
27095 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
27096 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
27097 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
27098 not posting, and replying is not following up.
27102 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
27106 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
27111 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
27112 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
27113 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
27114 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
27115 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
27116 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
27117 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
27118 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
27119 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
27122 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
27123 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
27124 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
27125 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
27126 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
27127 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
27129 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
27130 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
27131 access the articles.
27133 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
27134 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
27135 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
27140 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
27141 default, way of getting news.
27145 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
27146 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
27151 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
27152 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
27156 A message that has been posted as news.
27159 @cindex mail message
27160 A message that has been mailed.
27164 A mail message or news article
27168 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
27173 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
27178 A line from the head of an article.
27182 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
27183 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
27185 @item @acronym{NOV}
27186 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
27187 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
27188 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
27189 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
27190 normal @sc{head} format.
27194 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
27195 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
27196 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
27197 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
27198 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
27199 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
27201 @item killed groups
27202 @cindex killed groups
27203 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
27204 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
27206 @item zombie groups
27207 @cindex zombie groups
27208 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
27211 @cindex active file
27212 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
27213 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
27214 is rather large, as you might surmise.
27217 @cindex bogus groups
27218 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
27219 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
27220 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
27223 @cindex activating groups
27224 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
27225 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
27226 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
27230 News servers store their articles locally in one fashion or other.
27231 One old-fashioned storage method is to have just one file per
27232 article. That's called a ``traditional spool''.
27236 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
27238 @item select method
27239 @cindex select method
27240 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
27243 @item virtual server
27244 @cindex virtual server
27245 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
27246 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
27247 whole is a virtual server.
27251 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
27252 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
27255 @item ephemeral groups
27256 @cindex ephemeral groups
27257 @cindex temporary groups
27258 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
27259 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
27260 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
27263 @cindex solid groups
27264 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
27265 group buffer are solid groups.
27267 @item sparse articles
27268 @cindex sparse articles
27269 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
27270 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
27274 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
27275 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
27279 @cindex thread root
27280 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
27281 articles in the thread.
27285 An article that has responses.
27289 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
27293 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
27294 specified by RFC 1153.
27297 @cindex splitting, terminolgy
27298 @cindex mail sorting
27299 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
27300 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
27301 incorrectly called mail filtering.
27307 @node Customization
27308 @section Customization
27309 @cindex general customization
27311 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
27312 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
27313 for some quite common situations.
27316 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
27317 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
27318 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
27319 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
27323 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
27324 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
27326 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
27327 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
27328 Gnus has to get from the @acronym{NNTP} server.
27332 @item gnus-read-active-file
27333 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
27334 entire active file from the server. This file is often very large. You
27335 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
27336 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
27337 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
27339 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
27340 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
27341 the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast. Not all @acronym{NNTP} servers
27342 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
27346 @node Slow Terminal Connection
27347 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
27349 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
27350 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
27351 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
27355 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
27356 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
27357 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
27358 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
27359 horizontal and vertical recentering.
27361 @item gnus-visible-headers
27362 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
27363 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
27364 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
27365 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
27367 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
27369 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
27370 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
27371 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
27374 @item gnus-use-full-window
27375 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
27376 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
27377 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
27378 want to read them anyway.
27380 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
27381 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
27385 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
27386 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
27387 lines, which might save some time.
27391 @node Little Disk Space
27392 @subsection Little Disk Space
27395 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
27396 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
27400 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
27401 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
27402 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
27403 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
27406 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
27407 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
27408 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
27409 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
27412 @item gnus-save-killed-list
27413 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
27414 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
27415 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
27416 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
27422 @subsection Slow Machine
27423 @cindex slow machine
27425 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
27426 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
27428 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
27429 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
27431 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
27432 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
27433 summary buffer faster.
27437 @node Troubleshooting
27438 @section Troubleshooting
27439 @cindex troubleshooting
27441 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
27449 Make sure your computer is switched on.
27452 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
27453 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
27457 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
27458 like @samp{Gnus v5.10.6} you have the right files loaded. Otherwise
27459 you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
27462 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
27463 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
27466 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
27467 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
27468 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
27469 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
27470 something like that.
27473 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
27476 @cindex reporting bugs
27478 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
27480 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
27481 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
27482 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
27483 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
27485 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
27486 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
27487 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
27488 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
27491 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
27492 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
27493 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
27494 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
27495 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
27496 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
27498 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
27499 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
27500 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
27504 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
27505 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
27508 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
27509 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
27510 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
27511 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
27512 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
27513 you discover some weird behavior when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
27514 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
27515 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
27516 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
27517 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
27518 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
27519 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
27520 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
27521 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
27526 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
27527 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
27528 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
27529 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
27530 helps isolating the real problem areas).
27532 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
27533 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
27534 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
27535 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
27536 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
27537 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
27538 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
27539 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
27540 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
27541 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
27542 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
27543 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
27544 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
27547 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
27548 @cindex ding mailing list
27549 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
27550 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
27551 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
27552 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
27556 @node Gnus Reference Guide
27557 @section Gnus Reference Guide
27559 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
27560 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
27561 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
27562 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
27565 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
27566 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
27567 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
27568 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
27569 and general methods of operation.
27572 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
27573 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
27574 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
27575 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
27576 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
27577 * Group Info:: The group info format.
27578 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
27579 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
27580 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
27584 @node Gnus Utility Functions
27585 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
27586 @cindex Gnus utility functions
27587 @cindex utility functions
27589 @cindex internal variables
27591 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
27592 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
27593 Below is a list of the most common ones.
27597 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
27598 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
27599 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
27601 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
27602 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
27603 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
27605 @item gnus-group-real-name
27606 @findex gnus-group-real-name
27607 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
27610 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
27611 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
27612 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
27613 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
27615 @item gnus-get-info
27616 @findex gnus-get-info
27617 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
27619 @item gnus-group-unread
27620 @findex gnus-group-unread
27621 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
27625 @findex gnus-active
27626 The active entry for @var{group}.
27628 @item gnus-set-active
27629 @findex gnus-set-active
27630 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
27632 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
27633 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
27634 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
27637 @item gnus-continuum-version
27638 @findex gnus-continuum-version
27639 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
27640 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
27643 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
27644 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
27645 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
27647 @item gnus-news-group-p
27648 @findex gnus-news-group-p
27649 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
27651 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
27652 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
27653 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
27655 @item gnus-server-to-method
27656 @findex gnus-server-to-method
27657 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
27659 @item gnus-server-equal
27660 @findex gnus-server-equal
27661 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
27663 @item gnus-group-native-p
27664 @findex gnus-group-native-p
27665 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
27667 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
27668 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
27669 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
27671 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
27672 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
27673 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
27675 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
27676 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
27677 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
27678 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
27680 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
27681 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
27682 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
27684 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
27685 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
27686 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
27688 @item gnus-check-backend-function
27689 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
27690 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
27691 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
27694 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
27698 @item gnus-read-method
27699 @findex gnus-read-method
27700 Prompts the user for a select method.
27705 @node Back End Interface
27706 @subsection Back End Interface
27708 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
27709 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
27710 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
27711 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
27712 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
27713 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
27715 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
27716 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
27717 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
27718 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
27719 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
27720 been opened, the function should fail.
27722 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
27723 name. Take this example:
27727 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
27728 (nntp-port-number 4324))
27731 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
27732 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
27734 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
27735 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
27736 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
27738 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
27739 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
27740 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
27742 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
27743 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
27744 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
27745 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
27746 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
27747 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
27750 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
27751 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
27752 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
27753 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
27756 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
27757 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
27758 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
27759 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
27760 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
27761 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
27762 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
27763 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
27764 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
27765 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
27767 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
27768 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
27769 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
27770 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
27771 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
27772 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
27773 of numbers as long as possible.
27775 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
27776 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
27777 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
27779 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
27782 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
27785 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
27786 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
27787 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
27788 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
27789 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
27790 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
27794 @node Required Back End Functions
27795 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
27799 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
27801 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
27802 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
27803 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
27804 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
27806 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
27807 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
27808 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
27809 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
27811 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
27812 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
27813 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
27814 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
27815 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
27816 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
27817 number, do maximum fetches.
27819 Here's an example HEAD:
27822 221 1056 Article retrieved.
27823 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
27824 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
27825 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
27826 Subject: Re: Something very droll
27827 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
27828 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
27830 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
27831 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
27832 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
27836 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
27837 these in the data buffer.
27839 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
27843 head = error / valid-head
27844 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
27845 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
27846 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
27847 header = <text> eol
27851 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
27853 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
27854 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
27858 nov-buffer = *nov-line
27859 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
27860 field = <text except TAB>
27863 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
27867 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
27869 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
27870 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
27872 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
27873 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
27874 server. In fact, it should do so.
27876 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
27877 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
27880 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
27882 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
27883 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
27886 There should be no data returned.
27889 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
27891 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
27892 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
27893 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
27894 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
27896 There should be no data returned.
27899 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
27901 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
27902 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
27903 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
27904 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
27906 There should be no data returned.
27909 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
27911 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
27913 There should be no data returned.
27916 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
27918 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
27919 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
27920 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
27921 it would be nice if that were possible.
27923 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
27924 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
27925 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
27926 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
27927 into its article buffer.
27929 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
27930 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
27931 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
27932 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
27933 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
27934 on successful article retrieval.
27937 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
27939 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
27940 making @var{group} the current group.
27942 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
27945 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
27948 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
27951 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
27952 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
27953 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
27954 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
27955 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
27956 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
27957 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
27958 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
27959 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
27963 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
27964 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
27965 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
27969 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
27971 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
27972 a no-op on most back ends.
27974 There should be no data returned.
27977 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
27979 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
27982 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
27985 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
27986 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
27989 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
27990 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
27991 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
27992 and the highest as 0.
27995 active-file = *active-line
27996 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
27998 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
28001 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
28002 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
28003 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
28006 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
28008 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
28009 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
28010 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
28011 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
28012 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
28013 clear if the posting could not be completed.
28015 There should be no result data from this function.
28020 @node Optional Back End Functions
28021 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
28025 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
28027 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
28028 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
28029 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
28031 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
28032 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
28033 former is in the same format as the data from
28034 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
28035 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
28038 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
28042 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
28044 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
28045 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
28046 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
28047 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
28048 should return a non-@code{nil} value (exceptionally,
28049 @code{nntp-request-update-info} always returns @code{nil} not to waste
28050 the network resources).
28052 There should be no result data from this function.
28055 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
28057 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
28058 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
28059 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
28060 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
28061 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
28062 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
28063 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
28064 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
28066 There should be no result data from this function.
28069 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
28071 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
28072 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
28073 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
28074 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
28075 propagate the mark information to the server.
28077 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
28080 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
28083 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
28084 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
28085 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
28086 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
28087 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
28088 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
28089 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
28090 possible, not limit itself to these.
28092 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
28093 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
28094 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
28095 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
28097 An example action list:
28100 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
28101 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
28102 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
28105 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
28106 mark on (currently not used for anything).
28108 There should be no result data from this function.
28110 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
28112 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
28113 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
28114 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
28115 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
28116 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
28118 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
28119 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
28120 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
28123 There should be no result data from this function.
28126 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
28128 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
28129 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
28130 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
28131 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
28132 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
28133 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
28134 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
28135 local if that's practical.
28137 There should be no result data from this function.
28140 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
28142 The result data from this function should be a description of
28146 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
28148 description = <text>
28151 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
28153 The result data from this function should be the description of all
28154 groups available on the server.
28157 description-buffer = *description-line
28161 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
28163 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
28164 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
28165 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
28166 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
28167 in the active buffer format.
28169 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
28170 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
28171 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
28172 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
28173 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
28174 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
28175 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
28178 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
28180 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
28182 There should be no return data.
28185 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
28187 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
28188 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
28189 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
28190 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
28191 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
28194 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
28197 There should be no result data returned.
28200 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
28202 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
28203 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
28205 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
28206 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
28207 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
28208 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
28209 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
28210 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
28212 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
28213 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
28216 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
28217 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
28219 There should be no data returned.
28222 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
28224 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
28225 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
28226 this function in short order.
28228 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
28229 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
28231 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
28232 article for that group.
28234 There should be no data returned.
28237 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
28239 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
28240 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
28242 There should be no data returned.
28245 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
28247 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
28248 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
28249 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
28251 There should be no data returned.
28254 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
28256 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
28257 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
28259 There should be no data returned.
28264 @node Error Messaging
28265 @subsubsection Error Messaging
28267 @findex nnheader-report
28268 @findex nnheader-get-report
28269 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
28270 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
28271 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
28272 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
28273 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
28274 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
28277 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
28279 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
28282 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
28283 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
28284 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
28285 takes one argument---the server symbol.
28287 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
28288 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
28289 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
28292 @node Writing New Back Ends
28293 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
28295 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
28296 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
28297 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
28298 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
28299 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
28302 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
28303 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
28304 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
28306 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
28307 package called @code{nnoo}.
28309 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
28310 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
28316 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
28317 parameters. For instance:
28320 (nnoo-declare nndir
28324 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
28325 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
28328 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
28329 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
28330 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
28332 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
28333 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
28334 a function in those back ends.
28337 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
28338 "Where nndir will look for groups."
28339 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
28342 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
28343 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
28344 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
28346 @item nnoo-define-basics
28347 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
28351 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
28355 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
28356 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
28357 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
28359 @item nnoo-map-functions
28360 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
28361 functions from the parent back ends.
28364 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
28365 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
28366 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
28369 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
28370 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
28371 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
28372 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
28375 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
28376 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
28377 haven't already been defined.
28383 nnmh-request-newgroups)
28387 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
28388 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
28389 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
28394 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
28397 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
28398 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
28402 (require 'nnheader)
28406 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
28408 (nnoo-declare nndir
28411 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
28412 "Where nndir will look for groups."
28413 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
28415 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
28416 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
28419 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
28421 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
28422 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
28423 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
28425 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
28426 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
28428 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
28430 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
28432 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
28433 (setq nndir-directory
28434 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
28436 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
28437 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
28438 (push `(nndir-current-group
28439 ,(file-name-nondirectory
28440 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
28442 (push `(nndir-top-directory
28443 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
28445 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
28447 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
28448 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
28449 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
28450 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
28451 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
28455 nnmh-status-message
28457 nnmh-request-newgroups))
28463 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
28464 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
28466 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
28467 @findex gnus-declare-backend
28468 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
28469 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
28470 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
28472 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
28473 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
28478 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
28481 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
28483 The abilities can be:
28487 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
28489 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
28491 This back end supports both mail and news.
28493 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
28496 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
28497 articles and groups.
28499 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
28500 true for almost all back ends.
28501 @item prompt-address
28502 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
28503 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
28504 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
28508 @node Mail-like Back Ends
28509 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
28511 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
28512 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
28513 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
28514 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
28517 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
28518 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
28519 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
28522 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
28523 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
28526 This function takes four parameters.
28530 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
28533 @item exit-function
28534 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
28536 @item temp-directory
28537 Where the temporary files should be stored.
28540 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
28541 performed for one group only.
28544 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
28545 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
28546 find the article number assigned to this article.
28548 The function also uses the following variables:
28549 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
28550 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
28551 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
28552 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
28556 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
28557 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
28561 @node Score File Syntax
28562 @subsection Score File Syntax
28564 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
28565 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
28566 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
28568 Here's a typical score file:
28572 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
28579 BNF definition of a score file:
28582 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
28583 element = rule / atom
28584 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
28585 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
28586 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
28587 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
28589 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
28590 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
28591 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
28592 date-header = "date"
28593 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
28594 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
28595 score = "nil" / <integer>
28596 date = "nil" / <natural number>
28597 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
28598 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
28599 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
28600 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
28601 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
28602 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
28603 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
28604 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
28605 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
28606 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
28607 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
28608 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
28609 exclude-files / read-only / touched
28610 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
28611 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
28612 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
28613 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
28614 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
28615 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
28616 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
28617 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
28618 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
28619 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
28620 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
28621 eval = "eval" space <form>
28622 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
28625 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
28628 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
28629 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
28630 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
28631 one looong line, then that's ok.
28633 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
28634 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
28638 @subsection Headers
28640 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
28641 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
28642 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
28643 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
28645 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
28646 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
28647 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
28648 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
28649 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
28650 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
28651 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
28653 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
28654 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
28655 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
28656 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
28657 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
28659 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
28660 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
28666 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
28667 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
28669 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
28670 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
28671 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
28672 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
28674 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
28678 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
28681 is transformed into
28684 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
28687 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
28688 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
28691 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
28694 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
28695 is slightly tricky:
28698 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
28704 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
28707 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
28713 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
28720 and is equal to the previous range.
28722 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
28723 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
28724 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
28728 range = simple-range / normal-range
28729 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
28730 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
28731 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
28732 number *[ " " contents ]
28735 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
28736 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
28737 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
28738 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
28739 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
28744 @subsection Group Info
28746 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
28747 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
28748 describes the group.
28750 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
28751 second is a more complex one:
28754 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
28756 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
28757 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
28759 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
28762 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
28763 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
28764 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
28765 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
28766 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
28767 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
28768 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
28769 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
28770 this section is about.
28772 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
28773 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
28774 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
28776 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
28779 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
28780 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
28781 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
28782 group = quote <string> quote
28783 ralevel = rank / level
28784 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
28785 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
28786 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
28788 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
28789 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
28790 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
28791 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
28794 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
28795 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
28798 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
28799 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
28802 @item gnus-info-group
28803 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
28804 @findex gnus-info-group
28805 @findex gnus-info-set-group
28806 Get/set the group name.
28808 @item gnus-info-rank
28809 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
28810 @findex gnus-info-rank
28811 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
28812 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
28814 @item gnus-info-level
28815 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
28816 @findex gnus-info-level
28817 @findex gnus-info-set-level
28818 Get/set the group level.
28820 @item gnus-info-score
28821 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
28822 @findex gnus-info-score
28823 @findex gnus-info-set-score
28824 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
28826 @item gnus-info-read
28827 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
28828 @findex gnus-info-read
28829 @findex gnus-info-set-read
28830 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
28832 @item gnus-info-marks
28833 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
28834 @findex gnus-info-marks
28835 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
28836 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
28838 @item gnus-info-method
28839 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
28840 @findex gnus-info-method
28841 @findex gnus-info-set-method
28842 Get/set the group select method.
28844 @item gnus-info-params
28845 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
28846 @findex gnus-info-params
28847 @findex gnus-info-set-params
28848 Get/set the group parameters.
28851 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
28852 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
28854 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
28855 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
28856 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
28857 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
28860 @node Extended Interactive
28861 @subsection Extended Interactive
28862 @cindex interactive
28863 @findex gnus-interactive
28865 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
28866 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
28867 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
28870 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
28871 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
28876 The best thing to do would have been to implement
28877 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
28878 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
28879 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
28880 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
28881 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
28882 @code{interactive}.
28884 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
28889 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
28890 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
28894 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
28895 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
28896 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
28899 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
28903 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
28907 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
28913 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
28914 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
28918 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
28919 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
28920 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
28922 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
28923 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
28924 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
28925 Gnus, that's very useful.
28927 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
28928 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
28929 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
28930 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
28931 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
28932 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
28933 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
28934 following function:
28937 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
28941 (,function ,@@args))
28945 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
28946 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
28947 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
28950 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
28951 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
28952 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
28954 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
28955 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
28956 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
28959 @node Various File Formats
28960 @subsection Various File Formats
28963 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
28964 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
28968 @node Active File Format
28969 @subsubsection Active File Format
28971 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
28972 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
28975 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
28978 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
28979 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
28980 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
28981 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
28982 no.general 1000 900 y
28985 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
28988 active = *group-line
28989 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
28990 group = <non-white-space string>
28992 high-number = <non-negative integer>
28993 low-number = <positive integer>
28994 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
28997 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
28998 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
29001 @node Newsgroups File Format
29002 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
29004 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
29005 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
29006 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
29009 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
29010 Here's the definition:
29014 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
29015 group = <non-white-space string>
29017 description = <string>
29022 @node Emacs for Heathens
29023 @section Emacs for Heathens
29025 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
29026 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
29027 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
29028 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
29029 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
29030 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
29031 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
29035 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
29036 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
29041 @subsection Keystrokes
29045 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
29048 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
29051 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
29052 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
29053 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
29054 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
29055 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
29056 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
29058 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
29059 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
29060 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
29061 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
29062 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
29063 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
29064 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
29066 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
29067 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
29068 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
29069 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
29070 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
29071 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
29072 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
29074 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
29075 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
29076 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
29077 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
29078 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
29084 @subsection Emacs Lisp
29086 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
29087 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
29088 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
29089 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
29091 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
29092 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
29093 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
29094 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
29095 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
29096 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
29097 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
29100 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
29101 write the following:
29104 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
29107 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
29108 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
29109 you can go and fill your @file{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
29112 If you have put that thing in your @file{.emacs} file, it will be read
29113 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
29114 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
29115 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
29116 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
29118 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
29119 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
29120 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
29124 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
29128 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
29131 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
29132 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
29135 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
29138 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
29139 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
29142 @include gnus-faq.texi
29162 @c Local Variables:
29164 @c coding: iso-8859-1
29168 arch-tag: c9fa47e7-78ca-4681-bda9-9fef45d1c819