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4 @settitle Pterodactyl Gnus 0.28 Manual
9 @c * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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264 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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273 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
275 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
276 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
277 are preserved on all copies.
279 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
280 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
281 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
282 permission notice identical to this one.
284 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
285 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
294 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
296 Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
298 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
299 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
300 are preserved on all copies.
303 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
304 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
305 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
306 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
309 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
310 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
311 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
312 permission notice identical to this one.
314 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
315 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
321 @title Pterodactyl Gnus 0.28 Manual
323 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
326 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
327 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
329 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
330 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
331 are preserved on all copies.
333 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
334 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
335 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
336 permission notice identical to this one.
338 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
339 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
348 @top The Gnus Newsreader
352 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
353 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
354 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
357 This manual corresponds to Pterodactyl Gnus 0.28.
368 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
369 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
371 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
372 being accused of plagiarism:
374 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
375 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
376 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
377 even read news with it!
379 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
380 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
381 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
382 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
383 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
390 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
391 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
392 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
393 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
394 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
395 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
396 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
397 * Various:: General purpose settings.
398 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
399 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
400 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
401 * Key Index:: Key Index.
405 @chapter Starting Gnus
410 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
411 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
414 @findex gnus-other-frame
415 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
416 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
417 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
419 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
420 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
421 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
423 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
424 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
427 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
428 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
429 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
430 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
431 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
432 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
433 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
434 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
435 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
436 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
437 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
441 @node Finding the News
442 @section Finding the News
445 @vindex gnus-select-method
447 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
448 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
449 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
450 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
453 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
454 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
457 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
460 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
463 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
466 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
467 certainly be much faster.
469 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
471 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
472 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
473 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
474 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
475 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
476 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
478 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
479 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
480 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
481 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
483 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
484 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
485 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
486 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
487 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
488 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting.
490 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
492 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
493 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
494 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
495 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
496 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
497 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
499 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
501 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
502 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
503 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
504 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
505 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
506 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
509 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
510 would typically set this variable to
513 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
518 @section The First Time
519 @cindex first time usage
521 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
522 be subscribed by default.
524 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
525 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
526 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
527 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
530 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
531 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
532 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
534 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
535 help you with most common problems.
537 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
538 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
542 @node The Server is Down
543 @section The Server is Down
544 @cindex server errors
546 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
547 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
548 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
550 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
551 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
552 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
553 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
554 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
555 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
556 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
558 @findex gnus-no-server
559 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
561 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
562 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
563 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
564 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
565 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
566 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
571 @section Slave Gnusae
574 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
575 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
576 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
577 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
579 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
582 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
583 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
584 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
585 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
586 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
587 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
588 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
590 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
591 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
592 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
593 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
594 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
595 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
596 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
597 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
599 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
600 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
603 @node Fetching a Group
604 @section Fetching a Group
605 @cindex fetching a group
607 @findex gnus-fetch-group
608 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
609 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
610 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
611 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
612 It takes the group name as a parameter.
620 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
621 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
622 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
623 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
624 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
625 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
626 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
627 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the backends for new groups even
628 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
631 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
632 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
633 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
637 @node Checking New Groups
638 @subsection Checking New Groups
640 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
641 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
642 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
643 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
644 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
645 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
646 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
647 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
648 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
649 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
651 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
652 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
653 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
654 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
655 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
656 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
657 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
658 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
659 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
660 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
661 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
663 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
664 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
665 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
666 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
667 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
668 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
671 @node Subscription Methods
672 @subsection Subscription Methods
674 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
675 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
676 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
678 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
679 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
681 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
685 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
686 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
687 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
688 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
689 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
691 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
692 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
693 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
694 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
696 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
697 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
698 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
700 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
701 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
702 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
703 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
704 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
705 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into it's
706 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
707 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
708 up. Or something like that.
710 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
711 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
712 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
713 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
714 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
716 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
717 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
722 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
723 A closely related variable is
724 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
725 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
726 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
727 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
730 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
731 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
732 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
733 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
736 @node Filtering New Groups
737 @subsection Filtering New Groups
739 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
740 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
741 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
744 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
747 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
748 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
749 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
750 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
751 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
752 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
753 subscribing these groups.
754 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
755 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
757 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
758 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
759 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
760 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
761 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
762 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
763 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
764 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
766 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
767 Yet another variable that meddles here is
768 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
769 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
770 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
771 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
772 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
773 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
774 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
775 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
777 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
778 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
781 @node Changing Servers
782 @section Changing Servers
783 @cindex changing servers
785 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
786 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
787 very flaky and you want to use another.
789 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
790 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
794 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
795 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
796 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
797 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
800 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
801 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
802 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
803 functions more than absolutely necessary.
805 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
806 @findex gnus-change-server
807 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
808 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
809 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
810 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
811 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
813 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
814 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
815 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
816 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
817 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
819 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
820 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
821 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
822 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
823 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
824 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
828 @section Startup Files
829 @cindex startup files
834 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
835 information is traditionally stored in this file.
837 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
838 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
839 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
840 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
841 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
842 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
843 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
845 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
846 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
847 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
848 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
849 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
850 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
852 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
853 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
854 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
855 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
856 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
857 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
859 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
860 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
861 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
862 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
863 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
864 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
865 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
866 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
867 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
868 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
869 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
870 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
872 @vindex gnus-startup-file
873 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
874 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
875 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
877 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
878 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
879 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
880 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
881 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
882 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
883 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
884 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
885 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
886 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
889 (defun turn-off-backup ()
890 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
892 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
893 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
896 @vindex gnus-init-file
897 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
898 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
899 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
900 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
901 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
902 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
903 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
904 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
905 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
914 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
915 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
916 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
917 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
918 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
921 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
922 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
925 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
926 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
927 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
929 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
930 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
931 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
932 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
933 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
934 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
936 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
937 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
938 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
941 @node The Active File
942 @section The Active File
944 @cindex ignored groups
946 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
947 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
948 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
950 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
951 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
952 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
953 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
954 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
955 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
956 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
959 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
960 @c if you set it to anything else.
962 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
964 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
965 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
966 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
968 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
969 you actually subscribe to.
971 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
972 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
973 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
974 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
976 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
977 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
978 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
979 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
980 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
981 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
983 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
984 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
985 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
986 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
987 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
988 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
990 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
991 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
993 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
994 secondary select methods.
997 @node Startup Variables
998 @section Startup Variables
1002 @item gnus-load-hook
1003 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1004 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1005 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1006 times you start Gnus.
1008 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1009 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1010 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1012 @item gnus-startup-hook
1013 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1014 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1016 @item gnus-started-hook
1017 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1018 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1021 @item gnus-started-hook
1022 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1023 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1024 generating the group buffer.
1026 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1027 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1028 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1029 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1030 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1031 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1032 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1033 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1035 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1036 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1037 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1038 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1039 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1040 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1042 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1043 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1044 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1046 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1047 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1048 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1050 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1051 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1052 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1053 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1058 @node The Group Buffer
1059 @chapter The Group Buffer
1060 @cindex group buffer
1062 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1063 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1064 long as Gnus is active.
1068 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1069 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1070 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1071 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1072 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1073 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1074 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1075 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1081 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1082 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1083 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1084 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1085 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1086 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1087 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1088 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1089 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1090 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1091 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1092 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1093 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1094 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1095 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1096 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1097 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1101 @node Group Buffer Format
1102 @section Group Buffer Format
1105 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1106 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1107 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1111 @node Group Line Specification
1112 @subsection Group Line Specification
1113 @cindex group buffer format
1115 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1116 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1118 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1121 25: news.announce.newusers
1122 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1127 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1128 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1129 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1130 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1132 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1133 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1134 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1135 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1136 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1137 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1139 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1141 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1142 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1143 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1144 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1147 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1148 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1149 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1151 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1156 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1159 Whether the group is subscribed.
1162 Level of subscribedness.
1165 Number of unread articles.
1168 Number of dormant articles.
1171 Number of ticked articles.
1174 Number of read articles.
1177 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1178 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1181 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1184 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1193 Newsgroup description.
1196 @samp{m} if moderated.
1199 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1208 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1212 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1215 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1216 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1217 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1218 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1219 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.emacs.gnus}.
1222 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1224 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1228 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1232 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1233 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1234 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1235 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1236 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1237 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1242 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1243 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1244 group, or a bogus native group.
1247 @node Group Modeline Specification
1248 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1249 @cindex group modeline
1251 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1252 The mode line can be changed by setting
1253 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1254 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1258 The native news server.
1260 The native select method.
1264 @node Group Highlighting
1265 @subsection Group Highlighting
1266 @cindex highlighting
1267 @cindex group highlighting
1269 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1270 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1271 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1272 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1273 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1275 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1279 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-1
1280 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))))
1281 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-2
1282 '((t (:foreground "SeaGreen" :bold t))))
1283 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-3
1284 '((t (:foreground "SpringGreen" :bold t))))
1285 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-4
1286 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))))
1287 (face-spec-set 'my-group-face-5
1288 '((t (:foreground "SkyBlue" :bold t))))
1290 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1291 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1292 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1293 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1294 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1295 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1298 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1300 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1307 The number of unread articles in the group.
1311 Whether the group is a mail group.
1313 The level of the group.
1315 The score of the group.
1317 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1319 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1320 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1322 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1323 topic being inserted.
1326 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1327 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1328 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1330 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1331 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1332 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1333 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1334 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1337 @node Group Maneuvering
1338 @section Group Maneuvering
1339 @cindex group movement
1341 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1342 expected, hopefully.
1348 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1349 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1350 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1356 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1357 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1358 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1362 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1363 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1367 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1368 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1372 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1373 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1374 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1378 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1379 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1380 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1383 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1389 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1390 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1391 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1396 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1397 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1398 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1402 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1403 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1404 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1407 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1408 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1409 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1410 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1414 @node Selecting a Group
1415 @section Selecting a Group
1416 @cindex group selection
1421 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1422 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1423 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1424 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1425 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1426 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1427 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1428 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1429 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1430 negative, Gnus fetches the @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1434 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1435 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1436 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1437 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1438 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1442 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1443 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1444 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1445 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1446 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1447 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1448 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1449 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1450 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1451 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1454 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1455 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1456 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1457 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1458 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1461 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1462 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1463 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1464 doing any processing of its contents
1465 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1466 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1467 manner will have no permanent effects.
1471 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1472 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1473 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1474 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
1475 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1476 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1477 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1478 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1481 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1482 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1483 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1484 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1489 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1490 full summary buffer.
1493 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1496 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
1500 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1501 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1502 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1506 @node Subscription Commands
1507 @section Subscription Commands
1508 @cindex subscription
1516 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1517 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
1518 Toggle subscription to the current group
1519 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1525 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1526 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1527 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1528 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1534 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1535 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
1536 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1542 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1543 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1546 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1547 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1548 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1549 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1550 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1556 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1557 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1561 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1562 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1565 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1566 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1567 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1568 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1569 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
1570 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1571 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
1572 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1573 @file{.newsrc} file.
1577 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1587 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1588 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1589 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
1590 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1591 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1592 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
1597 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1598 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1599 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1603 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1604 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1605 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1607 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1608 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1609 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1610 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1611 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1612 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1619 @section Group Levels
1623 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1624 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1625 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1626 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1627 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1629 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1635 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1636 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1637 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1638 prompted for a level.
1641 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1642 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1643 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1644 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1645 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
1646 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1647 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1648 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1649 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1650 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
1651 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
1652 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
1653 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
1654 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
1655 reasons of efficiency.
1657 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1658 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
1660 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1661 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1662 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1664 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1665 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1666 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1667 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1668 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1669 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1670 relevant valid ranges.
1672 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1673 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1674 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
1675 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1676 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1677 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1680 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1681 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1682 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1685 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1686 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1687 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1688 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1691 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1692 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1693 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1694 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1696 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1697 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
1698 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
1699 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
1700 to 5. The default is 6.
1704 @section Group Score
1709 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1710 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1711 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1714 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1715 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1716 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1717 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1718 that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
1719 on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
1720 part and the score is the least significant part.))
1722 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1723 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1724 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1725 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1726 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1727 action after each summary exit, you can add
1728 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1729 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1730 slow things down somewhat.
1733 @node Marking Groups
1734 @section Marking Groups
1735 @cindex marking groups
1737 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1738 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1739 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1740 bidding on those groups.
1742 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1743 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1744 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1752 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1753 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1759 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1760 Remove the mark from the current group
1761 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1765 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1766 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1770 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1771 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1775 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1776 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1780 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1781 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1782 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1785 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1787 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1788 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1789 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1790 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1791 the command to be executed.
1794 @node Foreign Groups
1795 @section Foreign Groups
1796 @cindex foreign groups
1798 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1799 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1800 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1801 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1808 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1809 @cindex making groups
1810 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1811 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1812 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1816 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1817 @cindex renaming groups
1818 Rename the current group to something else
1819 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
1820 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1826 @findex gnus-group-customize
1827 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
1831 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1832 @cindex renaming groups
1833 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1834 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1838 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1839 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1840 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1844 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1845 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1846 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1850 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1852 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1853 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1858 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1859 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1863 @cindex (ding) archive
1864 @cindex archive group
1865 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1866 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1867 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1868 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1869 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1870 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1871 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1875 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1877 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1878 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1879 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1880 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
1884 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1886 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
1887 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1888 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1892 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1893 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1895 Make a group based on some file or other
1896 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1897 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1898 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1899 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
1900 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, and @code{forward}. If you run
1901 this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file type.
1902 @xref{Document Groups}.
1906 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
1907 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
1908 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
1909 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
1913 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1918 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1919 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1920 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1921 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
1922 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1923 @xref{Web Searches}.
1925 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
1926 to a particular group by using a match string like
1927 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
1930 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1931 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1932 This function will delete the current group
1933 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1934 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1935 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1936 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
1937 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
1941 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1942 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1943 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
1947 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1948 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1949 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1952 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1955 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1956 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
1957 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
1958 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
1959 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
1960 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
1964 @node Group Parameters
1965 @section Group Parameters
1966 @cindex group parameters
1968 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
1969 Here's an example group parameter list:
1972 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
1976 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
1977 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
1978 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
1979 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
1981 The following group parameters can be used:
1986 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
1989 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
1992 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
1993 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
1994 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
1995 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
1996 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
1998 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
1999 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2000 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2001 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2002 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2003 list address instead.
2007 Address used when doing a @kbd{a} in that group.
2010 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2013 It is totally ignored
2014 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2015 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2017 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2018 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2019 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2020 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2021 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2023 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2024 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2025 sending the message.
2029 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2030 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2031 of whether it has any unread articles.
2033 @item broken-reply-to
2034 @cindex broken-reply-to
2035 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2036 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2037 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2038 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2039 broken behavior. So there!
2043 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2044 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2048 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2049 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2050 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2055 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2056 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2057 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2058 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2059 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2060 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2061 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2065 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2066 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2067 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2070 @cindex total-expire
2071 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2072 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2073 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2074 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2079 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2080 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2081 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2082 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2083 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2084 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2087 @cindex score file group parameter
2088 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2089 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2090 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2093 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2094 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2095 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2096 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2099 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2100 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2101 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2102 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2105 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2106 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2110 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2113 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2118 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2119 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2120 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2124 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2125 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2126 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2128 @item @var{(variable form)}
2129 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2130 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2131 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2132 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2133 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2134 @code{eval}ed there.
2136 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2137 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2138 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2139 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2140 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2144 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2145 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2149 @node Listing Groups
2150 @section Listing Groups
2151 @cindex group listing
2153 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2161 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2162 List all groups that have unread articles
2163 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2164 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2165 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2166 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2173 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2174 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2175 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2176 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2177 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2178 unsubscribed groups).
2182 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2183 List all unread groups on a specific level
2184 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2185 with no unread articles.
2189 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2190 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2191 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2192 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2197 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2198 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2202 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2203 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2204 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2208 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2209 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2213 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2214 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2215 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2216 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2217 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2218 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2219 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2220 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2224 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2225 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2226 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2230 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2231 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2232 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2236 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2237 @cindex visible group parameter
2238 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2239 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2240 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2241 get the same effect.
2243 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2244 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2245 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2246 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2247 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2250 @node Sorting Groups
2251 @section Sorting Groups
2252 @cindex sorting groups
2254 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2255 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2256 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2257 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2258 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2259 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2264 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2265 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2266 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2268 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2269 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2270 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2272 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2273 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2274 Sort by group level.
2276 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2277 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2278 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2280 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2281 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2282 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2283 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2285 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2286 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2287 Sort by number of unread articles.
2289 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2290 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2291 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2296 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2297 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2301 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2302 some sorting criteria:
2306 @kindex G S a (Group)
2307 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2308 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2309 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2312 @kindex G S u (Group)
2313 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2314 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2315 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2318 @kindex G S l (Group)
2319 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2320 Sort the group buffer by group level
2321 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2324 @kindex G S v (Group)
2325 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2326 Sort the group buffer by group score
2327 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2330 @kindex G S r (Group)
2331 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2332 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2333 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2336 @kindex G S m (Group)
2337 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2338 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2339 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2343 All the commands below obeys the process/prefix convention
2344 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2346 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2347 commands will sort in reverse order.
2349 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2353 @kindex G P a (Group)
2354 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2355 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2356 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2359 @kindex G P u (Group)
2360 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2361 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
2362 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2365 @kindex G P l (Group)
2366 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2367 Sort the groups by group level
2368 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2371 @kindex G P v (Group)
2372 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2373 Sort the groups by group score
2374 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2377 @kindex G P r (Group)
2378 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2379 Sort the groups by group rank
2380 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2383 @kindex G P m (Group)
2384 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2385 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
2386 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2392 @node Group Maintenance
2393 @section Group Maintenance
2394 @cindex bogus groups
2399 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2400 Find bogus groups and delete them
2401 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2405 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2406 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2407 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2408 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
2409 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
2413 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2414 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2415 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2416 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2419 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2420 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2421 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2422 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2427 @node Browse Foreign Server
2428 @section Browse Foreign Server
2429 @cindex foreign servers
2430 @cindex browsing servers
2435 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2436 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2437 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2438 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2441 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2442 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2443 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2444 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2446 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2451 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2452 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2456 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2457 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2460 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2461 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2462 Enter the current group and display the first article
2463 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2466 @kindex RET (Browse)
2467 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2468 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2472 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2473 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2474 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2480 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2481 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2485 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2486 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2487 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2492 @section Exiting Gnus
2493 @cindex exiting Gnus
2495 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
2500 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2501 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
2502 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2503 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2507 @findex gnus-group-exit
2508 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
2509 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2513 @findex gnus-group-quit
2514 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2515 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
2518 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2519 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2520 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
2521 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
2522 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2527 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2528 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2529 trying to customize meta-variables.
2534 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
2535 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2536 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2542 @section Group Topics
2545 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2546 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2547 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2548 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2549 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2550 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2554 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
2555 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
2566 2: alt.religion.emacs
2569 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2571 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2572 13: comp.sources.unix
2575 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2577 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2578 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2579 is a toggling command.)
2581 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2582 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2583 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2584 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2587 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2588 the hook for the group mode:
2591 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2595 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2596 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2597 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2598 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2599 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2603 @node Topic Variables
2604 @subsection Topic Variables
2605 @cindex topic variables
2607 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2608 really neat, I think.
2610 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2611 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2612 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2625 Number of groups in the topic.
2627 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2629 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2632 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2633 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2634 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2637 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2638 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2640 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2641 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2642 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2645 @node Topic Commands
2646 @subsection Topic Commands
2647 @cindex topic commands
2649 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2650 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2651 definitions slightly.
2657 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2658 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2659 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2663 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2664 Move the current group to some other topic
2665 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2666 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2670 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2671 Copy the current group to some other topic
2672 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2673 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2677 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2678 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2679 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
2680 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
2681 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
2682 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
2683 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
2686 This command uses the process/prefix convention
2687 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2691 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2692 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2693 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2697 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2698 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2699 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2703 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
2704 Toggle hiding empty topics
2705 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
2709 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2710 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2711 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2714 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2715 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2716 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2717 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2721 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2723 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2724 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2725 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2726 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2727 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2728 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2732 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2734 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2735 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2736 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2737 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2740 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
2741 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
2742 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2743 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
2747 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2748 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
2749 topic will be removed along with the topic.
2753 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2754 Yank the previously killed group or topic
2755 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
2760 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2761 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2764 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2765 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2766 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2770 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2771 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2772 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2776 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2777 @cindex group parameters
2778 @cindex topic parameters
2780 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2781 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2787 @subsection Topic Sorting
2788 @cindex topic sorting
2790 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2796 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2797 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2798 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2799 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2802 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2803 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2804 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2805 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2808 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2809 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2810 Sort the current topic by group level
2811 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2814 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2815 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2816 Sort the current topic by group score
2817 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2820 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2821 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2822 Sort the current topic by group rank
2823 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2826 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2827 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2828 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2829 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2833 @xref{Sorting Groups} for more information about group sorting.
2836 @node Topic Topology
2837 @subsection Topic Topology
2838 @cindex topic topology
2841 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2847 2: alt.religion.emacs
2850 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2852 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2853 13: comp.sources.unix
2856 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
2857 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
2858 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as