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4 @settitle Gnus 5.2 Manual
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176 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
183 \thispagestyle{empty}
185 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
187 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
188 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
189 are preserved on all copies.
191 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
192 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
193 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
194 permission notice identical to this one.
196 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
197 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
206 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
208 Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
210 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
211 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
212 are preserved on all copies.
215 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
216 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
217 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
218 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
221 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
222 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
223 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
224 permission notice identical to this one.
226 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
227 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
235 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
238 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
239 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
241 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
242 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
243 are preserved on all copies.
245 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
246 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
247 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
248 permission notice identical to this one.
250 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
251 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
260 @top The Gnus Newsreader
264 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
265 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
266 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
274 \thispagestyle{empty}
277 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
278 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
280 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
281 being accused of plagiarism:
283 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
284 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
285 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
286 even read news with it!
288 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
289 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
290 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
291 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
292 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
299 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
300 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
301 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
302 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
303 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
304 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
305 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
306 * Various:: General purpose settings.
307 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
308 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
309 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
310 * Key Index:: Key Index.
315 @chapter Starting Gnus
320 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
321 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
324 @findex gnus-other-frame
325 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
326 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
327 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
329 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
333 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
334 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
335 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
336 * Slave Gnusii:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
337 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
338 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
339 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
340 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
341 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
342 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
346 @node Finding the News
347 @section Finding the News
349 @vindex gnus-select-method
351 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
352 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
353 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
354 native method. All groups that are not fetched with this method are
357 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
358 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
361 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
364 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
367 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
370 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
371 certainly be much faster.
373 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
375 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
376 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
377 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
378 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
379 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
380 that fails as well, Gnus will will try to use the machine that is
381 running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long-shot, though.
383 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
384 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
385 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
386 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
388 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
389 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
390 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
391 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
392 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
393 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting.
395 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
397 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
398 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
399 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
400 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
401 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
402 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
404 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
406 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
407 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
408 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
409 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
410 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
411 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
414 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
415 would typically set this variable to
418 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
423 @section The First Time
424 @cindex first time usage
426 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
427 be subscribed by default.
429 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
430 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
431 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
432 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
435 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
436 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is here
437 defined as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
439 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
440 help you with most common problems.
442 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
443 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
447 @node The Server is Down
448 @section The Server is Down
449 @cindex server errors
451 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
452 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
453 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
455 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
456 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
457 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
458 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
459 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
460 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
461 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
463 @findex gnus-no-server
465 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
466 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
467 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
468 if you're in a hurry as well.
472 @section Slave Gnusiï
475 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
476 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (eg., if you
477 are using the two different Gnusiï to read from two different servers),
478 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
480 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusiï that use the same
483 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
484 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
485 @dfn{servants}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
486 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
487 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
488 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
489 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
491 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
492 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusiï should be started with
493 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
494 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contains information only
495 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
496 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
497 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
498 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
500 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
501 information in the normal (i. e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
504 @node Fetching a Group
505 @section Fetching a Group
507 @findex gnus-fetch-group
508 It it sometime convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
509 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
510 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
511 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
512 It takes the group name as a parameter.
519 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
520 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
521 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
523 This variable should contain a function. Some handy pre-fab values
528 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
529 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
530 Make all new groups zombies. You can browse the zombies later (with
531 @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly, or subscribe to them.
534 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
535 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
536 Subscribe all new groups randomly.
538 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
539 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
540 Subscribe all new groups alphabetically.
542 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
543 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
544 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically.
546 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
547 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
548 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
549 you about @strong{all} new groups.
551 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
552 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
557 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
558 A closely related variable is
559 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
560 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
561 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
562 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
565 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above to
566 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
567 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
569 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
570 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
571 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
574 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
577 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
578 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
579 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
580 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
581 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
582 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
583 subscribing these groups.
584 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
585 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
587 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
588 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
589 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
590 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
591 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
592 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
593 and if the the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
594 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
596 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
597 Yet another variable that meddles here is
598 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
599 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
600 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
601 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
602 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
603 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
604 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
605 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
607 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
608 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
609 you could set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
610 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
611 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
612 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
613 is @code{t} by default.
615 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
616 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
617 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
618 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
619 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster &
620 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
621 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
622 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
623 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
624 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
626 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
627 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
628 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
629 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
630 few days. If any do, then it works. If any don't, then it doesn't
631 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
632 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
633 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
634 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
635 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
636 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
638 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
639 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
640 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
641 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
642 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
643 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
647 @section Startup Files
648 @cindex startup files
651 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
652 information is traditionally stored in this file.
654 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
655 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
656 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
657 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
658 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
659 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
660 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
662 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
663 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
664 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
665 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file.
667 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
668 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
669 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
670 the file and save some space, as well as making exit from Gnus faster.
671 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
672 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
674 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
675 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
676 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
677 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
678 will also means that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
679 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
680 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
681 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
684 @vindex gnus-startup-file
685 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
686 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
687 file being whatever that one is with a @samp{.eld} appended.
689 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
690 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
691 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
692 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
693 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
694 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
695 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
696 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
697 control on or off. Version control is off by default when saving the
706 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
707 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
708 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
709 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
710 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
713 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
714 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
717 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
718 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
719 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
721 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
722 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
723 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
724 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
725 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
726 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
729 @node The Active File
730 @section The Active File
732 @cindex ignored groups
734 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
735 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
736 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
738 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
739 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
740 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
741 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
742 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
743 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
744 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
747 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
748 @c if you set it to anything else.
750 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
752 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
753 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
754 reading the active file. This variable is @code{t} by default.
756 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
757 you actually subscribe to.
759 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
760 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
761 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
762 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
764 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
765 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
766 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
767 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
768 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
769 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
771 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
772 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
773 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
774 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
775 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
776 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
778 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
779 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
782 @node Startup Variables
783 @section Startup Variables
788 @vindex gnus-load-hook
789 A hook that is run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
790 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
791 times you start Gnus.
793 @item gnus-startup-hook
794 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
795 A hook that is run after starting up Gnus successfully.
797 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
798 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
799 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
800 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
801 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
802 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
803 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
804 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
806 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
807 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
808 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
809 your boss might not notice that you are reading news instead of doing
812 @item gnus-no-groups-message
813 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
814 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
818 @node The Group Buffer
819 @chapter The Group Buffer
822 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
823 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
824 long as Gnus is active.
827 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
828 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
829 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
830 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
831 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
832 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
833 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
834 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
835 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
836 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
837 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
838 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
839 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
840 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
841 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
842 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
846 @node Group Buffer Format
847 @section Group Buffer Format
848 @cindex group buffer format
851 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
852 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
853 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
857 @node Group Line Specification
858 @subsection Group Line Specification
860 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
861 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
863 Here's a couple of example group lines:
866 25: news.announce.newusers
867 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
872 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
873 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
874 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
875 asterisk at the beginning of the line?)
877 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
878 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
879 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
880 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
881 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
882 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
884 The default value that produced those lines above is
885 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n}.
887 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
888 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
889 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
890 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
893 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
894 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
895 instead of wasting time reading news.)
897 Here's a list of all available format characters:
902 Only marked articles.
905 Whether the group is subscribed.
908 Level of subscribedness.
911 Number of unread articles.
914 Number of dormant articles.
917 Number of ticked articles.
920 Number of read articles.
923 Total number of articles.
926 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
929 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
938 Newsgroup description.
941 @samp{m} if moderated.
944 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
953 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
957 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
960 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
961 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
962 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
963 The default is @code{1}.
966 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
967 be a letter. @sc{gnus} will call the function
968 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
969 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current headers as
970 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
971 into the buffer just like information from any other specifier.
975 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
976 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
977 group, or a bogus (or semi-bogus) native group.
980 @node Group Modeline Specification
981 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
983 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
984 The mode line can be changed by setting
985 (@code{gnus-group-mode-line-format}). It doesn't understand that many
990 The native news server.
992 The native select method.
996 @node Group Highlighting
997 @subsection Group Highlighting
999 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1000 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1001 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1002 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1003 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1005 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1009 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1011 ,(custom-face-lookup "Red" nil nil t nil nil))
1012 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) .
1013 ,(custom-face-lookup "SeaGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1015 ,(custom-face-lookup "SpringGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1017 ,(custom-face-lookup "SteelBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
1019 ,(custom-face-lookup "SkyBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
1023 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1030 The number of unread articles in the group.
1034 Whether the group is a mail group.
1036 The level of the group.
1038 The score of the group.
1040 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1042 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1043 topic being inserted.
1046 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1047 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1048 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1050 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1051 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1052 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1053 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1054 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1057 @node Group Maneuvering
1058 @section Group Maneuvering
1059 @cindex group movement
1061 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1062 expected, hopefully.
1068 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1069 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1070 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1077 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1078 Go to the previous group group that has unread articles
1079 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1083 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1084 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1088 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1089 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1093 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1094 Go to the next unread group on the same level (or lower)
1095 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1099 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1100 Go to the previous unread group on the same level (or lower)
1101 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1104 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1110 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1111 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1112 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1117 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1118 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1119 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1123 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1124 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1125 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1128 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1129 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1130 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1131 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1135 @node Selecting a Group
1136 @section Selecting a Group
1137 @cindex group selection
1142 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1143 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1144 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1145 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1146 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1147 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1148 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, Gnus
1149 will fetch @var{N} number of articles. If @var{N} is positive, fetch
1150 the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is negative, fetch the
1151 @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1155 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1156 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1157 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1158 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1159 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1163 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1164 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1165 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1166 minimum amount off fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1167 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1168 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1169 enter some humongous group.
1172 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1173 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1174 This is yet one more command that does the same as the one above, but
1175 this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1176 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1180 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1181 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1182 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1183 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1184 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is when catching up a group from
1189 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1190 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1191 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1194 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1195 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1196 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1197 unread articles than this, Gnus will query the user before entering the
1198 group. The user can then specify how many articles should be fetched
1199 from the server. If the user specifies a negative number (@code{-n}),
1200 the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it is positive, the
1201 @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will be fetched.
1203 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1204 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1205 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1206 automatically when entering a group.
1211 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1212 full summary buffer.
1215 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1218 Select the most high-scored article in the group when entering the
1222 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1223 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1224 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1228 @node Subscription Commands
1229 @section Subscription Commands
1238 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1239 Toggle subscription to the current group
1240 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1246 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1247 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1248 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1249 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1255 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1256 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1262 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1263 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1266 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1267 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1268 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1269 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1270 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1276 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1277 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1281 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1282 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1285 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1286 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1287 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1288 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1289 be used with some caution. The only thing where this command comes in
1290 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1291 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level @code{7} will
1292 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1293 @file{.newsrc} file.
1297 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1301 @section Group Levels
1304 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1305 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1306 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1307 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1308 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1310 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1316 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1317 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1318 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1319 prompted for a level.
1322 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1323 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1324 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1325 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1326 Gnus considers groups on between levels 1 and
1327 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1328 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1329 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1330 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1331 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (default 9),
1332 completely dead. Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly
1333 the same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what
1334 articles you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and
1335 living groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely
1336 for reasons of efficiency.
1338 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1339 low levels (eg. 1 or 2).
1341 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1342 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1343 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1345 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1346 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1347 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1348 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1349 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1350 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1351 relevant legal ranges.
1353 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1354 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1355 will only move to groups that are of the same level (or lower). In
1356 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1357 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1358 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1361 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1362 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1363 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1366 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1367 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1368 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1369 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1372 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1373 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1374 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1375 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1377 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1378 Gnus will normally just activate groups that are on level
1379 @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to activate
1380 unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable to
1385 @section Group Score
1388 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1389 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1390 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1393 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1394 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1395 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1396 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1397 that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
1398 on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
1399 part and the score is the least significant part.)
1401 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1402 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1403 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1404 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1405 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1406 action after each summary exit, you can add
1407 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1408 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1409 slow things down somewhat.
1412 @node Marking Groups
1413 @section Marking Groups
1414 @cindex marking groups
1416 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1417 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1418 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1419 bidding on those groups.
1421 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1422 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1423 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1431 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1432 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1438 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1439 Remove the mark from the current group
1440 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1444 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1445 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1449 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1450 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1454 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1455 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1459 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1460 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1461 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1464 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1466 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1467 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1468 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1469 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1470 the command to be executed.
1473 @node Foreign Groups
1474 @section Foreign Groups
1476 Here are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1477 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1478 special-purpose groups:
1484 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1485 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1486 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1487 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1491 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1492 Rename the current group to something else
1493 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is legal only on some groups --
1494 mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow on some
1499 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1500 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1501 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1505 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1506 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1507 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1511 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1512 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1513 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1517 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1518 Make a directory group. You will be prompted for a directory name
1519 (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1523 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1524 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1528 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1529 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1530 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1531 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1532 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1533 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1534 group will be created from from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1538 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1539 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1540 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1541 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1542 @xref{Kibozed Groups}
1546 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1547 Read an arbitrary directory as if with were a newsgroup with the
1548 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1552 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1553 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1554 Make a group based on some file or other
1555 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1556 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1557 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1558 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs}, and
1559 @code{forward}. If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will
1560 guess at the file type.
1563 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1564 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1565 This function will delete the current group
1566 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1567 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1568 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1569 absolutely sure of what you are doing.
1573 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1574 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1575 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}).
1579 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1580 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1581 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1584 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1587 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1588 If the @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
1589 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
1590 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
1591 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers.
1594 @node Group Parameters
1595 @section Group Parameters
1596 @cindex group parameters
1598 Gnus stores all information on a group in a list that is usually known
1599 as the @dfn{group info}. This list has from three to six elements.
1600 Here's an example info.
1603 ("nnml:mail.ding" 3 ((1 . 232) 244 (256 . 270)) ((tick 246 249))
1604 (nnml "private") ((to-address . "ding@@ifi.uio.no")))
1607 The first element is the @dfn{group name}, as Gnus knows the group,
1608 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
1609 normally is a small integer. The third element is a list of ranges of
1610 read articles. The fourth element is a list of lists of article marks
1611 of various kinds. The fifth element is the select method (or virtual
1612 server, if you like). The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group
1613 parameters}, which is what this section is about.
1615 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
1616 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
1617 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
1619 The group parameters store information local to a particular group:
1624 If the group parameter list contains an element that looks like
1625 @code{(to-address . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used by
1626 the backend when doing followups and posts. This is primarily useful in
1627 mail groups that represent closed mailing lists---mailing lists where
1628 it's expected that everybody that writes to the mailing list is
1629 subscribed to it. Since using this parameter ensures that the mail only
1630 goes to the mailing list itself, it means that members won't receive two
1631 copies of your followups.
1633 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
1634 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
1635 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
1636 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
1637 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
1638 list address instead.
1642 If the group parameter list has an element that looks like
1643 @code{(to-list . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used when
1644 doing a @kbd{a} in any group. It is totally ignored when doing a
1645 followup---except that if it is present in a news group, you'll get mail
1646 group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
1648 @item broken-reply-to
1649 @cindex broken-reply-to
1650 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
1651 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
1652 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
1653 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
1654 broken behavior. So there!
1658 If the group parameter list contains an element like @code{(to-group
1659 . "some.group.name")}, all posts will be sent to that group.
1663 If this symbol is present in the group parameter list, all articles that
1664 are read will be marked as expirable. For an alternative approach,
1665 @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
1668 @cindex total-expire
1669 If this symbol is present, all read articles will be put through the
1670 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
1675 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
1676 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
1677 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
1678 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
1679 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
1680 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
1683 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
1684 @samp{file} into the current score file for the group in question. This
1685 means that all score commands you issue will end up in that file.
1688 When unsubscribing to a mailing list you should never send the
1689 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
1690 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
1691 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
1694 This parameter allows you to enter a arbitrary comment on the group.
1696 @item @var{(variable form)}
1697 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
1698 are entering. Say you want to turn threading off in
1699 @samp{news.answers}. You'd then put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in
1700 the group parameters of that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be
1701 made into a local variable in the summary buffer you enter, and the form
1702 @code{nil} will be @code{eval}ed there.
1704 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
1705 If you want to hear a beep when you enter the group
1706 @samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, you could put something like
1707 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group.
1708 @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the @code{(ding)}
1709 form, but who cares?
1713 If you want to change the group info you can use the @kbd{G E} command
1714 to enter a buffer where you can edit it.
1716 You usually don't want to edit the entire group info, so you'd be better
1717 off using the @kbd{G p} command to just edit the group parameters.
1720 @node Listing Groups
1721 @section Listing Groups
1722 @cindex group listing
1724 These commands all list various slices of the groups that are available.
1732 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
1733 List all groups that have unread articles
1734 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
1735 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
1736 only lists groups of level five or lower (i.e., just subscribed groups).
1742 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
1743 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
1744 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
1745 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
1746 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
1747 unsubscribed groups).
1751 @findex gnus-group-list-level
1752 List all unread groups on a specific level
1753 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
1754 with no unread articles.
1758 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
1759 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
1760 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
1761 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
1766 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
1767 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
1771 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
1772 List all subscribed groups with unread articles that match a regexp
1773 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
1777 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
1778 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
1782 @findex gnus-group-list-active
1783 List absolutely all groups that are in the active file(s) of the
1784 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
1785 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
1786 to do a @kbd{A m} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
1791 @findex gnus-group-apropos
1792 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
1793 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
1797 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
1798 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
1799 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
1803 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
1804 @cindex visible group parameter
1805 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
1806 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
1807 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
1808 get the same effect.
1810 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
1811 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
1812 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
1813 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
1814 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
1817 @node Sorting Groups
1818 @section Sorting Groups
1819 @cindex sorting groups
1821 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
1822 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
1823 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
1824 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
1825 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
1826 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
1831 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
1832 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
1833 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
1835 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
1836 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
1837 Sort by group level.
1839 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
1840 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
1841 Sort by group score.
1843 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
1844 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
1845 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
1846 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}.
1848 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
1849 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
1850 Sort by number of unread articles.
1852 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
1853 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
1854 Sort by alphabetically on the select method.
1859 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
1860 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
1864 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
1865 some sorting criteria:
1869 @kindex G S a (Group)
1870 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
1871 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
1872 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
1875 @kindex G S u (Group)
1876 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
1877 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
1878 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
1881 @kindex G S l (Group)
1882 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
1883 Sort the group buffer by group level
1884 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
1887 @kindex G S v (Group)
1888 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
1889 Sort the group buffer by group score
1890 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}).
1893 @kindex G S r (Group)
1894 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
1895 Sort the group buffer by group level
1896 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}).
1899 @kindex G S m (Group)
1900 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
1901 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
1902 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
1906 When given a prefix, all these commands will sort in reverse order.
1909 @node Group Maintenance
1910 @section Group Maintenance
1911 @cindex bogus groups
1916 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
1917 Find bogus groups and delete them
1918 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
1922 @findex gnus-find-new-newsgroups
1923 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-find-new-newsgroups}). If
1924 given a prefix, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server for
1928 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
1929 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
1930 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
1931 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
1934 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
1935 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
1936 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
1937 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
1942 @node Browse Foreign Server
1943 @section Browse Foreign Server
1944 @cindex foreign servers
1945 @cindex browsing servers
1950 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1951 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
1952 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
1953 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
1956 @findex gnus-browse-mode
1957 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
1958 will be use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit
1959 (well, a lot) like a normal group buffer, but with one major difference
1960 - you can't enter any of the groups. If you want to read any of the
1961 news available on that server, you have to subscribe to the groups you
1962 think may be interesting, and then you have to exit this buffer. The
1963 new groups will be added to the group buffer, and then you can read them
1964 as you would any other group.
1966 Future versions of Gnus may possibly permit reading groups straight from
1969 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
1974 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1975 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1979 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1980 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1983 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
1984 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
1985 Enter the current group and display the first article
1986 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
1989 @kindex RET (Browse)
1990 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
1991 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
1995 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
1996 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
1997 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2003 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2004 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2008 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2009 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2010 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2015 @section Exiting Gnus
2016 @cindex exiting Gnus
2018 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
2023 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2024 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
2025 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2026 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2030 @findex gnus-group-exit
2031 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2035 @findex gnus-group-quit
2036 Quit Gnus without saving any startup files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2039 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2040 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2041 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
2042 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
2043 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2048 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2049 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2050 trying to customize meta-variables.
2055 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, feels her feet go
2056 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2057 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2063 @section Group Topics
2066 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2067 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2068 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2069 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2070 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2071 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2073 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2075 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2076 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2077 is a toggling command.)
2079 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2080 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2081 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2082 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2085 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2086 the hook for the group mode:
2089 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2093 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2094 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2095 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2099 @node Topic Variables
2100 @subsection Topic Variables
2101 @cindex topic variables
2103 Now, if you select a topic, if will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2104 really neat, I think.
2106 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2107 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2108 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
2109 Elements allowed are:
2121 Number of groups in the topic.
2123 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2125 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2128 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2129 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2130 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2131 The default is @code{2}.
2133 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2134 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2137 @node Topic Commands
2138 @subsection Topic Commands
2139 @cindex topic commands
2141 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2142 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2143 definitions slightly.
2149 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2150 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2151 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2155 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2156 Move the current group to some other topic
2157 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command understands the
2158 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2162 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2163 Copy the current group to some other topic
2164 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command understands the
2165 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2169 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2170 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2171 This command understands the process/prefix convention
2172 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2176 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2177 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2178 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2182 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2183 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2184 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2188 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2189 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2190 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2193 @kindex T M-# (Group)
2194 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2195 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2196 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2200 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2202 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2203 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2204 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2205 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2206 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2207 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2210 @kindex T TAB (Group)
2211 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2212 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2213 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2214 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2218 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2219 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}).
2223 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2224 Yank the previously killed group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}).
2225 Note that all topics will be yanked before all groups.
2229 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2230 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2233 @kindex T DEL (Group)
2234 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2235 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2239 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2240 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2241 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2246 @node Topic Topology
2247 @subsection Topic Topology
2248 @cindex topic topology
2251 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2257 2: alt.religion.emacs
2260 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2262 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2263 13: comp.sources.unix
2266 So, here we have one top-level topic, two topics under that, and one
2267 sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always just one (1)
2268 top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as follows:
2272 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2273 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2277 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2278 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2279 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2280 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2281 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2282 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2284 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2285 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2286 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2289 @node Misc Group Stuff
2290 @section Misc Group Stuff
2293 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
2294 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
2295 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
2302 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
2303 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}). @xref{The
2308 @findex gnus-group-post-news
2309 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). The current
2310 group name will be used as the default.
2314 @findex gnus-group-mail
2315 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
2319 Variables for the group buffer:
2323 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
2324 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
2325 @code{gnus-group-mode-hook} is called after the group buffer has been
2328 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
2329 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2330 @code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} is called after the group buffer is
2331 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
2334 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2335 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2336 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
2337 whether they are empty or not.
2342 @node Scanning New Messages
2343 @subsection Scanning New Messages
2344 @cindex new messages
2345 @cindex scanning new news
2351 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
2352 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
2353 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
2354 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
2355 command will force a total rereading of the active file(s) from the
2360 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
2361 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
2362 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
2363 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}). The
2364 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} variable controls whether
2365 this command is to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t}
2368 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
2369 @cindex activating groups
2371 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
2372 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
2377 @findex gnus-group-restart
2378 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}).
2382 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
2383 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
2385 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
2386 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
2390 @node Group Information
2391 @subsection Group Information
2392 @cindex group information
2393 @cindex information on groups
2399 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
2402 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
2403 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
2404 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
2405 remote machine. @code{ange-ftp} will be used for fetching the file.
2409 @cindex describing groups
2410 @cindex group description
2411 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
2412 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
2413 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
2417 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
2418 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
2419 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
2424 @findex gnus-version
2425 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
2429 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
2430 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
2433 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
2436 @findex gnus-info-find-node
2437 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
2442 @subsection File Commands
2443 @cindex file commands
2449 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
2450 @vindex gnus-init-file
2451 @cindex reading init file
2452 Read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
2453 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
2457 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
2458 @cindex saving .newsrc
2459 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
2460 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
2461 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
2464 @c @kindex Z (Group)
2465 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
2466 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
2471 @node The Summary Buffer
2472 @chapter The Summary Buffer
2473 @cindex summary buffer
2475 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
2476 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
2479 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
2480 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
2481 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
2482 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
2483 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
2484 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
2485 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
2486 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
2487 * Threading:: How threads are made.
2488 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
2489 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
2490 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
2491 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
2492 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
2493 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
2494 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
2495 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
2496 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
2497 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
2498 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
2499 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
2500 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
2501 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
2502 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
2506 @node Summary Buffer Format
2507 @section Summary Buffer Format
2508 @cindex summary buffer format
2511 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
2512 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
2513 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
2516 @findex mail-extract-address-components
2517 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
2518 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
2519 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
2520 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
2521 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined function exist:
2522 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
2523 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
2524 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
2525 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
2526 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead.
2528 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
2529 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
2530 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
2531 with those specs that require it. The default is @samp{}.
2534 @node Summary Buffer Lines
2535 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
2537 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
2538 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
2539 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
2540 lines a a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions.
2542 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
2544 The following format specification characters are understood:
2552 Subject if the article is the root, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject}
2555 Full @code{From} line.
2557 The name (from the @code{From} header).
2559 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
2560 spec in that it uses @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is
2561 slower, but may be more thorough.
2563 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
2566 Number of lines in the article.
2568 Number of characters in the article.
2570 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
2572 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
2573 pushes everything after it off the screen).
2575 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{\[}, but can also be @samp{<}
2576 for adopted articles.
2578 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{\]}, but can also be @samp{>}
2579 for adopted articles.
2581 One space for each thread level.
2583 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
2591 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
2592 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
2593 default level. If the difference between
2594 @code{gnus-summary-default-level} and the score is less than
2595 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
2607 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
2608 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
2610 A single character will be displayed if the article has any children.
2612 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
2613 be a letter. @sc{gnus} will call the function
2614 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
2615 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
2616 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
2617 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
2620 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
2621 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
2622 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
2623 that. This means that it is illegal to have these specs after a
2624 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
2625 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
2627 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
2628 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
2630 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
2633 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
2634 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
2636 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
2637 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar. Set
2638 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you like. Here are the
2639 elements you can play with:
2645 Unprefixed group name.
2647 Current article number.
2651 Number of unread articles in this group.
2653 Number of unselected articles in this group.
2655 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
2656 either as @samp{<%U(+%u) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
2657 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
2658 and no unselected ones.
2660 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
2661 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
2663 Subject of the current article.
2667 Name of the current score file.
2669 Number of dormant articles.
2671 Number of ticked articles.
2673 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
2675 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
2679 @node Summary Highlighting
2680 @subsection Summary Highlighting
2684 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
2685 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
2686 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
2687 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
2688 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
2690 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
2691 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
2692 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
2693 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
2695 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
2696 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
2697 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) that is used to
2698 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
2700 @item gnus-summary-highlight
2701 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
2702 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
2703 list where the elements are on the format @code{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
2704 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
2705 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
2707 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
2708 ((> score default) . bold))
2710 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
2711 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
2715 @node Summary Maneuvering
2716 @section Summary Maneuvering
2717 @cindex summary movement
2719 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
2720 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
2722 None of these commands select articles.
2727 @kindex M-n (Summary)
2728 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
2729 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
2730 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
2731 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
2735 @kindex M-p (Summary)
2736 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
2737 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
2738 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
2739 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
2744 @kindex G j (Summary)
2745 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
2746 Ask for an article number and then go that article
2747 (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
2750 @kindex G g (Summary)
2751 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
2752 Ask for an article number and then go the summary line of that article
2753 (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
2756 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
2757 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
2758 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
2759 to the group buffer.
2761 Variables related to summary movement:
2765 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
2766 @item gnus-auto-select-next
2767 If you are at the end of the group and issue one of the movement
2768 commands, Gnus will offer to go to the next group. If this variable is
2769 @code{t} and the next group is empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and
2770 return to the group buffer. If this variable is neither @code{t} nor
2771 @code{nil}, Gnus will select the next group, no matter whether it has
2772 any unread articles or not. As a special case, if this variable is
2773 @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
2774 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same will
2775 happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
2776 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
2777 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
2778 @pxref{Group Levels}.
2780 @item gnus-auto-select-same
2781 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
2782 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
2783 article with the same subject as the current. This variable is not
2784 particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
2786 @item gnus-summary-check-current
2787 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
2788 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
2789 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
2790 Instead, they will choose the current article.
2792 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
2793 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
2794 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
2795 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
2796 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
2797 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
2798 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
2799 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
2805 @node Choosing Articles
2806 @section Choosing Articles
2807 @cindex selecting articles
2809 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
2810 and they all select and display an article.
2814 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
2815 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
2816 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
2817 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
2822 @kindex G n (Summary)
2823 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
2824 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
2829 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
2830 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
2835 @kindex G N (Summary)
2836 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
2837 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
2842 @kindex G P (Summary)
2843 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
2844 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
2847 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
2848 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
2849 Go to the next article with the same subject
2850 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
2853 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
2854 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
2855 Go to the previous article with the same subject
2856 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
2860 @kindex G f (Summary)
2862 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2863 Go to the first unread article
2864 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
2868 @kindex G b (Summary)
2870 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2871 Go to the article with the highest score
2872 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
2877 @kindex G l (Summary)
2878 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
2879 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
2882 @kindex G p (Summary)
2883 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
2884 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
2885 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
2886 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
2887 history as you like.
2890 Some variables that are relevant for moving and selecting articles:
2893 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
2894 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
2895 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
2896 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
2897 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
2898 the server and display it in the article buffer.
2900 @item gnus-select-article-hook
2901 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
2902 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
2903 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
2905 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
2906 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
2907 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
2908 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
2909 @findex gnus-unread-mark
2910 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
2911 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
2912 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
2913 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
2914 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
2915 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
2916 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
2917 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
2918 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
2923 @node Paging the Article
2924 @section Scrolling the Article
2925 @cindex article scrolling
2930 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
2931 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
2932 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
2933 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
2934 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
2937 @kindex DEL (Summary)
2938 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
2939 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
2942 @kindex RET (Summary)
2943 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
2944 Scroll the current article one line forward
2945 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
2949 @kindex A g (Summary)
2951 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
2952 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
2953 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
2954 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
2955 the way it came from the server.
2960 @kindex A < (Summary)
2961 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
2962 Scroll to the beginning of the article
2963 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
2968 @kindex A > (Summary)
2969 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
2970 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
2973 @kindex A s (Summary)
2974 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
2975 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
2976 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
2981 @node Reply Followup and Post
2982 @section Reply, Followup and Post
2985 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
2986 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
2990 @node Summary Mail Commands
2991 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
2993 @cindex composing mail
2995 Commands for composing a mail message:
3001 @kindex S r (Summary)
3003 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3004 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3005 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3010 @kindex S R (Summary)
3011 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3012 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3013 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3014 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3017 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3018 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3019 Forward the current article to some other person
3020 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}).
3023 @kindex S o p (Summary)
3024 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
3025 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
3026 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
3031 @kindex S m (Summary)
3032 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3033 Send a mail to some other person
3034 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
3037 @kindex S D b (Summary)
3038 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
3039 @cindex bouncing mail
3040 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
3041 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
3042 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
3043 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
3044 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
3045 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
3046 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
3047 very well fail, though.
3050 @kindex S D r (Summary)
3051 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
3052 Not to be confused with the previous command,
3053 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
3054 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
3055 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
3056 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
3057 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
3058 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
3059 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
3061 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
3062 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
3063 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
3064 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
3065 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
3068 @kindex S O m (Summary)
3069 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
3070 Digest the current series and forward the result using mail
3071 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
3072 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3075 @kindex S O p (Summary)
3076 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
3077 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
3078 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}).
3082 @node Summary Post Commands
3083 @subsection Summary Post Commands
3085 @cindex composing news
3087 Commands for posting an article:
3093 @kindex S p (Summary)
3094 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
3095 Post an article to the current group
3096 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
3101 @kindex S f (Summary)
3102 @findex gnus-summary-followup
3103 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
3107 @kindex S F (Summary)
3109 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
3110 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
3111 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
3112 process/prefix convention.
3115 @kindex S u (Summary)
3116 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
3117 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
3118 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
3122 @node Canceling and Superseding
3123 @section Canceling Articles
3124 @cindex canceling articles
3125 @cindex superseding articles
3127 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
3128 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
3130 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
3132 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
3134 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
3135 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
3136 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
3137 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
3139 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
3140 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
3143 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
3144 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
3145 your original article.
3147 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
3149 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
3150 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
3151 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
3154 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
3155 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
3156 have posted almost the same article twice.
3158 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
3159 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
3160 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
3161 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*post-buf*}). There you will
3162 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
3163 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
3164 header by substituting one of those words for @code{Message-ID}. Then
3165 just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as you would do normally.
3166 The previous article will be canceled/superseded.
3168 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
3171 @node Marking Articles
3172 @section Marking Articles
3173 @cindex article marking
3174 @cindex article ticking
3177 There are several marks you can set on an article.
3179 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
3180 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
3181 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
3183 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
3186 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
3187 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
3188 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
3192 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
3196 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
3197 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
3201 @node Unread Articles
3202 @subsection Unread Articles
3204 The following marks mark articles as unread, in one form or other.
3206 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
3207 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
3210 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
3211 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
3212 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
3213 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
3214 article forever, you'll have to save it. Ticked articles have a
3215 @samp{!} (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}) in the first column.
3218 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
3219 A @dfn{dormant} article is marked with a @samp{?}
3220 (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}), and will only appear in the summary buffer
3221 if there are followups to it.
3224 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
3225 An @dfn{unread} article is marked with a @samp{SPACE}
3226 (@code{gnus-unread-mark}). These are articles that haven't been read at
3232 @subsection Read Articles
3233 @cindex expirable mark
3235 All the following marks mark articles as read.
3240 @vindex gnus-del-mark
3241 Articles that are marked as read. They have a @samp{r}
3242 (@code{gnus-del-mark}) in the first column. These are articles that the
3243 user has marked as read more or less manually.
3246 @vindex gnus-read-mark
3247 Articles that are actually read are marked with @samp{R}
3248 (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
3251 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
3252 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions are now
3253 @dfn{old} and marked with @samp{O} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
3256 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
3257 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
3260 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
3261 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
3264 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
3265 Marked as read by having a too low score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
3268 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
3269 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
3272 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
3273 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
3276 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
3277 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}).
3280 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
3281 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}).
3284 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
3285 They are interpreted differently by the adaptive scoring scheme,
3288 One more special mark, though:
3292 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
3293 You can also mark articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as
3294 such automatically). That doesn't make much sense in normal groups,
3295 because a user does not control the expiring of news articles, but in
3296 mail groups, for instance, articles that are marked as @dfn{expirable}
3297 can be deleted by Gnus at any time. Expirable articles are marked with
3298 @samp{E} (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
3303 @subsection Other Marks
3304 @cindex process mark
3307 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
3313 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
3314 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
3315 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
3316 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
3317 encounters the article.
3320 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
3321 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
3322 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
3323 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
3326 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
3327 Articles that are stored in the article cache will be marked with an
3328 @samp{*} in the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}).
3331 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
3332 Articles that are ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
3333 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
3334 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}.
3337 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
3338 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
3339 It the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
3340 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
3341 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
3344 @vindex gnus-process-mark
3345 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}. A
3346 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
3347 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
3348 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
3349 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
3353 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
3354 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
3355 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
3357 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
3358 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
3359 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
3363 @subsection Setting Marks
3364 @cindex setting marks
3366 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
3372 @kindex M t (Summary)
3373 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
3374 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
3379 @kindex M ? (Summary)
3380 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
3381 Mark the current article as dormant
3382 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}).
3386 @kindex M d (Summary)
3388 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
3389 Mark the current article as read
3390 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
3395 @kindex M k (Summary)
3396 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
3397 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
3398 and then select the next unread article
3399 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
3403 @kindex M K (Summary)
3404 @kindex C-k (Summary)
3405 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
3406 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
3407 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
3410 @kindex M C (Summary)
3411 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
3412 Mark all unread articles in the group as read
3413 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
3416 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
3417 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
3418 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
3419 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
3422 @kindex M H (Summary)
3423 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
3424 Catchup the current group to point
3425 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
3428 @kindex C-w (Summary)
3429 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
3430 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
3431 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
3434 @kindex M V k (Summary)
3435 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
3436 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
3437 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
3441 @kindex M c (Summary)
3442 @kindex M-u (Summary)
3443 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
3444 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
3445 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}).
3449 @kindex M e (Summary)
3451 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
3452 Mark the current article as expirable
3453 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
3456 @kindex M b (Summary)
3457 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
3458 Set a bookmark in the current article
3459 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
3462 @kindex M B (Summary)
3463 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
3464 Remove the bookmark from the current article
3465 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
3468 @kindex M V c (Summary)
3469 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
3470 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
3471 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
3474 @kindex M V u (Summary)
3475 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
3476 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
3477 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
3480 @kindex M V m (Summary)
3481 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
3482 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
3483 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
3484 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
3487 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
3488 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
3489 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
3490 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
3491 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
3492 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
3493 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
3494 The default is @code{t}.
3497 @node Setting Process Marks
3498 @subsection Setting Process Marks
3499 @cindex setting process marks
3506 @kindex M P p (Summary)
3507 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
3508 Mark the current article with the process mark
3509 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
3510 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
3514 @kindex M P u (Summary)
3515 @kindex M-# (Summary)
3516 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
3517 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
3520 @kindex M P U (Summary)
3521 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
3522 Remove the process mark from all articles
3523 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
3526 @kindex M P R (Summary)
3527 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
3528 Mark articles by a regular expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
3531 @kindex M P r (Summary)
3532 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
3533 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
3536 @kindex M P t (Summary)
3537 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
3538 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
3539 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
3542 @kindex M P T (Summary)
3543 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
3544 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
3545 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
3548 @kindex M P v (Summary)
3549 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
3550 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
3551 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
3554 @kindex M P s (Summary)
3555 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
3556 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
3559 @kindex M P S (Summary)
3560 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
3561 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
3562 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
3565 @kindex M P a (Summary)
3566 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
3567 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
3570 @kindex M P b (Summary)
3571 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
3572 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
3573 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
3581 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
3582 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
3583 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
3590 @kindex / / (Summary)
3591 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
3592 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
3593 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
3596 @kindex / a (Summary)
3597 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
3598 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
3599 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
3603 @kindex / u (Summary)
3605 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
3606 Limit the summary buffer to articles that are not marked as read
3607 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
3608 buffer to articles that are strictly unread. This means that ticked and
3609 dormant articles will also be excluded.
3612 @kindex / m (Summary)
3613 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
3614 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have not been marked
3615 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
3618 @kindex / n (Summary)
3619 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
3620 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
3621 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
3622 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3625 @kindex / w (Summary)
3626 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
3627 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
3628 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
3632 @kindex / v (Summary)
3633 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
3634 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
3635 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
3639 @kindex M S (Summary)
3640 @kindex / E (Summary)
3641 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
3642 Display all expunged articles
3643 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
3646 @kindex / D (Summary)
3647 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
3648 Display all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
3651 @kindex / d (Summary)
3652 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
3653 Hide all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
3656 @kindex / c (Summary)
3657 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
3658 Hide all dormant articles that have no children
3659 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
3662 @kindex / C (Summary)
3663 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
3664 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
3665 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
3666 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
3674 @cindex article threading
3676 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put replies to
3677 articles directly after the articles they reply to---in a hierarchical
3681 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
3682 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
3686 @node Customizing Threading
3687 @subsection Customizing Threading
3688 @cindex customizing threading
3694 @item gnus-show-threads
3695 @vindex gnus-show-threads
3696 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
3697 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
3698 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
3699 slower and more awkward.
3701 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
3702 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
3703 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
3704 more old headers---headers to articles that are marked as read. If you
3705 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
3706 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
3707 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
3708 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
3709 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
3710 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
3711 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
3712 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
3714 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
3715 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
3716 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
3717 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
3718 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
3719 articles that belong in the same thread together. This will leave
3720 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
3721 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
3722 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
3723 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
3724 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
3725 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
3726 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
3727 @code{nil} by default.
3729 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
3730 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
3731 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
3732 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
3733 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
3734 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
3735 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subjects lines. If
3736 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
3737 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
3738 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
3739 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
3741 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
3742 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
3743 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects.
3745 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
3746 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
3747 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
3748 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
3749 simplification is used.
3751 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
3752 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
3753 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
3754 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
3756 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
3758 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
3761 (mapconcat 'identity
3763 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
3764 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
3765 "answer" "reference" "announce"
3766 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
3771 (mapconcat 'identity
3772 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
3774 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
3777 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
3780 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
3781 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
3782 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
3783 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
3784 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
3785 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
3786 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process. The
3787 default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
3789 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
3790 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
3791 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
3792 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
3793 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
3794 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
3795 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever includes unrelated
3796 articles, but it's also means that people who have posted with broken
3797 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
3801 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
3802 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
3803 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
3804 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
3806 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
3807 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
3808 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
3811 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
3815 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
3816 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
3819 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
3820 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
3821 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
3822 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
3823 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
3824 read or killed the root in a previous session.
3826 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
3827 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
3828 There are four possible values:
3830 @cindex adopting articles
3835 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
3836 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
3837 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
3838 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
3841 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
3842 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
3843 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
3844 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
3845 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
3846 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
3847 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
3850 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
3851 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
3852 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
3856 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
3857 display them after one another.
3860 Don't gather loose threads.
3863 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
3864 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
3865 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
3868 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
3869 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
3870 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
3873 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
3874 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
3875 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
3876 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
3877 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
3880 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
3881 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
3882 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
3883 The default is @code{4}.
3887 @node Thread Commands
3888 @subsection Thread Commands
3889 @cindex thread commands
3895 @kindex T k (Summary)
3896 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
3897 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
3898 Mark all articles in the current sub-thread as read
3899 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
3900 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
3905 @kindex T l (Summary)
3906 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
3907 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
3908 Lower the score of the current thread
3909 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
3912 @kindex T i (Summary)
3913 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
3914 Increase the score of the current thread
3915 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
3918 @kindex T # (Summary)
3919 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
3920 Set the process mark on the current thread
3921 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
3924 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
3925 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
3926 Remove the process mark from the current thread
3927 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
3930 @kindex T T (Summary)
3931 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
3932 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
3935 @kindex T s (Summary)
3936 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
3937 Expose the thread hidden under the current article, if any
3938 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
3941 @kindex T h (Summary)
3942 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
3943 Hide the current (sub)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
3946 @kindex T S (Summary)
3947 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
3948 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
3951 @kindex T H (Summary)
3952 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
3953 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
3956 @kindex T t (Summary)
3957 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
3958 Re-thread the thread the current article is part of
3959 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
3960 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
3963 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
3964 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
3965 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
3966 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}.
3970 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
3971 understand the numeric prefix.
3976 @kindex T n (Summary)
3977 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
3978 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
3981 @kindex T p (Summary)
3982 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
3983 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
3986 @kindex T d (Summary)
3987 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
3988 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
3991 @kindex T u (Summary)
3992 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
3993 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
3996 @kindex T o (Summary)
3997 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
3998 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
4001 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
4002 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
4003 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
4004 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
4005 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
4006 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
4007 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If is
4008 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
4009 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
4010 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
4011 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
4012 that have subjects that are fuzzily equal will be included.
4018 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
4019 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
4020 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
4021 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
4022 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
4023 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
4024 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
4025 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
4026 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which is a list of functions.
4027 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
4028 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
4029 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
4030 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
4031 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
4033 Each function takes two threads and return non-@code{nil} if the first
4034 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
4035 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread. If you use
4036 more than one function, the primary sort key should be the last function
4037 in the list. You should probably always include
4038 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
4039 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
4040 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
4041 ascending article order.
4043 If you would like to sort by score, then by subject, and finally by
4044 number, you could do something like:
4047 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
4048 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
4049 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
4050 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
4053 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
4054 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
4055 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
4056 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
4057 which the articles arrived.
4059 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
4063 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
4065 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
4066 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
4069 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
4070 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
4071 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
4072 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
4075 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
4076 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
4077 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
4078 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
4079 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
4080 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
4081 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
4082 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
4083 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
4084 is uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
4085 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
4086 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
4087 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
4089 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
4093 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
4094 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
4095 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
4100 @node Asynchronous Fetching
4101 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
4102 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
4104 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
4105 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
4106 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
4107 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
4108 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
4110 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
4111 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
4113 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
4114 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
4115 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
4116 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
4117 connection is blocked.
4119 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
4120 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
4121 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
4122 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
4124 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
4125 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
4126 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
4127 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
4130 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
4133 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
4134 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
4135 happen automatically.
4137 @vindex nntp-async-number
4138 You can control how many articles that are to be pre-fetched by setting
4139 @code{nntp-async-number}. This is five by default, which means that when
4140 you read an article in the group, @code{nntp} will pre-fetch the next
4141 five articles. If this variable is @code{t}, @code{nntp} will pre-fetch
4142 all the articles that it can without bound. If it is @code{nil}, no
4143 pre-fetching will be made.
4145 @vindex gnus-asynchronous-article-function
4146 You may wish to create some sort of scheme for choosing which articles
4147 that @code{nntp} should consider as candidates for pre-fetching. For
4148 instance, you may wish to pre-fetch all articles with high scores, and
4149 not pre-fetch low-scored articles. You can do that by setting the
4150 @code{gnus-asynchronous-article-function}, which will be called with an
4151 alist where the keys are the article numbers. Your function should
4152 return an alist where the articles you are not interested in have been
4153 removed. You could also do sorting on article score and the like.
4156 @node Article Caching
4157 @section Article Caching
4158 @cindex article caching
4161 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
4162 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
4163 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
4164 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
4165 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
4167 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
4169 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
4170 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
4171 @vindex gnus-use-cache
4172 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
4173 all articles that are ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
4174 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
4175 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
4176 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
4178 When re-select a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
4179 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
4180 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
4181 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
4182 as dormant, and don't worry.
4184 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
4186 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
4187 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
4188 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
4189 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
4190 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
4191 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
4192 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
4193 articles that are marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
4194 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
4195 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
4197 @findex gnus-jog-cache
4198 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
4199 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
4200 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, and store them in
4201 the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this command if 1)
4202 your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really, really slow
4203 and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk. Seriously.
4205 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
4206 It is likely that you do not want caching on some groups. For instance,
4207 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
4208 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
4209 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space. To limit the caching,
4210 you could set the @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to
4211 @samp{^nnml}, for instance. This variable is @code{nil} by
4214 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
4215 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
4216 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
4217 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
4218 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
4219 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
4220 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
4221 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
4222 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
4226 @node Persistent Articles
4227 @section Persistent Articles
4228 @cindex persistent articles
4230 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
4231 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
4232 useful in my opinion.
4234 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
4235 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
4236 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
4237 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
4238 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
4239 the expiry going on at the news server.
4241 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
4242 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
4243 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
4249 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
4250 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
4253 @kindex M-* (Summary)
4254 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
4255 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
4256 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
4260 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
4262 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
4263 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
4264 interested in persistent articles:
4267 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
4271 @node Article Backlog
4272 @section Article Backlog
4274 @cindex article backlog
4276 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
4277 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
4278 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
4279 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
4280 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
4281 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
4282 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
4283 increase memory usage some.
4285 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
4286 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
4287 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
4288 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
4289 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
4290 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
4291 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
4293 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
4296 @node Saving Articles
4297 @section Saving Articles
4298 @cindex saving articles
4300 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
4301 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
4302 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
4303 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
4304 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
4306 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
4307 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
4308 unwanted headers before saving the article.
4310 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
4311 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
4312 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
4313 deleted before saving.
4319 @kindex O o (Summary)
4321 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
4322 Save the current article using the default article saver
4323 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
4326 @kindex O m (Summary)
4327 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
4328 Save the current article in mail format
4329 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
4332 @kindex O r (Summary)
4333 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
4334 Save the current article in rmail format
4335 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
4338 @kindex O f (Summary)
4339 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
4340 Save the current article in plain file format
4341 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
4344 @kindex O b (Summary)
4345 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
4346 Save the current article body in plain file format
4347 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
4350 @kindex O h (Summary)
4351 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
4352 Save the current article in mh folder format
4353 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
4356 @kindex O v (Summary)
4357 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
4358 Save the current article in a VM folder
4359 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
4362 @kindex O p (Summary)
4363 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
4364 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
4365 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
4368 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
4369 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
4370 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
4371 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
4372 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
4373 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
4374 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
4375 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
4376 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
4377 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
4378 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
4379 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
4383 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
4384 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
4385 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the four ready-made
4386 functions below, or you can create your own.
4390 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
4391 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
4392 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
4393 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
4394 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
4395 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4396 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
4398 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
4399 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
4400 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
4401 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
4402 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4403 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
4405 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
4406 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
4407 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
4408 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
4409 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
4410 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4411 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
4413 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
4414 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
4415 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
4416 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4417 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
4419 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
4420 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
4421 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
4422 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
4423 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
4426 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
4427 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
4428 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
4429 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
4430 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}. The former creates capitalized names, and
4431 the latter does not.
4433 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
4434 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
4435 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
4436 reader to use this setting.
4439 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
4440 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
4441 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
4442 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
4445 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
4446 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
4447 available functions that generate names:
4451 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
4452 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
4453 Generates file names that look like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
4455 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
4456 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
4457 Generates file names that look like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
4459 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
4460 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
4461 Generates file names that look like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
4463 @item gnus-plain-save-name
4464 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
4465 Generates file names that look like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
4468 @vindex gnus-split-methods
4469 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
4470 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
4471 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
4472 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
4476 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
4477 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
4478 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
4479 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
4482 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
4483 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
4484 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
4485 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
4486 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
4487 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
4488 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
4489 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
4490 called returns a string or a list of strings.
4492 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
4493 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
4494 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
4495 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
4497 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
4498 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
4499 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
4502 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
4503 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
4504 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
4505 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
4506 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
4507 all the files in the toplevel directory
4508 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
4509 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
4510 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
4511 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
4513 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
4514 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
4515 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
4516 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
4517 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
4520 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
4524 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
4525 (setq gnus-default-article-save 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
4528 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
4529 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
4530 the toplevel directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
4531 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
4534 @node Decoding Articles
4535 @section Decoding Articles
4536 @cindex decoding articles
4538 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
4539 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
4542 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
4543 * Shared Articles:: Unshar articles.
4544 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
4545 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
4546 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
4549 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
4550 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
4551 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
4552 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
4553 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
4555 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
4556 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
4557 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
4559 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
4560 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
4561 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
4563 Subjects that are nonstandard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
4564 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
4565 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
4568 @node Uuencoded Articles
4569 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
4571 @cindex uuencoded articles
4576 @kindex X u (Summary)
4577 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
4578 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
4581 @kindex X U (Summary)
4582 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
4583 Uudecodes and saves the current series
4584 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
4587 @kindex X v u (Summary)
4588 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
4589 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
4592 @kindex X v U (Summary)
4593 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
4594 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
4595 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
4598 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
4599 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
4600 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
4601 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
4602 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
4604 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
4605 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
4606 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
4607 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
4610 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
4611 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
4612 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
4613 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
4614 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
4615 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
4619 @node Shared Articles
4620 @subsection Shared Articles
4622 @cindex shared articles
4627 @kindex X s (Summary)
4628 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
4629 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
4632 @kindex X S (Summary)
4633 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
4634 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
4637 @kindex X v s (Summary)
4638 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
4639 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
4642 @kindex X v S (Summary)
4643 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
4644 Unshars, views and saves the current series
4645 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
4649 @node PostScript Files
4650 @subsection PostScript Files
4656 @kindex X p (Summary)
4657 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
4658 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
4661 @kindex X P (Summary)
4662 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
4663 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
4664 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
4667 @kindex X v p (Summary)
4668 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
4669 View the current PostScript series
4670 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
4673 @kindex X v P (Summary)
4674 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
4675 View and save the current PostScript series
4676 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
4680 @node Decoding Variables
4681 @subsection Decoding Variables
4683 Adjective, not verb.
4686 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
4687 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
4688 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
4692 @node Rule Variables
4693 @subsubsection Rule Variables
4694 @cindex rule variables
4696 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
4697 variables are on the form
4700 (list '(regexp1 command2)
4707 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
4708 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
4710 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
4711 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
4714 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
4715 (list '(\"\\\\.au$\" \"sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio\")))
4718 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
4719 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
4720 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
4721 user and default view rules.
4723 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
4724 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
4725 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
4730 @node Other Decode Variables
4731 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
4734 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
4736 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
4737 All functions in this list will be called right each file has been
4738 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
4739 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
4740 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
4744 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
4745 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
4748 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
4749 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
4750 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
4753 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
4754 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
4755 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
4757 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
4758 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
4759 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
4760 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
4761 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
4764 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
4765 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
4766 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
4768 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
4769 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
4770 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
4771 looking for files to display.
4773 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
4774 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
4775 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
4778 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
4779 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
4780 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
4783 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
4784 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
4785 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
4788 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
4789 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
4790 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
4793 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
4794 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
4795 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark articles that were
4796 unsuccessfully decoded as unread.
4798 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
4799 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
4800 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
4801 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
4803 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
4804 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
4806 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
4807 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
4808 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
4809 @code{metamail} for viewing.
4811 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
4812 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
4813 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
4814 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
4815 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
4816 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
4817 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
4818 simply dropped them.
4823 @node Uuencoding and Posting
4824 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
4828 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
4829 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
4830 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
4831 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
4832 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
4833 for you when you post the article.
4835 @item gnus-uu-post-length
4836 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
4837 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
4838 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
4840 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
4841 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
4842 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
4843 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen are able
4844 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
4845 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
4846 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
4848 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
4849 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
4850 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
4851 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
4852 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
4853 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
4854 Default is @code{t}.
4860 @subsection Viewing Files
4861 @cindex viewing files
4862 @cindex pseudo-articles
4864 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
4865 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
4866 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
4867 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
4868 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
4869 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
4870 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
4872 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
4873 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
4874 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
4875 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
4877 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
4878 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
4879 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
4881 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
4882 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
4883 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
4884 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
4885 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
4887 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
4888 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
4889 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
4890 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
4891 a list of parameters to that command.
4893 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
4894 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
4895 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
4897 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
4898 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
4899 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
4902 @node Article Treatment
4903 @section Article Treatment
4905 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
4906 object of newsreaders are to actually, like, read what people have
4907 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
4908 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
4909 these articles easier.
4912 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
4913 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
4914 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
4915 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
4916 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
4920 @node Article Highlighting
4921 @subsection Article Highlighting
4924 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
4925 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
4930 @kindex W H a (Summary)
4931 @findex gnus-article-highlight
4932 Highlight the current article (@code{gnus-article-highlight}).
4935 @kindex W H h (Summary)
4936 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
4937 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
4938 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
4939 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
4940 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
4941 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
4942 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name and
4943 @var{content} is the face for highlighting the header value. The first
4944 match made will be used. Note that @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^}
4945 prepended---Gnus will add one.
4948 @kindex W H c (Summary)
4949 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
4950 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
4952 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
4955 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
4957 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
4958 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
4959 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
4961 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
4962 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
4963 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
4965 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
4966 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
4967 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
4969 @item gnus-cite-face-list
4970 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
4971 List of faces used for highlighting citations. When there are citations
4972 from multiple articles in the same message, Gnus will try to give each
4973 citation from each article its own face. This should make it easier to
4976 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
4977 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
4978 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
4980 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
4981 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
4982 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
4984 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
4985 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
4986 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
4987 that it's a citation.
4989 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
4990 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
4991 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
4993 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
4994 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
4995 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
4997 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
4998 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
4999 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
5000 cited text belonging to the attribution.
5006 @kindex W H s (Summary)
5007 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
5008 @vindex gnus-signature-face
5009 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
5010 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
5011 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} in an article will be
5012 considered a signature and will be highlighted with
5013 @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by default.
5018 @node Article Hiding
5019 @subsection Article Hiding
5020 @cindex article hiding
5022 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
5023 too much cruft in most articles.
5028 @kindex W W a (Summary)
5029 @findex gnus-article-hide
5030 Do maximum hiding on the summary buffer (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}).
5033 @kindex W W h (Summary)
5034 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
5035 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
5039 @kindex W W b (Summary)
5040 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
5041 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
5042 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
5045 @kindex W W s (Summary)
5046 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
5047 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}).
5050 @kindex W W p (Summary)
5051 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
5052 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}).
5055 @kindex W W c (Summary)
5056 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
5057 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
5058 customizing the hiding:
5062 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
5063 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
5064 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
5065 50), hide the cited text.
5067 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
5068 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
5069 The cited text must be have at least this length (default 10) before it
5072 @item gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
5073 @vindex gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
5074 Gnus adds buttons show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
5075 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
5076 by this format-like variable. These specs are legal:
5080 Start point of the hidden text.
5082 End point of the hidden text.
5084 Length of the hidden text.
5087 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
5088 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
5089 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
5094 @kindex W W C (Summary)
5095 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
5096 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
5097 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
5098 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
5099 in @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
5103 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
5104 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
5105 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
5107 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
5108 citation customization.
5110 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
5111 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
5112 signature. If it is a number, no signature may not be longer (in
5113 characters) than that number. If it is a function, the function will be
5114 called without any parameters, and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no
5115 signature in the buffer. If it is a string, it will be used as a
5116 regexp. If it matches, the text in question is not a signature.
5119 @node Article Washing
5120 @subsection Article Washing
5122 @cindex article washing
5124 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
5125 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
5127 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
5128 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
5134 @kindex W l (Summary)
5135 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
5136 Remove page breaks from the current article
5137 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}).
5140 @kindex W r (Summary)
5141 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
5142 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
5143 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
5146 @kindex W t (Summary)
5147 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
5148 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
5149 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
5152 @kindex W v (Summary)
5153 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
5154 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
5155 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
5158 @kindex W m (Summary)
5159 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
5160 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
5161 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
5164 @kindex W o (Summary)
5165 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
5166 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
5169 @kindex W w (Summary)
5170 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
5171 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
5174 @kindex W c (Summary)
5175 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
5176 Remove CR (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
5179 @kindex W L (Summary)
5180 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
5181 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
5182 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
5185 @kindex W q (Summary)
5186 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
5187 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
5190 @kindex W f (Summary)
5192 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
5193 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
5194 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
5195 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
5196 Look for and display any X-Face headers
5197 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
5198 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If
5199 this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell.
5200 If it is a function, this function will be called with the face as the
5201 argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp)
5202 matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown. The default
5203 action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the face; under
5204 XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the @code{From}
5205 header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face support --
5206 that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native X-Face
5207 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
5208 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
5209 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
5213 @kindex W b (Summary)
5214 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
5215 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
5218 @kindex W B (Summary)
5219 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
5220 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
5221 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
5226 @node Article Buttons
5227 @subsection Article Buttons
5230 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
5231 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
5232 with the minimum of fuzz.
5234 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
5235 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
5236 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
5241 @item gnus-button-alist
5242 @vindex gnus-button-alist
5243 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
5246 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
5252 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
5253 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that match embedded URLs:
5254 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
5257 Gnus has to know which parts of the match is to be highlighted. This is
5258 a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp that is to be
5259 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use @code{0} here.
5262 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
5263 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
5264 avoid false matches.
5267 This function will be called when you click on this button.
5270 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
5271 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
5275 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
5278 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
5281 @item gnus-header-button-alist
5282 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
5283 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
5284 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
5285 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
5288 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
5291 @var{header} is a regular expression.
5293 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
5294 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
5295 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
5296 default values of the variables above.
5298 @item gnus-article-button-face
5299 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
5300 Face used on bottons.
5302 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
5303 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
5304 Face is used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
5310 @subsection Article Date
5312 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
5313 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
5314 when the article was sent.
5319 @kindex W T u (Summary)
5320 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
5321 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
5322 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
5325 @kindex W T l (Summary)
5326 @findex gnus-article-date-local
5327 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
5330 @kindex W T e (Summary)
5331 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
5332 Say how much time has (e)lapsed between the article was posted and now
5333 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}).
5336 @kindex W T o (Summary)
5337 @findex gnus-article-date-original
5338 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
5339 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and is
5340 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
5341 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
5342 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
5347 @node Summary Sorting
5348 @section Summary Sorting
5349 @cindex summary sorting
5351 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
5352 can't really see why you'd want that.
5357 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
5358 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
5359 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
5362 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
5363 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
5364 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
5367 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
5368 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
5369 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
5372 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
5373 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
5374 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
5377 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
5378 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
5379 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
5382 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
5383 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
5384 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
5385 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
5386 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
5390 @node Finding the Parent
5391 @section Finding the Parent
5392 @cindex parent articles
5393 @cindex referring articles
5395 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
5397 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
5398 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
5399 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
5400 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
5401 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
5402 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
5403 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
5404 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
5406 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
5407 @kindex A R (Summary)
5408 You can have Gnus fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References}
5409 header of the article by pushing @kbd{A R}
5410 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
5412 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
5413 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
5414 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
5415 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
5416 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
5417 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long thingies that look
5418 something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You have to get
5419 it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
5421 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
5422 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
5423 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
5424 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
5425 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the same
5426 as the one that keeps the spool you are reading from updated, but that's
5427 not really necessary.
5429 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
5430 not do a particularly excellent job of it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
5431 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
5432 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
5433 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
5434 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
5437 @node Alternative Approaches
5438 @section Alternative Approaches
5440 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
5441 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
5444 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
5445 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
5450 @subsection Pick and Read
5451 @cindex pick and read
5453 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{nn}) use a two-phased
5454 reading interface. The user first marks the articles she wants to read
5455 from a summary buffer. Then she starts reading the articles with just
5456 an article buffer displayed.
5458 @findex gnus-pick-mode
5459 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
5460 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
5461 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
5462 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
5463 it makes one additional command for switching to the summary buffer
5466 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
5470 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
5471 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5472 Pick the article (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5476 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5477 Unpick the article (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5481 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5482 Unpick all articles (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5486 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5487 Pick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5491 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5492 Unpick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5496 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5497 Pick the region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5501 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
5502 Unpick the region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
5506 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5507 Pick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5511 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5512 Unpick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5516 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5517 Pick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5521 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-buffer
5522 Unpick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-buffer}).
5526 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
5527 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
5528 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
5529 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
5530 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
5531 will still be visible when you are reading.
5535 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
5538 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
5541 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
5542 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
5546 @subsection Binary Groups
5547 @cindex binary groups
5549 @findex gnus-binary-mode
5550 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
5551 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
5552 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
5553 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
5554 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
5555 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
5558 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
5559 In fact, the only way to see the actual articles if you have turned this
5560 mode on is the @kbd{g} command (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
5562 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
5563 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
5567 @section Tree Display
5570 @vindex gnus-use-trees
5571 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
5572 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
5573 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
5576 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
5579 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
5580 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
5581 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
5583 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
5584 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
5585 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers. The default
5586 is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}. For a list of legal specs, @pxref{Summary
5589 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
5590 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
5591 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
5592 default is @code{modeline}.
5594 @item gnus-tree-line-format
5595 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
5596 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
5597 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
5598 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
5599 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
5600 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
5606 The name of the poster.
5608 The @code{From} header.
5610 The number of the article.
5612 The opening bracket.
5614 The closing bracket.
5619 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5621 Variables related to the display are:
5624 @item gnus-tree-brackets
5625 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
5626 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
5627 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
5628 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
5629 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}))}.
5631 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
5632 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
5633 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
5634 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
5638 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
5639 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
5640 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
5641 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
5642 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
5643 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}.
5645 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
5646 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
5647 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
5648 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
5649 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
5650 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
5651 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
5655 Here's and example from a horizontal tree buffer:
5658 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
5668 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
5672 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
5673 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
5675 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
5677 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
5683 @node Mail Group Commands
5684 @section Mail Group Commands
5685 @cindex mail group commands
5687 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
5688 illegal in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
5690 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
5691 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5696 @kindex B e (Summary)
5697 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
5698 Expire all expirable articles in the group
5699 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
5702 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
5703 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
5704 Expunge all the expirable articles in the group
5705 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
5706 articles that are eligible for expiry in the current group will
5707 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
5710 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
5711 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
5712 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
5713 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
5714 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
5717 @kindex B m (Summary)
5719 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
5720 Move the article from one mail group to another
5721 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
5724 @kindex B c (Summary)
5726 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
5727 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
5728 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
5731 @kindex B C (Summary)
5732 @cindex crosspost mail
5733 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
5734 Crosspost the current article to some other group
5735 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
5736 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
5737 be properly updated.
5740 @kindex B i (Summary)
5741 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
5742 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
5743 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
5744 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
5747 @kindex B r (Summary)
5748 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
5749 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
5753 @kindex B w (Summary)
5755 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
5756 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
5757 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
5758 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
5759 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}).
5762 @kindex B q (Summary)
5763 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
5764 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
5765 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
5766 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
5769 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
5770 @cindex moving articles
5771 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
5772 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
5773 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
5774 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
5775 suggestions you find reasonable.
5778 @node Various Summary Stuff
5779 @section Various Summary Stuff
5782 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
5783 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
5784 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
5788 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
5789 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
5790 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
5792 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
5793 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
5794 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
5795 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
5796 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
5797 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
5800 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
5801 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
5802 Is is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
5803 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
5804 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
5809 @node Summary Group Information
5810 @subsection Summary Group Information
5815 @kindex H f (Summary)
5816 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
5817 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
5818 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
5819 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
5820 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
5821 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
5822 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
5823 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} probably will be used for
5827 @kindex H d (Summary)
5828 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
5829 Give a brief description of the current group
5830 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
5831 rereading the description from the server.
5834 @kindex H h (Summary)
5835 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
5836 Give a very brief description of the most important summary keystrokes
5837 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
5840 @kindex H i (Summary)
5841 @findex gnus-info-find-node
5842 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
5846 @node Searching for Articles
5847 @subsection Searching for Articles
5852 @kindex M-s (Summary)
5853 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
5854 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
5855 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
5858 @kindex M-r (Summary)
5859 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
5860 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
5861 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
5865 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
5866 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
5867 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
5868 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}).
5871 @kindex M-& (Summary)
5872 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
5873 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
5874 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
5878 @node Really Various Summary Commands
5879 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
5884 @kindex A D (Summary)
5885 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
5886 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
5887 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
5888 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
5889 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
5890 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
5891 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages on
5892 some format, you @kbd{A D} and read these messages in a more convenient
5896 @kindex C-t (Summary)
5897 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
5898 Toggle truncation of summary lines (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}).
5902 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
5903 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
5904 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
5908 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
5909 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
5910 @cindex summary exit
5911 @cindex exiting groups
5913 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
5914 group and return you to the group buffer.
5920 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
5922 @findex gnus-summary-exit
5923 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
5924 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
5925 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
5926 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
5927 called before doing much of the exiting, and calls
5928 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
5929 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exiting
5934 @kindex Z E (Summary)
5936 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
5937 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
5938 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
5942 @kindex Z c (Summary)
5944 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
5945 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
5946 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
5949 @kindex Z C (Summary)
5950 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
5951 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
5952 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
5955 @kindex Z n (Summary)
5956 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
5957 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
5958 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
5961 @kindex Z R (Summary)
5962 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
5963 Exit this group, and then enter it again
5964 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
5965 all articles, both read and unread.
5969 @kindex Z G (Summary)
5970 @kindex M-g (Summary)
5971 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
5972 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
5973 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
5974 articles, both read and unread.
5977 @kindex Z N (Summary)
5978 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
5979 Exit the group and go to the next group
5980 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
5983 @kindex Z P (Summary)
5984 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
5985 Exit the group and go to the previous group
5986 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
5989 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
5990 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
5993 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
5994 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
5995 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
5996 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
5997 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
5998 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
5999 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
6000 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
6001 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
6002 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
6003 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
6004 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
6006 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
6008 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
6009 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
6010 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
6011 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
6012 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
6013 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
6014 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
6015 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
6016 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups.
6020 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
6021 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
6022 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
6023 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
6024 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
6027 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
6028 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
6029 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided.
6031 @cindex cross-posting
6034 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
6035 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
6036 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
6037 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
6038 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
6039 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
6040 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
6041 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
6042 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
6043 the cross reference mechanism.
6045 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
6046 @cindex overview.fmt
6047 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
6048 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
6049 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
6050 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
6051 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
6052 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
6055 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
6056 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
6057 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
6063 @node The Article Buffer
6064 @chapter The Article Buffer
6065 @cindex article buffer
6067 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
6068 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
6069 tell Gnus otherwise.
6072 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
6073 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
6074 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
6075 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer
6076 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
6080 @node Hiding Headers
6081 @section Hiding Headers
6082 @cindex hiding headers
6083 @cindex deleting headers
6085 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
6086 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
6088 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
6089 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
6090 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
6091 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
6092 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
6093 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
6094 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
6095 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
6096 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
6098 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
6102 @item gnus-visible-headers
6103 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
6104 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
6105 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
6106 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
6108 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
6109 the article and the subject, you'd say:
6112 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
6115 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers that are to
6118 @item gnus-ignored-headers
6119 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
6120 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
6121 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
6122 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
6123 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
6125 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
6126 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
6129 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
6132 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers that are to
6135 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
6136 variable will have no effect.
6140 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
6141 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
6142 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
6143 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
6144 the headers are to be displayed.
6146 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
6147 and then the subject, you might say something like:
6150 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
6153 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
6154 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers that
6155 are listed in this variable.
6157 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
6158 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
6159 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
6160 You can hide further boring headers by entering
6161 @code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers} into
6162 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}. What this function does depends on
6163 the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a list, but this
6164 list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is lists various
6165 @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove from sight.
6167 These conditions are:
6170 Remove all empty headers.
6172 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
6175 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
6176 @code{Newsgroups} header.
6178 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
6181 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
6185 To include the four first elements, you could say something like;
6188 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
6189 '(empty newsgroups followup-to reply-to))
6192 This is also the default value for this variable.
6196 @section Using @sc{mime}
6199 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
6200 while people stand around yawning.
6202 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
6203 while all newsreaders die of fear.
6205 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
6206 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
6207 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
6209 @vindex gnus-show-mime
6210 @vindex gnus-show-mime-method
6211 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
6212 @findex metamail-buffer
6213 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by shoving the articles through
6214 @code{gnus-show-mime-method}, which is @code{metamail-buffer} by
6215 default. Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
6216 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
6217 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
6218 @sc{mime} headers in the article.
6220 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the summary
6221 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
6222 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
6223 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
6224 comes streaming out out your speakers, and you can't find the volume
6225 button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you,
6226 and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the
6227 program to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly
6228 decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
6230 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
6233 @node Customizing Articles
6234 @section Customizing Articles
6235 @cindex article customization
6237 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
6238 The @code{gnus-article-display-hook} is called after the article has
6239 been inserted into the article buffer. It is meant to handle all
6240 treatment of the article before it is displayed.
6242 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6243 By default it contains @code{gnus-article-hide-headers},
6244 @code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}, and
6245 @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight}, but there are thousands, nay
6246 millions, of functions you can put in this hook. For an overview of
6247 functions @pxref{Article Highlighting}, @pxref{Article Hiding},
6248 @pxref{Article Washing}, @pxref{Article Buttons} and @pxref{Article
6251 You can, of course, write your own functions. The functions are called
6252 from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like, pretty much.
6253 There is no information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can
6254 change everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead
6255 make them invisible if you want to make them go away.
6258 @node Article Keymap
6259 @section Article Keymap
6261 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
6262 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
6263 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
6264 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
6267 A few additional keystrokes are available:
6272 @kindex SPACE (Article)
6273 @findex gnus-article-next-page
6274 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
6277 @kindex DEL (Article)
6278 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
6279 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
6282 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
6283 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
6284 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
6285 @kbd{r}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
6286 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
6289 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
6290 @findex gnus-article-mail
6291 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
6292 given a prefix, include the mail.
6296 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
6297 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
6298 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
6302 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
6303 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
6304 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
6307 @kindex TAB (Article)
6308 @findex gnus-article-next-button
6309 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}. This
6310 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
6313 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
6314 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
6315 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}.
6321 @section Misc Article
6325 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
6326 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
6327 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
6328 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
6331 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
6332 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
6333 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
6334 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
6335 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
6336 the contents of the article buffer.
6338 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
6339 @item gnus-article-display-hook
6340 This hook is called as the last thing when displaying an article, and is
6341 intended for modifying the contents of the buffer, doing highlights,
6342 hiding headers, and the like.
6344 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
6345 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
6346 Hook called in article mode buffers.
6348 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
6349 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
6350 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
6351 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. It accepts exactly the same
6352 format specifications as that variable.
6353 @vindex gnus-break-pages
6355 @item gnus-break-pages
6356 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
6357 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
6358 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
6359 paging will not be done.
6361 @item gnus-page-delimiter
6362 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
6363 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
6368 @node Composing Messages
6369 @chapter Composing Messages
6374 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
6375 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
6376 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
6377 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
6378 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
6379 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
6380 to make Gnus try to post using the foreign server.
6383 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
6384 * Post:: Posting and following up.
6385 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
6386 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
6387 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
6388 @c * Posting Styles:: An easier way to configure some key elements.
6389 @c * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
6390 @c * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
6393 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
6394 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
6400 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
6403 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
6404 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
6405 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
6406 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
6414 Variables for composing news articles:
6417 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
6418 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
6419 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
6420 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
6421 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
6422 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to sent the
6423 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
6424 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
6425 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
6428 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
6429 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
6430 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
6431 file. It is 1000 by default.
6436 @node Posting Server
6437 @section Posting Server
6439 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
6440 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
6442 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
6444 @vindex gnus-post-method
6446 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
6447 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
6448 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
6449 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
6450 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
6453 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
6456 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
6457 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
6458 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
6459 the ``current'' server for posting.
6461 If you give a zero prefix (i. e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
6462 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
6464 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
6465 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
6470 @section Mail and Post
6472 Here's a list of variables that are relevant to both mailing and
6476 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
6477 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
6478 @cindex mailing lists
6480 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists that are
6481 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
6482 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
6483 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
6484 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
6485 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that match the groups that
6486 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
6487 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
6488 still a pain, though.
6492 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
6493 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
6494 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
6497 @findex ispell-message
6499 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
6503 @node Archived Messages
6504 @section Archived Messages
6505 @cindex archived messages
6506 @cindex sent messages
6508 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail you send.
6509 The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to store
6510 the mail. If you want to disable this completely, you should set
6511 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil}.
6513 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
6514 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
6515 use to store sent messages. It is @code{(nnfolder "archive"
6516 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive/"))} by default, but you can use any
6517 mail select method (@code{nnml}, @code{nnmbox}, etc.). However,
6518 @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method for doing this sort of
6519 thing. If you don't like the default directory chosen, you could say
6523 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
6524 '(nnfolder "archive"
6525 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
6526 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
6527 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
6530 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
6532 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
6533 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
6534 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
6536 This variable can be:
6540 Messages will be saved in that group.
6541 @item a list of strings
6542 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
6543 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
6544 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
6549 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
6551 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
6554 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
6556 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
6559 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
6561 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
6562 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
6563 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
6564 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
6569 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
6570 '((if (message-news-p)
6575 This is the default.
6577 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
6578 messages in one file per month:
6581 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
6582 '((if (message-news-p)
6584 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
6585 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
6588 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
6589 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
6590 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
6591 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
6592 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
6593 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
6594 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
6595 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something nice --
6596 @samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
6597 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
6599 That's the default method of archiving sent mail. Gnus also offers two
6600 other variables for the people who don't like the default method. In
6601 that case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to
6602 @code{nil}; this will disable archiving.
6604 XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
6605 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.
6609 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
6610 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
6611 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
6612 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
6613 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
6616 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
6617 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
6618 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
6623 @c @node Posting Styles
6624 @c @section Posting Styles
6625 @c @cindex posting styles
6628 @c All them variables, they make my head swim.
6630 @c So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
6631 @c on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
6632 @c and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
6635 @c @vindex gnus-posting-styles
6636 @c One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
6637 @c variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
6638 @c came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
6639 @c a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
6644 @c (signature . "Peace and happiness")
6645 @c (organization . "What me?"))
6647 @c (signature . "Death to everybody"))
6648 @c ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
6649 @c (organization . "Emacs is it")))
6652 @c As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
6653 @c @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
6654 @c ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
6655 @c over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
6656 @c applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
6657 @c the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
6658 @c @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
6659 @c signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
6661 @c The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
6662 @c string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
6663 @c If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
6664 @c arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
6665 @c referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
6666 @c any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
6669 @c Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
6670 @c attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
6671 @c can be one of @code{signature}, @code{organization} or @code{from}. The
6672 @c attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
6673 @c a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
6676 @c The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
6677 @c return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
6678 @c list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
6680 @c So here's a new example:
6683 @c (setq gnus-posting-styles
6685 @c (signature . "~/.signature")
6686 @c (from . "user@@foo (user)")
6687 @c ("X-Home-Page" . (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
6688 @c (organization . "People's Front Against MWM"))
6690 @c (signature . my-funny-signature-randomizer))
6691 @c ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
6692 @c (signature . my-quote-randomizer))
6693 @c (posting-from-work-p
6694 @c (signature . "~/.work-signature")
6695 @c (from . "user@@bar.foo (user)")
6696 @c (organization . "Important Work, Inc"))
6698 @c (signature . "~/.mail-signature"))))
6705 @c If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
6706 @c you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
6707 @c craazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save the
6708 @c message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some other
6709 @c day, and send it when you feel its finished.
6711 @c Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
6712 @c some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
6713 @c automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
6714 @c If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
6715 @c article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
6719 @c @vindex gnus-draft-group-directory
6720 @c The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
6721 @c @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
6722 @c @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{gnus-draft-group-directory}
6723 @c controls both the name of the group and the location---the leaf element
6724 @c in the path will be used as the name of the group. What makes this
6725 @c group special is that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any
6726 @c articles as read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
6728 @c If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
6731 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
6732 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
6733 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
6734 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
6735 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
6736 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
6737 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
6738 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
6739 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
6740 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
6741 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
6742 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
6743 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
6744 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
6746 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
6747 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
6748 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
6750 @c @findex gnus-summary-send-draft
6751 @c @kindex S D c (Summary)
6752 @c When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
6753 @c draft group and push @kbd{S D c} (@code{gnus-summary-send-draft}) to do
6754 @c that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
6756 @c Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
6759 @c @findex gnus-summary-send-all-drafts
6760 @c If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
6761 @c doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{S D a} command
6762 @c (@code{gnus-summary-send-all-drafts}). This command understands the
6763 @c process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6766 @c @node Rejected Articles
6767 @c @section Rejected Articles
6768 @c @cindex rejected articles
6770 @c Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
6771 @c doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
6772 @c @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
6773 @c Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
6775 @c These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
6776 @c (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
6777 @c fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
6778 @c you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
6779 @c articles until some later time when the server feels better.
6781 @c The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
6782 @c (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
6783 @c typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
6786 @node Select Methods
6787 @chapter Select Methods
6788 @cindex foreign groups
6789 @cindex select methods
6791 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group that is not read by the usual (or
6792 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
6793 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
6794 personal mail group.
6796 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
6797 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
6798 list where the first element says what backend to use (eg. @code{nntp},
6799 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
6800 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
6801 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
6803 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
6804 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
6806 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
6809 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
6810 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
6811 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group, in
6812 all circumstances, @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the
6813 @code{nntp} backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
6815 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
6818 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
6819 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
6820 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
6821 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
6822 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
6826 @node The Server Buffer
6827 @section The Server Buffer
6829 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
6830 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
6831 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
6832 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
6833 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
6834 backend represents a virtual server.
6836 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
6837 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
6838 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
6839 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
6841 These select methods specifications can sometimes become quite
6842 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
6843 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number @code{13}, which
6844 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
6845 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
6846 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
6847 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
6849 To enter the server buffer, user the @kbd{^}
6850 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
6853 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
6854 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
6855 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
6856 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
6857 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
6858 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
6861 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
6862 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
6865 @node Server Buffer Format
6866 @subsection Server Buffer Format
6867 @cindex server buffer format
6869 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
6870 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
6871 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
6872 variable, with some simple extensions:
6877 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
6880 The name of this server.
6883 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
6886 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
6889 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
6890 The mode line can also be customized by using the
6891 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable. The following specs are
6902 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
6905 @node Server Commands
6906 @subsection Server Commands
6907 @cindex server commands
6913 @findex gnus-server-add-server
6914 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
6918 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
6919 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
6922 @kindex SPACE (Server)
6923 @findex gnus-server-read-server
6924 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
6928 @findex gnus-server-exit
6929 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
6933 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
6934 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
6938 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
6939 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
6943 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
6944 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
6948 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
6949 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
6954 @node Example Methods
6955 @subsection Example Methods
6957 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
6960 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
6963 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
6969 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
6970 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
6973 After these two elements, there may be a arbitrary number of
6974 @var{(variable form)} pairs.
6976 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
6977 port @code{15} from that machine. This is what the select method should
6981 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
6984 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
6985 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example.
6987 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
6988 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
6989 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
6993 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
6996 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
6999 Here's the method for a public spool:
7003 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
7004 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
7008 @node Creating a Virtual Server
7009 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
7011 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
7012 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
7014 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
7015 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
7016 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
7018 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
7020 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
7021 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
7022 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
7023 will contain the following:
7033 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
7034 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
7035 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
7038 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
7039 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
7040 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
7043 @node Servers and Methods
7044 @subsection Servers and Methods
7046 Wherever you would normally use a select method
7047 (eg. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
7048 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
7049 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
7053 @node Unavailable Servers
7054 @subsection Unavailable Servers
7056 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
7057 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
7058 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
7059 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
7060 actually the case or not.
7062 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
7063 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to the server
7064 @samp{nepholococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
7065 away from you, the machine is quite, so it takes 1 minute just to find
7066 out that it refuses connection from you today. If Gnus were to attempt
7067 to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't attempt to do
7068 that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'', it will
7069 regard that server as ``down''.
7071 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
7072 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
7074 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
7075 with the following commands:
7081 @findex gnus-server-open-server
7082 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
7083 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
7087 @findex gnus-server-close-server
7088 Close the connection (if any) to the server
7089 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
7093 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
7094 Mark the current server as unreachable
7095 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
7099 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
7100 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from all servers
7101 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
7107 @section Getting News
7108 @cindex reading news
7109 @cindex news backends
7111 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
7112 only two methods of getting news -- it can read from an @sc{nntp}
7113 server, or it can read from a local spool.
7116 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
7117 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
7122 @subsection @sc{nntp}
7125 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
7126 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
7127 server as the, uhm, address.
7129 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
7130 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
7131 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
7132 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
7134 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
7135 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
7136 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
7138 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
7143 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
7144 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
7145 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
7147 @cindex authentification
7148 @cindex nntp authentification
7149 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
7150 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
7151 @code{nntp-server-opened-hook} is run after a connection has been made.
7152 It can be used to send commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has
7153 been contacted. By default is sends the command @code{MODE READER} to
7154 the server with the @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. Another
7155 popular function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which will prompt you for
7156 an @sc{nntp} password and stuff.
7158 @item nntp-server-action-alist
7159 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
7160 This is an list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
7161 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
7162 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
7165 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
7169 You probably don't want to do that, though.
7171 The default value is
7174 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
7175 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook nntp-send-mode-reader)))
7178 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
7179 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
7181 @item nntp-maximum-request
7182 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
7183 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
7184 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
7185 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
7186 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
7187 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
7188 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
7190 @item nntp-connection-timeout
7191 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
7192 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
7193 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
7194 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
7195 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
7196 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
7197 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
7198 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
7199 no timeouts are done.
7201 @item nntp-command-timeout
7202 @vindex nntp-command-timeout
7203 @cindex PPP connections
7204 @cindex dynamic IP addresses
7205 If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
7206 address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
7207 changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
7208 waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
7209 unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
7210 then, if it sits waiting longer than that number of seconds for a reply
7211 from the server, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
7212 the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
7213 likely number is 30 seconds.
7215 @item nntp-retry-on-break
7216 @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
7217 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
7218 hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
7221 @item nntp-server-hook
7222 @vindex nntp-server-hook
7223 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
7226 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
7227 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
7228 @item nntp-open-server-function
7229 @vindex nntp-open-server-function
7230 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Two pre-made
7231 functions are @code{nntp-open-network-stream}, which is the default, and
7232 simply connects to some port or other on the remote system. The other
7233 is @code{nntp-open-rlogin}, which does an rlogin on the remote system,
7234 and then does a telnet to the @sc{nntp} server available there.
7236 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
7237 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
7238 If you use @code{nntp-open-rlogin} as the
7239 @code{nntp-open-server-function}, this list will be used as the
7240 parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
7242 @item nntp-end-of-line
7243 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
7244 String to use as end-of-line markers when talking to the @sc{nntp}
7245 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
7246 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
7248 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
7249 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
7250 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
7254 @vindex nntp-address
7255 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
7257 @item nntp-port-number
7258 @vindex nntp-port-number
7259 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
7262 @item nntp-buggy-select
7263 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
7264 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
7266 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
7267 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
7268 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
7269 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks whether @sc{nov}
7270 can be used automatically.
7272 @item nntp-xover-commands
7273 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
7276 List of strings that are used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
7277 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
7281 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
7282 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
7283 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
7284 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
7285 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
7286 lines that you do not want, and will not use. This variable says how
7287 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
7288 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
7289 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
7290 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
7291 @code{nntp} will never split requests.
7293 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
7294 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
7295 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
7297 @item nntp-async-number
7298 @vindex nntp-async-number
7299 How many articles should be pre-fetched when in asynchronous mode. If
7300 this variable is @code{t}, @code{nntp} will pre-fetch all the articles
7301 that it can without bound. If it is @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be
7304 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
7305 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
7306 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
7307 server closes connection.
7313 @subsection News Spool
7317 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
7318 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups like
7319 @samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}.
7321 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @samp{} (or
7322 anything else) as the address.
7324 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
7325 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
7326 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
7327 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
7331 @item nnspool-inews-program
7332 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
7333 Program used to post an article.
7335 @item nnspool-inews-switches
7336 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
7337 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
7339 @item nnspool-spool-directory
7340 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
7341 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
7342 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
7344 @item nnspool-nov-directory
7345 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
7346 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
7347 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
7349 @item nnspool-lib-dir
7350 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
7351 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
7353 @item nnspool-active-file
7354 @vindex nnspool-active-file
7355 The path of the active file.
7357 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
7358 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
7359 The path of the group descriptions file.
7361 @item nnspool-history-file
7362 @vindex nnspool-history-file
7363 The path of the news history file.
7365 @item nnspool-active-times-file
7366 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
7367 The path of the active date file.
7369 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
7370 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
7371 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
7374 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
7375 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
7377 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
7378 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
7379 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
7385 @section Getting Mail
7386 @cindex reading mail
7389 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
7393 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
7394 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
7395 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
7396 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
7397 * Mail and Procmail:: Reading mail groups that procmail create.
7398 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
7399 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
7400 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
7401 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
7402 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
7406 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
7407 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
7409 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
7410 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
7411 and things will happen automatically.
7413 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a one file per
7414 mail backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
7417 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
7418 '((nnml "private")))
7421 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
7422 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
7423 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
7424 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
7425 like any other group.
7427 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
7430 (setq nnmail-split-methods
7431 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
7432 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
7436 This will result in three new mail groups being created:
7437 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
7438 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
7441 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
7442 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though,
7443 especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
7446 @node Splitting Mail
7447 @subsection Splitting Mail
7448 @cindex splitting mail
7449 @cindex mail splitting
7451 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
7452 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
7453 to be split into groups.
7456 (setq nnmail-split-methods
7457 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
7458 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
7462 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
7463 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
7464 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
7465 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
7466 determine if it belongs in this mail group.
7468 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
7469 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
7470 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
7471 mail belongs in that group.
7473 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
7474 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any
7475 mails that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps.
7477 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
7478 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
7479 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
7480 message. The function should return a list of groups names that it
7481 thinks should carry this mail message.
7483 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent
7484 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
7485 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
7486 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
7488 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
7489 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
7490 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
7491 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
7492 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
7494 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
7497 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
7498 the crossposted articles. However, not all files systems support hard
7499 links. If that's the case for you, set
7500 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
7501 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
7503 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
7504 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
7505 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
7506 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
7507 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
7508 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
7509 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
7510 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
7514 @node Mail Backend Variables
7515 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
7517 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
7521 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
7522 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
7523 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
7524 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
7526 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
7527 @item nnmail-spool-file
7531 @vindex nnmail-pop-password
7532 @vindex nnmail-pop-password-required
7533 The backends will look for new mail in this file. If this variable is
7534 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
7535 themselves. If you are using a POP mail server and your name is
7536 @samp{larsi}, you should set this variable to @samp{po:larsi}. If
7537 your name is not @samp{larsi}, you should probably modify that
7538 slightly, but you may have guessed that already, you smart & handsome
7539 devil! You can also set this variable to @code{pop}, and Gnus will try
7540 to figure out the POP mail string by itself. In any case, Gnus will
7541 call @code{movemail} which will contact the POP server named in the
7542 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable. If the POP server needs a
7543 password, you can either set @code{nnmail-pop-password-required} to
7544 @code{t} and be prompted for the password, or set
7545 @code{nnmail-pop-password} to the password itself.
7547 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
7548 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
7549 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
7550 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
7551 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
7552 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
7554 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
7555 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
7556 @item nnmail-use-procmail
7557 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will look in
7558 @code{nnmail-procmail-directory} for incoming mail. All the files in
7559 that directory that have names ending in @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix}
7560 will be considered incoming mailboxes, and will be searched for new
7563 @vindex nnmail-crash-box
7564 @item nnmail-crash-box
7565 When the mail backends read a spool file, it is first moved to this
7566 file, which is @file{~/.gnus-crash-box} by default. If this file
7567 already exists, it will always be read (and incorporated) before any
7570 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
7571 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
7572 This is run in a buffer that holds all the new incoming mail, and can be
7573 used for, well, anything, really.
7575 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
7576 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
7577 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
7578 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
7579 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
7580 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
7581 starting to handle the new mail) and
7582 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
7583 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
7584 default file modes the new mail files get:
7587 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
7588 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
7590 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
7591 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
7594 @item nnmail-tmp-directory
7595 @vindex nnmail-tmp-directory
7596 This variable says where to move the incoming mail to while processing
7597 it. This is usually done in the same directory that the mail backend
7598 inhabits (i.e., @file{~/Mail/}), but if this variable is non-@code{nil},
7599 it will be used instead.
7601 @item nnmail-movemail-program
7602 @vindex nnmail-movemail-program
7603 This program is executed to move mail from the user's inbox to her home
7604 directory. The default is @samp{movemail}.
7606 @item nnmail-delete-incoming
7607 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
7608 @cindex incoming mail files
7609 @cindex deleting incoming files
7610 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will delete the temporary incoming
7611 file after splitting mail into the proper groups. This is @code{nil} by
7612 default for reasons of security.
7614 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
7615 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
7616 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
7617 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories like
7618 @file{mail.misc/}. If it is @code{nil}, the same group will end up in
7621 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
7622 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
7624 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
7629 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
7630 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
7631 @cindex mail splitting
7632 @cindex fancy mail splitting
7634 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
7635 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
7636 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
7637 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
7638 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
7639 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
7641 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
7644 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
7645 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
7646 ;; from real errors.
7647 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
7649 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
7650 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
7651 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
7652 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
7653 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
7654 ;; Other mailing lists...
7655 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
7656 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
7658 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen"))
7659 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
7663 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
7664 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
7665 the four possible split syntaxes:
7670 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name.
7672 @item (FIELD VALUE SPLIT)
7673 If the split is a list, and the first element is a string, then that
7674 means that if header FIELD (a regexp) contains VALUE (also a regexp),
7675 then store the message as specified by SPLIT.
7678 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
7679 bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them matches. A SPLIT is
7680 said to match if it will cause the mail message to be stored in one or
7684 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then process
7685 all SPLITs in the list.
7688 In these splits, FIELD must match a complete field name. VALUE must
7689 match a complete word according to the fundamental mode syntax table.
7690 You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial field names or
7693 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
7694 FIELD and VALUE can also be lisp symbols, in that case they are expanded
7695 as specified by the variable @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is
7696 an alist of cons cells, where the car of the cells contains the key, and
7697 the cdr contains a string.
7699 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
7700 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
7701 when all this splitting is performed.
7704 @node Mail and Procmail
7705 @subsection Mail and Procmail
7710 Many people use @code{procmail} (or some other mail filter program or
7711 external delivery agent---@code{slocal}, @code{elm}, etc) to split
7712 incoming mail into groups. If you do that, you should set
7713 @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{procmail} to ensure that the mail
7714 backends never ever try to fetch mail by themselves.
7716 This also means that you probably don't want to set
7717 @code{nnmail-split-methods} either, which has some, perhaps, unexpected
7720 When a mail backend is queried for what groups it carries, it replies
7721 with the contents of that variable, along with any groups it has figured
7722 out that it carries by other means. None of the backends (except
7723 @code{nnmh}) actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
7724 exist. (It's not trivial to distinguish between what the user thinks is
7725 a basis for a newsgroup and what is just a plain old file or directory.)
7727 This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) what groups
7730 Let's take the @code{nnmh} backend as an example.
7732 The folders are located in @code{nnmh-directory}, say, @file{~/Mail/}.
7733 There are three folders, @file{foo}, @file{bar} and @file{mail.baz}.
7735 Go to the group buffer and type @kbd{G m}. When prompted, answer
7736 @samp{foo} for the name and @samp{nnmh} for the method. Repeat
7737 twice for the two other groups, @samp{bar} and @samp{mail.baz}. Be sure
7738 to include all your mail groups.
7740 That's it. You are now set to read your mail. An active file for this
7741 method will be created automatically.
7743 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
7744 @vindex nnmail-procmail-directory
7745 If you use @code{nnfolder} or any other backend that store more than a
7746 single article in each file, you should never have procmail add mails to
7747 the file that Gnus sees. Instead, procmail should put all incoming mail
7748 in @code{nnmail-procmail-directory}. To arrive at the file name to put
7749 the incoming mail in, append @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix} to the group
7750 name. The mail backends will read the mail from these files.
7752 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
7753 When Gnus reads a file called @file{mail.misc.spool}, this mail will be
7754 put in the @code{mail.misc}, as one would expect. However, if you want
7755 Gnus to split the mail the normal way, you could set
7756 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to @code{t}.
7758 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
7759 If you use @code{procmail} to split things directory into an @code{nnmh}
7760 directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
7761 @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} to non-@code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
7762 ever expiring the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is quite,
7766 @node Incorporating Old Mail
7767 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
7769 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
7770 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
7771 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
7774 Doing so can be quite easy.
7776 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
7777 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
7778 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
7779 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
7780 your @code{nnml} groups.
7786 Go to the group buffer.
7789 Type `G f' and give the path of the mbox file when prompted to create an
7790 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
7793 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
7796 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group (@pxref{Setting
7800 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
7801 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7804 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
7805 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
7806 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
7807 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
7808 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
7810 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
7811 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
7812 using the new mail backend.
7816 @subsection Expiring Mail
7817 @cindex article expiry
7819 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
7820 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
7821 different approach to mail reading.
7823 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
7824 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
7825 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
7826 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
7827 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
7828 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
7831 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
7832 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
7833 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
7834 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
7835 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
7836 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
7837 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
7838 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
7840 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
7841 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
7842 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
7843 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
7844 articles that are marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
7845 column in the summary buffer.
7847 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
7848 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
7851 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
7852 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
7855 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
7856 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
7858 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
7859 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
7860 expirable article has to live. The default is seven days.
7862 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
7863 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
7864 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
7865 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
7868 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
7870 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
7872 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
7874 ((string= group "mail.junk")
7876 ((string= group "important")
7882 The group names that this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
7883 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
7885 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
7886 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can be either a number (not
7887 necessarily an integer) or the symbols @code{immediate} or
7890 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
7891 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
7893 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
7894 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
7895 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
7896 easier for procmail users.
7898 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
7899 By the way, that line up there about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
7900 articles is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
7901 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
7902 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
7903 caution. Even more dangerous is the
7904 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
7905 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
7906 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
7907 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
7908 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
7909 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
7910 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
7915 @subsection Duplicates
7917 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
7918 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
7919 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
7920 @cindex duplicate mails
7921 If you are a member of a couple of mailing list, you will sometime
7922 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
7923 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
7924 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s -
7925 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
7926 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
7927 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
7928 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
7929 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
7930 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
7931 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
7932 will generate a brand new @code{Message-ID} for the mail and insert a
7933 warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks that this is a
7934 duplicate of a different message.
7936 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
7937 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
7938 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
7939 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
7941 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
7944 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
7945 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
7949 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
7950 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
7951 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
7952 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
7953 (any mail "mail.misc")
7960 (setq nnmail-split-methods
7961 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
7966 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
7967 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
7968 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
7969 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
7970 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
7973 @node Not Reading Mail
7974 @subsection Not Reading Mail
7976 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
7977 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
7978 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
7980 If you set @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{nil}, none of the backends
7981 will ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.
7983 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
7984 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
7985 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
7986 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
7987 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
7988 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
7989 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
7990 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
7991 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
7992 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
7993 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
7995 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
7996 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
8000 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
8001 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
8003 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
8004 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
8005 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
8008 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
8009 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
8010 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
8011 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
8012 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
8017 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
8019 @cindex unix mail box
8021 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
8022 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
8023 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
8024 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
8025 which group it belongs in.
8027 Virtual server settings:
8030 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
8031 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
8032 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
8034 @item nnmbox-active-file
8035 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
8036 The name of the active file for the mail box.
8038 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
8039 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
8040 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
8046 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
8050 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
8051 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
8052 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
8053 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
8054 article to say which group it belongs in.
8056 Virtual server settings:
8059 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
8060 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
8061 The name of the rmail mbox file.
8063 @item nnbabyl-active-file
8064 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
8065 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
8067 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
8068 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
8069 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
8074 @subsubsection Mail Spool
8076 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
8078 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
8079 format. It should be used with some caution.
8081 @vindex nnml-directory
8082 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files;
8083 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the correct
8084 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
8085 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
8087 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
8090 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
8091 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
8092 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
8093 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
8094 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
8095 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
8096 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
8097 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
8099 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
8100 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
8101 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes is the fastest
8102 backend when it comes to reading mail.
8104 Virtual server settings:
8107 @item nnml-directory
8108 @vindex nnml-directory
8109 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
8111 @item nnml-active-file
8112 @vindex nnml-active-file
8113 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
8115 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
8116 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
8117 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
8120 @item nnml-get-new-mail
8121 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
8122 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
8124 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
8125 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
8126 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
8128 @item nnml-nov-file-name
8129 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
8130 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
8132 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
8133 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
8134 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
8138 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
8139 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
8140 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
8141 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
8142 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
8143 might take a while to complete.
8147 @subsubsection MH Spool
8149 @cindex mh-e mail spool
8151 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
8152 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
8153 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
8154 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
8156 Virtual server settings:
8159 @item nnmh-directory
8160 @vindex nnmh-directory
8161 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
8163 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
8164 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
8165 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
8168 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
8169 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
8170 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
8171 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
8172 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
8173 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
8174 to set this variable to @code{t}.
8179 @subsubsection Mail Folders
8181 @cindex mbox folders
8182 @cindex mail folders
8184 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
8185 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
8186 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
8189 Virtual server settings:
8192 @item nnfolder-directory
8193 @vindex nnfolder-directory
8194 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
8196 @item nnfolder-active-file
8197 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
8198 The name of the active file.
8200 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
8201 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
8202 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
8204 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
8205 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
8206 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
8209 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
8210 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
8211 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
8212 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
8213 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
8214 @code{nnfolder-directory}.
8218 @section Other Sources
8220 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
8221 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
8225 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
8226 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
8227 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
8228 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
8232 @node Directory Groups
8233 @subsection Directory Groups
8235 @cindex directory groups
8237 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
8238 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
8241 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp}, that most
8242 wonderful of all wonderful Emacs packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I
8243 didn't think much about it---a backend to read directories. Big deal.
8245 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
8246 enter @file{"/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/"} as the the
8247 directory name, ange-ftp will actually allow you to read this directory
8248 over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
8250 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
8252 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
8253 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
8254 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
8255 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
8258 @node Anything Groups
8259 @subsection Anything Groups
8262 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
8263 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
8264 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
8267 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
8268 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
8269 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
8270 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
8271 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
8272 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
8273 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
8274 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (eg. a C source
8275 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
8276 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
8279 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
8280 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
8281 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
8282 in the article buffer, just as usual.
8284 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
8285 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
8286 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
8287 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
8289 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
8290 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
8291 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
8292 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
8293 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
8294 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
8295 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
8296 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
8301 @item nneething-map-file-directory
8302 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
8303 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
8304 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
8306 @item nneething-exclude-files
8307 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
8308 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
8309 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
8311 @item nneething-map-file
8312 @vindex nneething-map-file
8313 Name of the map files.
8317 @node Document Groups
8318 @subsection Document Groups
8320 @cindex documentation group
8323 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
8324 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
8331 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
8336 The standard Unix mbox file.
8338 @cindex MMDF mail box
8340 The MMDF mail box format.
8343 Several news articles appended into a file.
8346 @cindex rnews batch files
8347 The rnews batch transport format.
8348 @cindex forwarded messages
8357 @cindex RFC 1153 digest
8358 @cindex RFC 341 digest
8359 MIME (RFC 1341) digest format.
8361 @item standard-digest
8362 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
8365 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
8368 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
8369 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
8370 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
8373 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
8374 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
8375 group. And that's it.
8377 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
8378 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
8379 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
8380 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
8381 @code{nndoc}, set the process mark on all the articles in the buffer
8382 (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r}) using
8383 @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL} file is
8384 now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can delete
8385 that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
8387 Virtual server variables:
8390 @item nndoc-article-type
8391 @vindex nndoc-article-type
8392 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
8393 @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{news}, @code{rnews},
8394 @code{mime-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, or @code{guess}.
8396 @item nndoc-post-type
8397 @vindex nndoc-post-type
8398 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
8399 a mail group. There are two legal values: @code{mail} (the default)
8409 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
8410 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
8411 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
8413 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
8414 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
8415 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
8418 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
8419 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
8420 that interested in doing things properly.
8422 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
8423 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
8429 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
8430 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie, or you can use Gnus to create the
8431 packet with the @kbd{O s} command.
8434 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
8437 You put the packet in your home directory.
8440 You fire up Gnus using the @code{nnsoup} backend as the native server.
8443 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
8447 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
8451 You transfer this packet to the server.
8454 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
8457 You then repeat until you die.
8461 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
8462 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
8465 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
8466 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
8467 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
8472 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
8476 @kindex G s b (Group)
8477 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
8478 Pack all unread articles in the current group
8479 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
8480 process/prefix convention.
8483 @kindex G s w (Group)
8484 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
8485 Save all data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
8488 @kindex G s s (Group)
8489 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
8490 Send all replies from the replies packet
8491 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
8494 @kindex G s p (Group)
8495 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
8496 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
8499 @kindex G s r (Group)
8500 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
8501 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
8504 @kindex O s (Summary)
8505 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
8506 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
8507 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
8513 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
8518 @item gnus-soup-directory
8519 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
8520 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
8521 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
8523 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
8524 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
8525 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
8526 reply packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/}.
8528 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
8529 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
8530 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
8533 @item gnus-soup-packer
8534 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
8535 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
8536 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
8538 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
8539 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
8540 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
8541 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
8543 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
8544 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
8545 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
8547 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
8548 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
8549 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
8550 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
8556 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
8559 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
8560 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
8561 you can read them at leisure.
8563 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
8567 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
8568 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
8569 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
8570 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
8572 @item nnsoup-directory
8573 @vindex nnsoup-directory
8574 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
8575 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
8577 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
8578 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
8579 All replies will stored in this directory before being packed into a
8580 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
8582 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
8583 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
8584 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
8585 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
8586 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
8588 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
8589 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
8590 The index type of the replies packet. The is @samp{?n}, which means
8591 ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
8593 @item nnsoup-active-file
8594 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
8595 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
8596 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
8597 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
8598 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
8601 @vindex nnsoup-packer
8602 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
8603 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
8605 @item nnsoup-unpacker
8606 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
8607 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
8608 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
8610 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
8611 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
8612 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
8615 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
8616 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
8617 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
8624 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
8626 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
8627 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
8628 more for that to happen.
8630 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
8631 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
8632 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
8635 In specific, this is what it does:
8638 (setq gnus-inews-article-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
8639 (setq send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
8642 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
8643 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
8644 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
8647 @node Combined Groups
8648 @section Combined Groups
8650 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
8654 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
8655 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
8659 @node Virtual Groups
8660 @subsection Virtual Groups
8662 @cindex virtual groups
8664 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
8667 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small group, you can
8668 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
8669 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
8671 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
8672 regexp to match component groups.
8674 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
8675 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
8676 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
8677 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
8680 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
8681 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
8684 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
8687 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
8688 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
8690 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
8691 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
8692 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
8693 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
8696 "^nntp+some.server.jp:soc.motss$\\|^nntp+some.server.no:soc.motss$"
8699 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
8700 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
8701 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
8702 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
8703 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}.
8705 One limitation, however---all groups that are included in a virtual
8706 group has to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
8707 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
8709 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
8710 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
8711 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
8712 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
8713 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
8714 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
8715 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
8716 effect if you have two virtual groups that contain the same component
8717 group. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
8718 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
8719 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
8722 @node Kibozed Groups
8723 @subsection Kibozed Groups
8727 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
8728 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
8729 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
8730 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
8733 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
8736 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
8737 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
8738 @code{nnkiboze} group. There most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
8739 and @code{nnvirtual} ends.
8741 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
8742 must have a score file to say what articles that are to be included in
8743 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
8745 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
8746 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
8747 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
8748 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
8749 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
8750 all the articles in all the components groups and run them through the
8751 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
8752 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
8754 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
8755 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
8756 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
8757 Stranger things have happened.
8759 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
8760 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
8762 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
8763 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
8764 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
8765 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
8766 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
8767 on what groups that have been searched through to find component
8770 Articles that are marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have their
8771 @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
8778 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
8779 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
8780 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
8783 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
8784 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
8785 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
8786 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
8787 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
8789 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
8790 before generating the summary buffer.
8792 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
8793 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
8794 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
8796 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
8797 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
8798 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
8799 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
8802 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
8803 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
8804 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
8805 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
8806 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
8807 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus *knows* what you read.
8808 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
8809 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
8810 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
8811 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
8812 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
8813 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
8817 @node Summary Score Commands
8818 @section Summary Score Commands
8819 @cindex score commands
8821 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
8822 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
8823 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
8824 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
8825 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
8827 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
8828 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
8829 some other score file (eg. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
8830 score file the current one.
8832 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
8837 @kindex V s (Summary)
8838 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
8839 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
8842 @kindex V S (Summary)
8843 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
8844 Display the score of the current article
8845 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
8848 @kindex V t (Summary)
8849 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
8850 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
8851 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
8854 @cindex V R (Summary)
8855 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
8856 Run the current summary through the scoring process
8857 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
8858 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
8859 effect you're having.
8862 @kindex V a (Summary)
8863 @findex gnus-summary-score-entry
8864 Add a new score entry, and allow specifying all elements
8865 (@code{gnus-summary-score-entry}).
8868 @kindex V c (Summary)
8869 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
8870 Make a different score file the current
8871 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
8874 @kindex V e (Summary)
8875 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
8876 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
8877 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
8881 @kindex V f (Summary)
8882 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
8883 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
8884 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
8887 @kindex V F (Summary)
8888 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
8889 Flush the score cahe (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
8890 after editing score files.
8893 @kindex V C (Summary)
8894 @findex gnus-score-customize
8895 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
8896 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
8899 @kindex I C-i (Summary)
8900 @findex gnus-summary-raise-score
8901 Increase the score of the current article
8902 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-score}).
8905 @kindex L C-l (Summary)
8906 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
8907 Lower the score of the current article
8908 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-score}).
8911 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
8916 @kindex V m (Summary)
8917 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
8918 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
8919 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
8922 @kindex V E (Summary)
8923 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
8924 Expunge all articles with a score below the default score (or the
8925 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
8928 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
8929 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
8934 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
8935 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
8937 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
8942 Score on the author name.
8945 Score on the subject line.
8948 Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
8951 Score on thread---the References line.
8957 Score on the number of lines.
8960 Score on the Message-ID.
8973 The third key is the match type. Which match types are legal depends on
8974 what headers you are scoring on.
9018 Greater than number.
9023 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
9024 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
9025 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
9029 Temporary score entry.
9032 Permanent score entry.
9035 Immediately scoring.
9040 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
9041 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
9042 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
9043 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
9045 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
9046 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
9047 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
9048 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
9049 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
9051 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
9052 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
9053 pretend they are keymaps or not.
9056 @node Group Score Commands
9057 @section Group Score Commands
9058 @cindex group score commands
9060 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
9066 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
9067 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
9068 all the time. This command will flush the cache
9069 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
9074 @node Score Variables
9075 @section Score Variables
9076 @cindex score variables
9080 @item gnus-use-scoring
9081 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
9082 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
9083 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
9085 @item gnus-kill-killed
9086 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
9087 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
9088 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
9089 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
9090 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
9091 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
9092 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
9094 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
9095 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
9096 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
9097 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
9098 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
9100 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
9101 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
9102 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
9103 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
9105 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
9106 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
9108 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
9109 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
9110 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files that are
9111 unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
9112 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
9113 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
9114 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
9117 @item gnus-save-score
9118 @vindex gnus-save-score
9119 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
9120 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
9121 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
9123 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
9124 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
9125 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
9126 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
9127 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
9128 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
9129 manually entered data.
9131 @item gnus-summary-default-score
9132 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
9133 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
9135 @item gnus-score-over-mark
9136 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
9137 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
9138 default. Default is @samp{+}.
9140 @item gnus-score-below-mark
9141 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
9142 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
9143 default. Default is @samp{-}.
9145 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
9146 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
9147 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
9148 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
9150 Predefined functions available are:
9153 @item gnus-score-find-single
9154 @findex gnus-score-find-single
9155 Only apply the group's own score file.
9157 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
9158 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
9159 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
9160 default. For instance, if the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus},
9161 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
9162 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
9163 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
9164 then a regexp match is done.
9166 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
9167 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
9169 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
9170 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
9171 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
9172 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE} or @file{all.emacs.SCORE},
9173 but you can have @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and
9174 @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
9177 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
9178 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
9179 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
9180 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
9181 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
9182 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
9185 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
9186 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
9187 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
9188 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
9189 are expired. It's 7 by default.
9191 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
9192 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
9193 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
9194 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
9195 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
9196 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
9197 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
9200 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
9201 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
9202 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
9207 @node Score File Format
9208 @section Score File Format
9209 @cindex score file format
9211 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
9212 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
9213 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
9215 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
9219 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
9221 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
9223 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
9225 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
9230 (mark-and-expunge -10)
9234 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
9235 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
9236 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
9237 (gnus-summary-make-false-root 'empty))
9241 This example demonstrates absolutely everything about a score file.
9243 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
9244 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
9245 has to be legal syntactically, if not semantically.
9247 Six keys are supported by this alist:
9252 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
9253 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
9254 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
9255 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
9256 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
9257 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
9258 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
9259 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
9260 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
9261 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
9262 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
9263 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
9264 to articles that matches these score entries.
9266 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
9267 score entry has one to four elements.
9271 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
9272 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
9276 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
9277 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
9278 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
9279 is successful. If this element is not present, the
9280 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
9281 instead. This is 1000 by default.
9284 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
9285 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
9286 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
9287 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
9288 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 ce.
9291 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
9292 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
9293 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
9294 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
9297 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
9298 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp) as
9299 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types and @code{e} and
9300 @code{E} (exact match) types. If this element is not present, Gnus will
9301 assume that substring matching should be used. @code{R} and @code{S}
9302 differ from the other two in that the matches will be done in a
9303 case-sensitive manner. All these one-letter types are really just
9304 abbreviations for the @code{regexp}, @code{string} and @code{exact}
9305 types, which you can use instead, if you feel like.
9308 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
9309 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
9312 For the Date header we have three match types: @code{before}, @code{at}
9313 and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this ever being useful, but,
9314 like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide this function. Just in
9315 case. You never know. Better safe than sorry. Once burnt, twice shy.
9316 Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have sex on a first date.
9318 @item Head, Body, All
9319 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
9323 This match key will add a score entry on all articles that followup to
9324 some author. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header uses.
9327 This match key will add a score entry on all articles that are part of
9328 a thread. Uses the same match types as the @code{References} header
9334 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
9335 lower than this number will be marked as read.
9338 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
9339 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
9341 @item mark-and-expunge
9342 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
9343 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
9346 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
9347 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
9348 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
9349 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
9350 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
9353 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
9354 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
9358 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. This files will
9359 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
9363 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
9364 ignored when handling global score files.
9367 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
9368 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}).
9371 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
9372 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
9373 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
9374 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
9376 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
9380 (mark-and-expunge -100)
9383 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
9384 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
9385 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
9386 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
9387 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
9389 I.e. -- the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
9390 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
9391 ordinary scoring rules.
9394 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
9395 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
9396 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
9397 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
9398 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
9399 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
9400 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
9401 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
9402 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
9403 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
9404 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
9408 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
9409 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
9410 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
9411 file for a number of groups.
9414 @cindex local variables
9415 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
9416 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
9417 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
9418 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
9423 @node Score File Editing
9424 @section Score File Editing
9426 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
9427 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
9428 with a mode for that.
9430 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
9431 additional commands:
9436 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
9437 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
9438 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
9439 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
9442 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
9443 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
9444 Insert the current date in numerical format
9445 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
9449 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
9450 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
9451 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
9452 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
9453 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
9458 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
9460 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
9461 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
9463 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
9464 e} to begin editing score files.
9467 @node Adaptive Scoring
9468 @section Adaptive Scoring
9469 @cindex adaptive scoring
9471 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
9472 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
9473 stupidity, to be precise.
9475 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
9476 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
9477 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
9478 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
9479 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
9482 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
9483 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
9484 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
9485 might look something like this:
9488 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
9489 '((gnus-unread-mark)
9490 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
9491 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
9492 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
9493 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
9494 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
9495 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
9496 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
9498 (gnus-low-score-mark)
9499 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
9502 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
9503 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
9504 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
9505 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
9506 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
9507 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
9510 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
9511 will be applied to each article.
9513 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
9514 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
9515 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
9516 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
9518 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
9519 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
9520 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
9521 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
9523 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
9524 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
9525 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
9526 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
9527 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
9528 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
9530 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
9531 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
9532 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
9533 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
9534 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
9535 aspirins afterwards.)
9537 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
9538 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
9539 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
9541 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
9542 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
9543 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
9545 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
9546 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
9547 let you use different rules in different groups.
9549 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
9550 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
9551 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
9554 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
9555 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
9556 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
9557 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
9558 the length of the match is less than
9559 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
9560 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
9564 @node Followups To Yourself
9565 @section Followups To Yourself
9567 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
9568 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
9569 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
9570 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
9571 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
9572 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
9576 @item gnus-score-followup-article
9577 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
9578 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
9581 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
9582 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
9583 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
9587 @vindex gnus-inews-article-hook
9588 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
9589 @code{gnus-inews-article-hook}.
9593 @section Scoring Tips
9594 @cindex scoring tips
9600 @cindex scoring crossposts
9601 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
9602 the @code{Xref} header.
9604 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
9607 @item Multiple crossposts
9608 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
9609 more than, say, 3 groups:
9611 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
9614 @item Matching on the body
9615 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
9616 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
9617 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
9618 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
9619 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
9620 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
9621 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
9624 @item Marking as read
9625 You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a certain
9626 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
9627 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
9631 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
9633 @item Negated character classes
9634 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
9635 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
9636 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
9640 @node Reverse Scoring
9641 @section Reverse Scoring
9642 @cindex reverse scoring
9644 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
9645 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
9646 like this in your score file:
9650 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
9655 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
9656 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
9659 @node Global Score Files
9660 @section Global Score Files
9661 @cindex global score files
9663 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
9664 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
9665 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
9667 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
9668 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
9669 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
9671 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
9672 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
9673 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
9674 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
9675 files are applicable to which group.
9677 Say you want to use all score files in the
9678 @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory and the single score
9679 file @file{/ftp@@ftp.ifi.uio.no:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE}:
9682 (setq gnus-global-score-files
9683 '("/ftp@@ftp.ifi.uio.no:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
9684 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
9687 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
9688 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
9689 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
9690 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
9691 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
9693 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
9694 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
9696 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
9697 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
9698 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
9699 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
9700 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
9701 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
9703 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
9709 Articles that are heavily crossposted are probably junk.
9711 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
9713 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
9715 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
9716 lowered out of existence.
9718 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
9719 articles completely.
9722 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
9723 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
9724 old articles for a long time.
9727 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
9728 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
9729 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
9730 holding our breath yet?
9737 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
9738 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
9739 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
9741 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
9742 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
9743 files into score files.
9745 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
9746 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
9747 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
9748 that isn't a very good idea.
9750 XCNormal kill files look like this:
9753 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9754 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
9758 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove them from
9759 the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
9761 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
9762 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
9765 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
9770 @kindex M-k (Summary)
9771 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
9772 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
9775 @kindex M-K (Summary)
9776 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
9777 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
9780 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
9786 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
9787 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
9791 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
9792 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
9795 Kill file variables:
9798 @item gnus-kill-file-name
9799 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
9800 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
9801 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
9802 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
9803 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
9804 course) is called just @file{KILL}.
9806 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
9807 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
9808 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
9809 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
9812 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
9813 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
9814 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
9815 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
9816 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
9817 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
9818 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
9819 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
9820 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
9822 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
9823 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
9824 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
9833 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
9834 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
9835 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
9837 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
9838 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
9839 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
9840 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
9841 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
9842 Once it has found for you some people you agree with it tells you, in
9843 the form of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use
9844 this prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
9848 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
9849 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
9850 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
9851 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
9855 @node Using GroupLens
9856 @subsection Using GroupLens
9858 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
9859 Bit Bureau (BBB). At the moment the only better bit in town is at
9860 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html}.
9862 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
9866 @item gnus-use-grouplens
9867 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
9868 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
9869 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
9871 @item grouplens-pseudonym
9872 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
9873 This variable should be set to the pseudonum you got when registering
9874 with the Better Bit Bureau.
9876 @item grouplens-newsgroups
9877 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
9878 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
9882 Thats the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
9883 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
9884 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
9885 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
9886 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
9887 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
9890 @node Rating Articles
9891 @subsection Rating Articles
9893 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
9894 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
9895 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
9896 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
9899 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
9904 @kindex r (GroupLens)
9905 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
9906 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
9909 @kindex k (GroupLens)
9910 @findex grouplens-score-thread
9911 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
9912 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
9913 threads in rec.humor.
9917 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
9918 the score of the article you're reading.
9923 @kindex n (GroupLens)
9924 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
9925 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
9928 @kindex , (GroupLens)
9929 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
9930 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
9934 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
9935 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
9938 @node Displaying Predictions
9939 @subsection Displaying Predictions
9941 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
9942 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
9943 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
9944 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
9945 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
9947 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
9948 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
9949 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
9950 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
9951 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
9952 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
9953 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
9954 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
9955 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
9956 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
9957 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
9958 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
9959 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
9961 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
9962 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
9963 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
9964 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
9966 The following are legal values for that variable.
9969 @item prediction-spot
9970 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
9973 @item confidence-interval
9974 A numeric confidence interval.
9976 @item prediction-bar
9977 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
9979 @item confidence-bar
9980 Numerical confidence.
9982 @item confidence-spot
9983 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
9985 @item prediction-num
9986 Plain-old numeric value.
9988 @item confidence-plus-minus
9989 Prediction +/i confidence.
9994 @node GroupLens Variables
9995 @subsection GroupLens Variables
9999 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
10000 The summary line format used in summary buffers that are GroupLens
10001 enhanced. It accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format
10002 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). The default is
10003 @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
10005 @item grouplens-bbb-host
10006 Host running the bbbd server. The default is
10007 @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu}.
10009 @item grouplens-bbb-port
10010 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
10012 @item grouplens-score-offset
10013 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
10014 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
10017 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
10018 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
10019 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
10029 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
10030 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
10031 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
10032 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
10033 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
10034 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
10035 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
10036 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
10037 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
10038 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
10039 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
10040 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
10044 @node Process/Prefix
10045 @section Process/Prefix
10046 @cindex process/prefix convention
10048 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
10049 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
10051 This is a method for figuring out what articles that the user wants the
10052 command to be performed on.
10056 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
10057 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
10058 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
10059 with the current one.
10061 @vindex transient-mark-mode
10062 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
10063 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
10065 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
10066 process mark, perform the operation on the articles that are marked with
10069 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
10070 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
10072 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
10075 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
10076 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
10077 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
10078 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
10079 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
10080 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
10081 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
10082 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
10086 @section Interactive
10087 @cindex interaction
10091 @item gnus-novice-user
10092 @vindex gnus-novice-user
10093 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
10094 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
10095 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
10096 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
10099 @item gnus-expert-user
10100 @vindex gnus-expert-user
10101 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will never ever be asked any
10102 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
10103 matter how strange.
10105 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
10106 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
10107 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
10108 is @code{t} by default.
10110 @item gnus-interactive-exit
10111 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
10112 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
10117 @node Formatting Variables
10118 @section Formatting Variables
10119 @cindex formatting variables
10121 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables that
10122 are called things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
10123 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
10124 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
10125 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
10128 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
10129 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
10130 lots of percentages everywhere.
10132 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
10133 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
10134 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''. Just like a
10135 normal format spec, almost.
10137 You can also say @samp{%6,4y}, which means that the field will never be
10138 more than 6 characters wide and never less than 4 characters wide.
10140 There are also specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the
10141 format variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers
10142 will get the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it
10143 will be highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse
10146 Text inside the @samp{%[} and @samp{%]} specifiers will have their
10147 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
10148 default. If you say @samp{%1[} instead, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1}
10149 instead, and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes
10150 for the @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
10151 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
10153 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
10156 ;; Create three face types.
10157 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
10158 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
10160 ;; We want the article count to be in
10161 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
10162 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
10163 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
10165 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
10166 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
10168 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
10169 (setq gnus-group-line-format
10170 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
10173 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
10174 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
10176 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
10177 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
10178 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
10179 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
10180 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
10181 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
10182 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}.
10184 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
10185 mode-line variables.
10187 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
10188 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
10190 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
10191 @findex gnus-update-format
10192 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
10193 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
10194 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
10195 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
10198 @node Windows Configuration
10199 @section Windows Configuration
10200 @cindex windows configuration
10202 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
10204 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
10205 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
10206 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
10207 @code{t} by default.
10209 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
10210 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
10211 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
10214 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
10215 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
10216 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
10220 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
10221 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
10222 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
10223 possible names is listed below.
10225 The @dfn{value} (i. e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
10226 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
10229 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
10233 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
10234 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
10235 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
10236 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
10237 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
10238 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
10239 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
10240 size spec per split.
10242 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
10245 Here's a more complicated example:
10248 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
10249 (summary 0.25 point)
10250 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
10254 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
10255 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
10256 occupy, not a percentage.
10258 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
10259 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
10260 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
10261 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
10262 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
10265 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
10268 (article (horizontal 1.0
10273 (summary 0.25 point)
10278 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
10279 @code{horizontal} thingie?
10281 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
10282 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
10283 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
10284 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
10285 the screen is to be given to this strip.
10287 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
10288 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
10289 lines from the splits.
10291 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a legal split
10295 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
10296 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
10297 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
10298 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
10299 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] ")"
10300 size = number | frame-params
10301 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
10304 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
10305 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
10306 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
10307 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
10309 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
10310 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
10311 @cindex window height
10312 @cindex window width
10313 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
10314 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 2) characters high, and all
10315 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
10316 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
10317 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
10318 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
10320 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
10321 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
10322 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
10323 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
10325 @findex gnus-configure-frame
10326 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
10327 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
10328 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
10329 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
10330 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
10331 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
10332 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
10333 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
10334 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
10335 configuration list.
10338 (gnus-configure-frame
10342 (article 0.3 point))
10350 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
10351 @code{frame} split:
10354 (gnus-configure-frame
10357 (summary 0.25 point)
10359 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
10360 (user-position . t)
10361 (left . -1) (top . 1))
10366 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
10367 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
10368 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
10369 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
10370 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
10371 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
10374 Here's a list of all possible keys for
10375 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration}:
10377 @code{group}, @code{summary}, @code{article}, @code{server},
10378 @code{browse}, @code{group-mail}, @code{summary-mail},
10379 @code{summary-reply}, @code{info}, @code{summary-faq},
10380 @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server}, @code{reply}, @code{reply-yank},
10381 @code{followup}, @code{followup-yank}, @code{edit-score}.
10383 @findex gnus-add-configuration
10384 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
10385 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
10386 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
10387 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
10390 (gnus-add-configuration
10391 '(article (vertical 1.0
10393 (summary .25 point)
10397 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
10398 @file{.gnus} file or in some startup hook -- they should be run after
10399 Gnus has been loaded.
10403 @section Compilation
10404 @cindex compilation
10405 @cindex byte-compilation
10407 @findex gnus-compile
10409 Remember all those line format specification variables?
10410 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
10411 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
10412 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
10413 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
10414 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
10417 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
10418 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
10419 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
10420 you'll get top speed again.
10424 @section Mode Lines
10427 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
10428 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
10429 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
10430 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
10431 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
10432 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
10433 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
10436 @cindex display-time
10438 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
10439 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
10440 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
10441 to display (eg. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
10442 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
10443 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
10444 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
10445 additional elements on the mode line (eg. a clock), you should modify
10448 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
10450 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
10451 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
10453 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
10454 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
10455 (length display-time-string)))))
10458 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
10459 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either.
10462 @node Highlighting and Menus
10463 @section Highlighting and Menus
10465 @cindex highlighting
10468 @vindex gnus-visual
10469 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the prettifying Gnus
10470 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
10471 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
10474 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
10475 following elements are legal, and are all included by default:
10478 @item group-highlight
10479 Do highlights in the group buffer.
10480 @item summary-highlight
10481 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
10482 @item article-highlight
10483 Do highlights in the article buffer.
10485 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
10487 Create menus in the group buffer.
10489 Create menus in the summary buffers.
10491 Create menus in the article buffer.
10493 Create menus in the browse buffer.
10495 Create menus in the server buffer.
10497 Create menus in the score buffers.
10499 Create menus in all buffers.
10502 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
10503 buffers, you could say something like:
10506 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
10509 If you want only highlighting and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
10512 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
10515 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
10516 in all Gnus buffers.
10518 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
10521 @item gnus-mouse-face
10522 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
10523 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
10524 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
10526 @item gnus-display-type
10527 @vindex gnus-display-type
10528 This variable is symbol indicating the display type Emacs is running
10529 under. The symbol should be one of @code{color}, @code{grayscale} or
10530 @code{mono}. If Gnus guesses this display attribute wrongly, either set
10531 this variable in your @file{~/.emacs} or set the resource
10532 @code{Emacs.displayType} in your @file{~/.Xdefaults}.
10534 @item gnus-background-mode
10535 @vindex gnus-background-mode
10536 This is a symbol indicating the Emacs background brightness. The symbol
10537 should be one of @code{light} or @code{dark}. If Gnus guesses this
10538 frame attribute wrongly, either set this variable in your @file{~/.emacs} or
10539 set the resource @code{Emacs.backgroundMode} in your @file{~/.Xdefaults}.
10540 `gnus-display-type'.
10543 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
10547 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
10548 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
10549 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
10551 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
10552 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
10553 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
10555 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
10556 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
10557 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
10559 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
10560 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
10561 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
10563 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
10564 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
10565 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
10567 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
10568 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
10569 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
10580 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
10581 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
10582 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
10583 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
10584 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
10588 @vindex gnus-carpal
10589 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
10590 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
10591 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
10596 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
10597 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
10598 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
10600 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
10601 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
10602 Face used on buttons.
10604 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
10605 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
10606 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
10608 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
10609 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
10610 Buttons in the group buffer.
10612 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
10613 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
10614 Buttons in the summary buffer.
10616 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
10617 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
10618 Buttons in the server buffer.
10620 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
10621 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
10622 Buttons in the browse buffer.
10625 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
10626 is either a cons cell where the car contains a text to be displayed and
10627 the cdr contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
10635 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
10636 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
10637 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
10638 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
10639 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
10641 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
10642 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
10643 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
10645 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
10646 been idle for thirty minutes:
10649 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
10652 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
10656 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
10659 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter works together
10660 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
10661 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
10663 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
10664 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
10665 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
10666 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
10668 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
10669 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
10670 @var{idle} minutes.
10672 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
10673 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
10676 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
10677 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
10678 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
10680 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
10681 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
10682 seconds. This is @code{60} by default. If you change that variable,
10683 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
10685 @vindex gnus-use-demon
10686 To set the whole thing in motion, though, you have to set
10687 @code{gnus-use-demon} to @code{t}.
10689 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
10690 your @file{.gnus} file:
10692 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
10694 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
10697 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
10698 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
10699 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
10700 Some ready-made functions to do this has been created:
10701 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection}, and
10702 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
10703 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
10705 @findex gnus-demon-init
10706 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
10707 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
10708 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
10709 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
10710 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
10712 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you overdo it. Adding
10713 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
10714 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
10723 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
10724 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
10726 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
10727 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
10728 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
10729 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
10732 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
10733 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
10734 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
10735 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
10737 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
10738 this will make spam disappear.
10740 There are some variables to customize, of course:
10743 @item gnus-use-nocem
10744 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
10745 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
10748 @item gnus-nocem-groups
10749 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
10750 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
10751 default is @code{("alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
10753 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
10754 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
10755 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
10756 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
10757 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;" "jem@@xpat.com;" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
10758 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
10760 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
10763 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
10764 @cindex Chris Lewis
10765 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
10766 usenet abuse than anybody else.
10769 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
10770 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
10771 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
10773 @item jem@@xpat.com;
10775 Jem---Korean despammer who is getting very busy these days.
10777 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
10778 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
10779 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
10782 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
10783 ones you want to listen to.
10785 @item gnus-nocem-directory
10786 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
10787 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
10788 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
10790 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
10791 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
10792 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
10793 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
10794 might then see old spam.
10802 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
10803 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
10804 over your shoulder as you read news.
10807 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
10808 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
10809 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons -- the easy way.
10810 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
10811 * Picon Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
10816 @subsection Picon Basics
10818 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site
10819 (@samp{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}):
10822 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
10823 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
10824 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
10825 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
10826 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
10827 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
10828 @code{GIF} formats.
10831 Please see the above mentioned web site for instructions on obtaining
10832 and installing the picons databases, or the following ftp site:
10833 @samp{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
10835 @vindex gnus-picons-database
10836 Gnus expects picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
10837 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
10840 @node Picon Requirements
10841 @subsection Picon Requirements
10843 To use have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
10844 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
10847 Additionally, you must have @code{xpm} support compiled into XEmacs.
10849 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
10850 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you must have
10851 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
10852 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
10856 @subsection Easy Picons
10858 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
10859 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
10862 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
10863 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
10864 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-prepare-hook 'gnus-group-display-picons t)
10865 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-picons-article-display-x-face)
10870 @subsection Hard Picons
10872 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
10873 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
10874 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
10875 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
10876 feature, you need to first decide where to display them.
10880 @item gnus-picons-display-where
10881 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
10882 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
10883 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
10884 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
10885 @samp{"*scratch*"} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
10886 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration routines --
10887 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
10891 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
10892 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
10894 Now that you've made that decision, you need to add the following
10895 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get
10896 displayed at the right time.
10898 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
10899 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
10901 @item gnus-article-display-picons
10902 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
10903 Looks up and display the picons for the author and the author's domain
10904 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer. Should be added to
10905 the @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
10907 @item gnus-group-display-picons
10908 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
10909 Displays picons representing the current group. This function should
10910 be added to the @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook} or to the
10911 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} if @code{gnus-picons-display-where}
10912 is set to @code{article}.
10914 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
10915 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
10916 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present. This function
10917 should be added to @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
10921 Note: You must append them to the hook, so make sure to specify 't'
10922 to the append flag of @code{add-hook}:
10925 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
10929 @node Picon Configuration
10930 @subsection Picon Configuration
10932 The following variables offer further control over how things are
10933 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
10934 don't need to worry about.
10937 @item gnus-picons-database
10938 @vindex gnus-picons-database
10939 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
10940 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
10941 subdirectories. Defaults to @file{/usr/local/faces}.
10943 @item gnus-picons-news-directory
10944 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directory
10945 Sub-directory of the faces database containing the icons for
10948 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
10949 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
10950 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
10951 faces. Defaults to @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc/MISC")}.
10953 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
10954 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
10955 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
10956 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
10957 want to add @samp{unknown} to this list.
10959 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
10960 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
10961 The command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
10962 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
10963 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
10964 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
10966 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
10967 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
10968 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
10969 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
10971 @item gnus-picons-buffer
10972 @vindex gnus-picons-buffer
10973 The name of the buffer that @code{picons} points to. Defaults to
10974 @samp{*Icon Buffer*}.
10979 @node Various Various
10980 @section Various Various
10987 @vindex gnus-verbose
10988 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
10989 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
10990 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
10991 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
10992 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
10994 @item gnus-verbose-backends
10995 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
10996 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
10997 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
10999 @item nnheader-max-head-length
11000 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
11001 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
11002 as little as possible. This variable (default @code{4096}) specifies
11003 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
11004 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
11005 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
11006 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
11007 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
11010 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
11011 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
11013 @cindex illegal characters in file names
11014 @cindex characters in file names
11015 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
11016 For instance, if @samp{:} is illegal as a file character in file names
11017 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
11020 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
11024 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
11025 Windows (phooey) systems.
11027 @item gnus-hidden-properties
11028 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
11029 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
11030 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
11031 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
11033 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
11034 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
11035 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
11036 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
11037 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
11045 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
11046 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
11048 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
11050 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
11055 Not because of victories @*
11058 but for the common sunshine,@*
11060 the largess of the spring.
11063 but for the day's work done@*
11064 as well as I was able;@*
11065 not for a seat upon the dais@*
11066 but at the common table.@*
11071 @chapter Appendices
11074 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
11075 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
11076 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
11077 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
11078 * A Programmers Guide to Gnus:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
11079 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
11080 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
11088 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
11089 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
11091 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
11092 can point your (feh!) web browser to
11093 @file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
11094 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
11095 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
11097 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
11098 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)}, is, of course, short for
11099 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
11100 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
11101 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
11102 appropriate name, don't you think?)
11104 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
11105 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
11106 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
11107 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
11109 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
11110 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution.
11112 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'') was
11113 released under the name ``Gnus 5.2''.
11116 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
11117 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
11118 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
11119 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
11120 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
11121 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
11122 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
11129 What's the point of Gnus?
11131 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
11132 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
11133 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
11134 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
11135 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
11136 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
11137 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
11138 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
11139 keep track of millions of people who post?
11141 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
11142 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
11143 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
11144 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
11145 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
11146 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
11147 everywhere I could imagine useful. By doing so, I'm inviting every one
11148 of you to explore and invent.
11150 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x hail-emacs}.
11153 @node Compatibility
11154 @subsection Compatibility
11156 @cindex compatibility
11157 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
11158 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
11159 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
11164 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
11168 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
11171 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @pxref{Decoding
11174 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
11175 buffers. All variables that are relevant while reading a group are
11176 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
11177 important variables have their values copied into their global
11178 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
11179 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
11181 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
11182 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
11183 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
11184 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
11185 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
11189 @cindex highlighting
11190 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
11191 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
11192 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
11193 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
11194 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
11195 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
11198 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
11199 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
11200 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
11201 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
11203 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
11204 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
11205 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
11206 to stop doing it the old way.
11208 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
11210 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
11212 @cindex reporting bugs
11214 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
11215 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
11216 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
11220 @subsection Conformity
11222 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
11223 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
11230 There are no known breaches of this standard.
11234 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
11236 @item Usenet Seal of Approval
11237 @cindex Usenet Seal of Approval
11238 Gnus hasn't been formally through the Seal process, but I have read
11239 through the Seal text and I think Gnus would pass.
11241 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
11242 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
11243 We do have some breaches to this one.
11248 Gnus does no MIME handling, and this standard-to-be seems to think that
11249 MIME is the bees' knees, so we have major breakage here.
11252 This is considered to be a ``vanity header'', while I consider it to be
11253 consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted articles
11254 coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use either of
11255 those for posting articles. I would not have known that if it wasn't
11256 for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
11259 Gnus does line breaking on this header. I infer from RFC1036 that being
11260 conservative in what you output is not creating 5000-character lines, so
11261 it seems like a good idea to me. However, this standard-to-be says that
11262 whitespace in the @code{References} header is to be preserved, so... It
11263 doesn't matter one way or the other to Gnus, so if somebody tells me
11264 what The Way is, I'll change it. Or not.
11269 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliantly with regards to the texts
11270 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
11275 @subsection Emacsen
11281 Gnus should work on :
11286 Emacs 19.30 and up.
11289 XEmacs 19.13 and up.
11292 Mule versions based on Emacs 19.30 and up.
11296 Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
11297 reliably, at least.
11299 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various platforms:
11304 The mouse-face on Gnus lines under Emacs and Mule is delimited to
11305 certain parts of the lines while they cover the entire line under
11309 The same with current-article marking---XEmacs puts an underline under
11310 the entire summary line while Emacs and Mule are nicer and kinder.
11313 XEmacs features more graphics---a logo and a toolbar.
11316 Citation highlighting us better under Emacs and Mule than under XEmacs.
11319 Emacs 19.26-19.28 have tangible hidden headers, which can be a bit
11326 @subsection Contributors
11327 @cindex contributors
11329 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
11330 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
11331 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
11332 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
11333 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
11334 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
11335 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
11336 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
11337 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
11338 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
11340 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
11345 @item Masanobu @sc{Umeda}
11346 The writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
11348 @item Per Abrahamsen
11349 Custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as well as numerous
11352 @item Luis Fernandes
11353 Design and graphics.
11356 @file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on @dfn{picons}
11360 @file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section (@pxref{GroupLens}).
11362 @item Sudish Joseph
11363 Innumerable bug fixes.
11366 @file{gnus-topic.el}.
11368 @item Steven L. Baur
11369 Lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
11371 @item Vladimir Alexiev
11372 The refcard and reference booklets.
11374 @item Felix Lee & JWZ
11375 I stole some pieces from the XGnus distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
11378 @file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
11380 @item Peter Mutsaers
11381 Orphan article scoring code.
11386 @item Hallvard B Furuseth
11387 Various bits and pieces, especially dealing with .newsrc files.
11389 @item Brian Edmonds
11390 @file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
11392 @item Ricardo Nassif and Mark Borges
11395 @item Kevin Davidson
11396 Came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
11400 Peter Arius, Stainless Steel Rat, Ulrik Dickow, Jack Vinson, Daniel
11401 Quinlan, Frank D. Cringle, Geoffrey T. Dairiki, Fabrice Popineau and
11402 Andrew Eskilsson have all contributed code and suggestions.
11406 @subsection New Features
11407 @cindex new features
11412 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
11413 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
11416 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
11417 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
11420 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
11423 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
11424 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
11425 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
11428 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
11429 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
11430 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
11431 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
11434 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
11435 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
11438 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
11439 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
11440 (@pxref{The Active File}).
11443 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
11444 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
11447 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
11448 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
11449 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
11452 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
11453 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
11454 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
11457 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
11458 the @file{.emacs} file.
11461 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
11462 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
11465 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
11466 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
11469 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
11470 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
11473 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
11474 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
11477 Gnus can fetch articles asynchronously on a second connection to the
11478 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
11481 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
11484 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
11485 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
11488 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
11489 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
11492 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
11493 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
11496 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
11499 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
11500 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
11503 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
11507 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
11511 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
11512 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
11515 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
11519 Gnus can use NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
11523 This is, of course, just a @emph{short} overview of the @emph{most}
11524 important new features. No, really. There are tons more. Yes, we have
11525 feeping creaturism in full effect, but nothing too gratuitous, I would
11529 @node Newest Features
11530 @subsection Newest Features
11533 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
11536 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
11540 Native @sc{mime} support is something that should be done.
11542 A better and simpler method for specifying mail composing methods.
11544 Allow posting through mail-to-news gateways.
11546 Really do unbinhexing.
11549 And much, much, much more. There is more to come than has already been
11550 implemented. (But that's always true, isn't it?)
11552 @code{<URL:http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/sgnus/todo>} is where the actual
11553 up-to-the-second todo list is located, so if you're really curious, you
11554 could point your Web browser over that-a-way.
11558 @section Terminology
11560 @cindex terminology
11565 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
11566 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
11567 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
11568 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
11569 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
11573 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
11574 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
11575 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
11576 not posting, and replying is not following up.
11580 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
11584 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
11589 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
11590 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
11591 is all done by the backends.
11595 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
11596 default, way of getting news.
11600 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
11601 These are groups that use different backends for getting news.
11605 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
11606 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
11610 A nessage that has been posted as news.
11613 @cindex mail message
11614 A message that has been mailed.
11618 A mail message or news article
11622 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
11627 The rest of an article. Everything that is not in the head is in the
11632 A line from the head of an article.
11636 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
11637 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
11641 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
11642 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
11643 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
11644 normal @sc{head} format.
11648 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
11649 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
11650 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
11651 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
11652 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
11653 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
11655 @item killed groups
11656 @cindex killed groups
11657 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
11658 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
11660 @item zombie groups
11661 @cindex zombie groups
11662 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
11665 @cindex active file
11666 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
11667 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
11668 is rather large, as you might surmise.
11671 @cindex bogus groups
11672 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
11673 server (i. e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
11674 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
11678 A machine than one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
11680 @item select method
11681 @cindex select method
11682 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
11685 @item virtual server
11686 @cindex virtual server
11687 A named select method. Since a select methods defines all there is to
11688 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the who things as a
11689 whole is a virtual server.
11694 @node Customization
11695 @section Customization
11696 @cindex general customization
11698 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
11699 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
11700 for some quite common situations.
11703 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
11704 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
11705 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
11706 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
11710 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
11711 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
11713 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
11714 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
11715 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
11719 @item gnus-read-active-file
11720 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
11721 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
11722 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-news} and
11723 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
11724 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
11726 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
11727 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
11728 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
11729 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
11733 @node Slow Terminal Connection
11734 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
11736 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that
11737 runs Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce the
11738 amount of data that is sent over the wires as much as possible.
11742 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
11743 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
11744 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
11745 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
11746 horizontal and vertical recentering.
11748 @item gnus-visible-headers
11749 Cut down on the headers that are included in the articles to the
11750 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
11751 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
11752 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
11754 @item gnus-article-display-hook
11755 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
11757 (setq gnus-article-display-hook
11758 '(gnus-article-hide-headers gnus-article-hide-signature
11759 gnus-article-hide-citation))
11762 @item gnus-use-full-window
11763 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
11764 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
11765 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
11766 want to read them anyway.
11768 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
11769 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
11772 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
11773 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
11774 lines, which might save some time.
11778 @node Little Disk Space
11779 @subsection Little Disk Space
11782 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
11783 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
11787 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
11788 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
11789 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
11790 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
11793 @item gnus-save-killed-list
11794 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
11795 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
11796 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
11797 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
11803 @subsection Slow Machine
11804 @cindex slow machine
11806 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
11807 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
11809 Set@code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
11810 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
11812 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
11813 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
11814 summary buffer faster.
11816 Set @code{gnus-article-display-hook} to @code{nil} to make article
11817 processing a bit faster.
11820 @node Troubleshooting
11821 @section Troubleshooting
11822 @cindex troubleshooting
11824 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
11832 Make sure your computer is switched on.
11835 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
11836 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
11840 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
11841 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
11842 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
11843 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
11846 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
11850 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
11853 @cindex reporting bugs
11855 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
11857 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
11858 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
11859 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
11860 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
11862 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
11863 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
11864 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
11865 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
11868 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
11869 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you send back
11870 just ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
11871 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
11872 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
11873 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
11875 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
11876 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
11877 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
11880 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
11881 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
11883 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
11884 @cindex ding mailing list
11885 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@ifi.uio.no}.
11886 Write to @samp{ding-request@@ifi.uio.no} to subscribe.
11889 @node A Programmers Guide to Gnus
11890 @section A Programmer's Guide to Gnus
11892 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
11893 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
11894 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
11895 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
11898 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
11899 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
11900 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
11901 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
11902 and general method of operations.
11905 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
11906 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
11907 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
11908 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
11909 * Group Info:: The group info format.
11910 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
11911 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
11915 @node Backend Interface
11916 @subsection Backend Interface
11918 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
11919 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
11920 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
11921 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
11922 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
11923 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
11925 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
11926 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
11927 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
11928 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
11929 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
11930 been opened, the function should fail.
11932 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
11933 name. Take this example:
11937 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
11938 (nntp-port-number 4324))
11941 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
11942 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
11944 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
11945 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
11946 server environments that it pulls down/pushes up when needed.
11948 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
11949 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
11950 always check whether are present before attempting to call.
11952 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
11953 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
11954 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
11955 ``resulting data'', I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
11956 talk about ``return value'', I talk about the function value returned by
11959 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
11960 some might be said to not be. The latter are backends that generally
11961 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
11962 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
11965 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
11968 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
11971 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
11972 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
11973 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
11977 @node Required Backend Functions
11978 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
11982 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
11984 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
11985 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
11986 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
11987 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
11989 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
11990 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
11991 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
11992 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
11994 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try to fetch "extra
11995 headers, in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
11996 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
11997 article number in @code{articles}, and fill in the gaps as well. The
11998 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
11999 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
12000 number, do maximum fetches.
12002 Here's an example HEAD:
12005 221 1056 Article retrieved.
12006 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
12007 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
12008 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
12009 Subject: Re: Something very droll
12010 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
12011 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
12013 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
12014 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
12015 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
12019 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
12020 these in the data buffer.
12022 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
12026 head = error / valid-head
12027 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
12028 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
12029 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
12030 header = <text> eol
12033 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
12034 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
12038 nov-buffer = *nov-line
12039 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
12040 field = <text except TAB>
12043 For a closer explanation what should be in those fields,
12047 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
12049 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
12050 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that defines this virtual server.
12052 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
12053 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
12054 server. In fact, it should do so.
12056 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
12057 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
12060 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
12062 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
12063 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
12066 There should be no data returned.
12069 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
12071 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
12072 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
12073 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
12074 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
12076 There should be no data returned.
12079 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
12081 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
12082 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
12083 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
12084 attempt to reconnect to a server that is has lost connection to.
12086 There should be no data returned.
12089 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
12091 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
12093 There should be no data returned.
12096 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
12098 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
12099 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
12100 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
12101 it would be nice if that were possible.
12103 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
12104 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
12105 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
12106 another, and Gnus mainly request articles to be inserted directly into
12107 its article buffer.
12109 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
12110 the car is the group name the article was fetched from, and the cdr is
12111 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
12112 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
12113 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
12114 on successful article retrievement.
12117 @item (nnchoke-open-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
12119 Make @var{group} the current group.
12121 There should be no data returned by this function.
12124 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
12126 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
12127 making @var{group} the current group.
12129 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
12132 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
12135 The first number is the status, which should be @code{211}. Next is the
12136 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
12137 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
12138 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
12139 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
12140 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
12141 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
12142 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
12145 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
12146 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
12147 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
12151 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
12153 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
12154 a no-op on most backends.
12156 There should be no data returned.
12159 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
12161 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
12164 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
12167 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
12168 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
12171 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
12172 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
12175 active-file = *active-line
12176 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
12178 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
12181 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
12182 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
12183 (@samp{=other-group} or none of the above (@samp{y}).
12186 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
12188 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
12189 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
12190 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
12191 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
12192 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
12193 clear if the posting could not be completed.
12195 There should be no result data from this function.
12200 @node Optional Backend Functions
12201 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
12205 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
12207 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
12208 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
12209 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
12211 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
12212 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
12213 former is in the same format as the data from
12214 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
12215 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
12218 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
12222 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
12224 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
12225 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
12226 information (as is the case with virtual an imap groups). This function
12227 may alter the info in any manner it sees fit, and should return the
12228 (altered) group info. This function may alter the group info
12229 destructively, so no copying is needed before boogeying.
12231 There should be no result data from this function.
12234 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
12236 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
12237 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
12238 user is following up is news or mail. This function should return
12239 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
12240 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
12241 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
12242 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.)
12244 There should be no result data from this function.
12247 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
12249 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
12250 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
12251 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
12252 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
12253 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
12255 The only use for this that I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
12256 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
12257 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
12260 There should be no result data from this function.
12263 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
12265 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
12266 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
12267 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
12268 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
12269 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
12270 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
12271 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
12273 There should be no result data from this function.
12276 @item (nnchoke-request-asynchronous GROUP &optional SERVER ARTICLES)
12278 This is a request to fetch articles asynchronously later.
12279 @var{articles} is an alist of @var{(article-number line-number)}. One
12280 would generally expect that if one later fetches article number 4, for
12281 instance, some sort of asynchronous fetching of the articles after 4
12282 (which might be 5, 6, 7 or 11, 3, 909 depending on the order in that
12283 alist) would be fetched asynchronously, but that is left up to the
12284 backend. Gnus doesn't care.
12286 There should be no result data from this function.
12289 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
12291 The result data from this function should be a description of
12295 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
12297 description = <text>
12300 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
12302 The result data from this function should be the description of all
12303 groups available on the server.
12306 description-buffer = *description-line
12310 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
12312 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
12313 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
12314 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
12317 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
12319 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
12321 There should be no return data.
12324 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
12326 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
12327 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
12328 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
12329 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
12330 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
12333 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
12336 There should be no result data returned.
12339 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
12342 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
12343 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
12345 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
12346 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
12347 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
12348 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
12349 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
12350 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
12352 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
12353 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
12356 The function should return a cons where the car is the group name and
12357 the cdr is the article number that the article was entered as.
12359 There should be no data returned.
12362 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
12364 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
12365 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
12366 this function in short order.
12368 The function should return a cons where the car is the group name and
12369 the cdr is the article number that the article was entered as.
12371 There should be no data returned.
12374 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
12376 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
12377 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
12379 There should be no data returned.
12382 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
12384 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
12385 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
12386 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
12388 There should be no data returned.
12391 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
12393 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
12394 articles that are in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
12396 There should be no data returned.
12401 @node Writing New Backends
12402 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
12404 The various backends share many similarities. @code{nnml} is just like
12405 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
12406 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
12407 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
12408 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
12411 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
12412 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
12413 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
12415 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
12416 package called @code{nnoo}.
12418 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
12419 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
12426 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
12427 parameters. For instance:
12430 (nnoo-declare nndir
12434 @code{nndir} has here declared that it intends to inherit functions from
12435 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
12438 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
12439 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
12440 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
12442 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
12443 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
12444 a function in those backends.
12447 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
12448 "Where nndir will look for groups."
12449 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
12452 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
12453 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
12454 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
12456 @item nnoo-define-basics
12457 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
12461 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
12465 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
12466 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
12467 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
12469 @item nnoo-map-functions
12470 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
12471 functions from the parent backends.
12474 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
12475 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
12476 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
12479 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
12480 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
12481 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
12482 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
12485 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
12486 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
12487 haven't already been defined.
12493 nnmh-request-newgroups)
12497 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
12498 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
12499 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
12504 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
12507 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
12508 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
12512 (require 'nnheader)
12516 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
12518 (nnoo-declare nndir
12521 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
12522 "Where nndir will look for groups."
12523 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
12525 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
12526 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
12529 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
12530 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
12531 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
12533 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
12534 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
12536 ;;; Interface functions.
12538 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
12540 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
12541 (setq nndir-directory
12542 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
12544 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
12545 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
12546 (push `(nndir-current-group
12547 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
12549 (push `(nndir-top-directory
12550 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
12552 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
12554 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
12555 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
12556 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
12557 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
12558 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
12562 nnmh-status-message
12564 nnmh-request-newgroups))
12571 @node Score File Syntax
12572 @subsection Score File Syntax
12574 Score files are meant to be easily parsable, but yet extremely
12575 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
12576 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
12578 Here's a typical score file:
12582 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
12589 BNF definition of a score file:
12592 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
12593 element = rule / atom
12594 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
12595 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
12596 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
12597 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
12599 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
12600 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
12601 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
12602 date-header = "date"
12603 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
12604 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
12605 score = "nil" / <integer>
12606 date = "nil" / <natural number>
12607 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
12608 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
12609 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
12610 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
12611 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
12612 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
12613 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
12614 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
12615 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
12616 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
12617 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
12618 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
12619 exclude-files / read-only / touched
12620 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
12621 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
12622 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
12623 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
12624 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
12625 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
12626 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
12627 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
12628 adapt = "adapt" [ space "nil" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
12629 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
12630 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
12631 eval = "eval" space <form>
12632 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
12635 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
12638 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
12639 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
12640 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
12641 one looong line, then that's ok.
12643 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
12648 @subsection Headers
12650 Gnus uses internally a format for storing article headers that
12651 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
12652 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
12653 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
12655 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
12656 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (eg.,
12657 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
12658 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
12659 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
12660 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
12661 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
12663 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
12664 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
12665 @code{xref}. There are macros for accessing and setting these slots --
12666 they all have predictable names beginning with @code{mail-header-} and
12667 @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
12669 The @code{xref} slot is really a @code{misc} slot. Any extra info will
12676 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
12677 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
12679 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
12680 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
12681 that you want to callify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
12682 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
12684 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
12688 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
12691 is transformed into
12694 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
12697 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
12698 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
12701 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
12704 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
12705 is slightly tricky:
12708 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
12714 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
12717 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
12723 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
12730 and is equal to the previous range.
12732 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
12733 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
12734 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
12738 range = simple-range / normal-range
12739 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
12740 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
12741 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
12742 number *[ " " contents ]
12745 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
12746 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
12747 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
12748 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
12749 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
12754 @subsection Group Info
12756 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
12757 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
12758 describes the group.
12760 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
12761 second is a more complex one:
12764 ("no.group" 5 (1 . 54324))
12766 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
12767 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
12769 (auto-expire (to-address "ding@@ifi.uio.no")))
12772 The first element is the group name as Gnus knows the group; the second
12773 is the group level; the third is the read articles in range format; the
12774 fourth is a list of article marks lists; the fifth is the select method;
12775 and the sixth contains the group parameters.
12777 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
12780 info = "(" group space level space read
12781 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
12782 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
12783 group = quote <string> quote
12784 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
12786 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
12787 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
12788 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
12789 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
12792 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
12793 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
12797 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
12798 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
12802 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
12803 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
12804 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
12806 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
12807 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
12808 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
12809 Gnus, that's very useful.
12811 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
12812 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
12813 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
12814 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
12815 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
12816 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
12817 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
12818 following function:
12821 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
12825 (,function ,@@args))
12829 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
12830 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs -- it
12831 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
12834 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
12835 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
12836 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
12839 @node Various File Formats
12840 @subsection Various File Formats
12843 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
12844 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
12848 @node Active File Format
12849 @subsubsection Active File Format
12851 The active file lists all groups that are available on the server in
12852 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
12855 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
12858 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
12859 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
12860 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
12861 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
12862 no.general 1000 900 y
12865 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
12868 active = *group-line
12869 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
12870 group = <non-white-space string>
12872 high-number = <non-negative integer>
12873 low-number = <positive integer>
12874 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
12878 @node Newsgroups File Format
12879 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
12881 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
12882 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
12883 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
12886 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
12887 Here's the definition:
12891 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
12892 group = <non-white-space string>
12894 description = <string>
12898 @node Emacs for Heathens
12899 @section Emacs for Heathens
12901 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
12902 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
12903 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
12904 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
12905 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
12906 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
12907 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
12911 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
12912 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
12917 @subsection Keystrokes
12921 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
12924 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
12927 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
12928 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
12929 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
12930 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
12931 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
12932 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
12934 The shift key is normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
12935 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
12936 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
12937 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
12938 keyboards. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
12939 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
12940 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
12942 Now, us Emacs people doesn't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
12943 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
12944 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
12945 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
12946 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
12947 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
12948 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
12950 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
12951 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
12952 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
12953 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
12954 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
12960 @subsection Emacs Lisp
12962 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
12963 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
12964 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
12965 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
12967 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
12968 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
12969 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
12970 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
12971 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
12972 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
12973 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
12976 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
12977 write the following:
12980 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
12983 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
12984 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
12985 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
12988 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
12989 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
12990 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
12991 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
12992 previous ``form'', which here is a simple @code{setq} statement.
12994 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
12995 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
12996 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
13000 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
13004 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
13007 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
13008 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
13011 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
13014 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
13015 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
13018 @include gnus-faq.texi