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4 @settitle Red Gnus 0.40 Manual
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233 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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242 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
244 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
245 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
246 are preserved on all copies.
248 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
249 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
250 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
251 permission notice identical to this one.
253 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
254 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
263 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
265 Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
267 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
268 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
269 are preserved on all copies.
272 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
273 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
274 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
275 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
278 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
279 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
280 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
281 permission notice identical to this one.
283 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
284 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
290 @title Red Gnus 0.40 Manual
292 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
295 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
296 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
298 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
299 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
300 are preserved on all copies.
302 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
303 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
304 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
305 permission notice identical to this one.
307 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
308 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
317 @top The Red Gnus Newsreader
321 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
322 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
323 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
335 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
336 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
338 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
339 being accused of plagiarism:
341 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
342 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
343 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
344 even read news with it!
346 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
347 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
348 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
349 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
350 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
357 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
358 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
359 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
360 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
361 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
362 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
363 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
364 * Various:: General purpose settings.
365 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
366 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
367 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
368 * Key Index:: Key Index.
372 @chapter Starting Gnus
377 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
378 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
381 @findex gnus-other-frame
382 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
383 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
384 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
386 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
390 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
391 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
392 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
393 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
394 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
395 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
396 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
397 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
398 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
399 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
400 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
404 @node Finding the News
405 @section Finding the News
408 @vindex gnus-select-method
410 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
411 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
412 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
413 native method. All groups that are not fetched with this method are
416 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
417 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
420 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
423 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
426 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
429 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
430 certainly be much faster.
432 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
434 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
435 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
436 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
437 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
438 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
439 that fails as well, Gnus will will try to use the machine that is
440 running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
442 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
443 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
444 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
445 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
447 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
448 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
449 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
450 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
451 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
452 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting.
454 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
456 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
457 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
458 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
459 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
460 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
461 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
463 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
465 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
466 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
467 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
468 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
469 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
470 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
473 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
474 would typically set this variable to
477 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
482 @section The First Time
483 @cindex first time usage
485 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
486 be subscribed by default.
488 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
489 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
490 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
491 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
494 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
495 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is here
496 defined as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
498 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
499 help you with most common problems.
501 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
502 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
506 @node The Server is Down
507 @section The Server is Down
508 @cindex server errors
510 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
511 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
512 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
514 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
515 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
516 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
517 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
518 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
519 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
520 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
522 @findex gnus-no-server
523 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
525 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
526 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
527 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
528 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
529 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
530 @code{1} and @code{2}. (You should preferably keep no native groups on
535 @section Slave Gnusae
538 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
539 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
540 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
541 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
543 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
546 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
547 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
548 @dfn{servants}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
549 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
550 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
551 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
552 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
554 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
555 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
556 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
557 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
558 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
559 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
560 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
561 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
563 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
564 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
567 @node Fetching a Group
568 @section Fetching a Group
569 @cindex fetching a group
571 @findex gnus-fetch-group
572 It it sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
573 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
574 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
575 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
576 It takes the group name as a parameter.
584 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
585 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
586 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
587 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
588 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
589 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
590 is @code{t} by default.
593 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
594 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
595 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
599 @node Checking New Groups
600 @subsection Checking New Groups
602 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
603 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
604 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
605 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
606 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
607 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
608 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
609 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
610 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
611 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
613 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
614 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
615 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
616 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
617 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
618 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
619 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
620 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
621 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
622 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
623 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
625 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
626 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
627 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
628 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
629 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
630 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
633 @node Subscription Methods
634 @subsection Subscription Methods
636 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
637 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
638 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
640 This variable should contain a function. Some handy pre-fab values
645 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
646 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
647 Make all new groups zombies. You can browse the zombies later (with
648 @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly, or subscribe to them.
651 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
652 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
653 Subscribe all new groups randomly.
655 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
656 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
657 Subscribe all new groups alphabetically.
659 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
660 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
661 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
662 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
663 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
664 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into it's
665 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
666 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
667 up. Or something like that.
669 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
670 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
671 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
672 you about @strong{all} new groups.
674 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
675 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
680 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
681 A closely related variable is
682 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
683 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
684 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
685 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
688 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above to
689 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
690 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
693 @node Filtering New Groups
694 @subsection Filtering New Groups
696 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
697 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
698 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
701 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
704 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
705 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
706 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
707 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
708 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
709 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
710 subscribing these groups.
711 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
712 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
714 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
715 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
716 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
717 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
718 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
719 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
720 and if the the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
721 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
723 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
724 Yet another variable that meddles here is
725 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
726 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
727 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
728 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
729 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
730 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
731 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
732 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
735 @node Changing Servers
736 @section Changing Servers
737 @cindex changing servers
739 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
740 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
741 very flakey and you want to use another.
743 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
744 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
748 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
749 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
750 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
751 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
754 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
755 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
756 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
757 functions more than absolutely necessary.
759 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
760 @findex gnus-change-server
761 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
762 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
763 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
764 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
765 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
767 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
768 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
769 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
770 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
771 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
773 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
774 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
775 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
776 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
777 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
778 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
782 @section Startup Files
783 @cindex startup files
788 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
789 information is traditionally stored in this file.
791 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
792 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
793 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
794 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
795 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
796 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
797 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
799 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
800 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
801 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
802 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file.
804 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
805 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
806 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
807 the file and save some space, as well as making exit from Gnus faster.
808 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
809 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
811 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
812 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
813 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
814 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
815 will also means that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
816 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
817 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
818 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
819 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
820 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
821 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
822 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
824 @vindex gnus-startup-file
825 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
826 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
827 file being whatever that one is with a @samp{.eld} appended.
829 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
830 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
831 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
832 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
833 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
834 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
835 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
836 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
837 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
838 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
841 (defun turn-off-backup ()
842 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
844 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
845 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
848 @vindex gnus-init-file
849 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
850 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus.el} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
851 (@file{~/.gnus.el} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
852 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{.emacs} and
853 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff.
861 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
862 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
863 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
864 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
865 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
868 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
869 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
872 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
873 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
874 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
876 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
877 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
878 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
879 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
880 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
881 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
884 @node The Active File
885 @section The Active File
887 @cindex ignored groups
889 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
890 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
891 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
893 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
894 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
895 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
896 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
897 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
898 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
899 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
902 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
903 @c if you set it to anything else.
905 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
907 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
908 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
909 reading the active file. This variable is @code{t} by default.
911 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
912 you actually subscribe to.
914 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
915 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
916 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
917 considerably, unless you read news over a @code{2400} baud modem.
919 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
920 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
921 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
922 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
923 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
924 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
926 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
927 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
928 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
929 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
930 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
931 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
933 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
934 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
937 @node Startup Variables
938 @section Startup Variables
943 @vindex gnus-load-hook
944 A hook that is run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
945 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
946 times you start Gnus.
948 @item gnus-startup-hook
949 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
950 A hook that is run after starting up Gnus successfully.
952 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
953 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
954 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
955 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
956 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
957 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
958 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
959 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
961 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
962 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
963 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
964 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead of doing
967 @item gnus-no-groups-message
968 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
969 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
973 @node The Group Buffer
974 @chapter The Group Buffer
977 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
978 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
979 long as Gnus is active.
982 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
983 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
984 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
985 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
986 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
987 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
988 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
989 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
990 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
991 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
992 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
993 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
994 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
995 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
996 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
997 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1001 @node Group Buffer Format
1002 @section Group Buffer Format
1005 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1006 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1007 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1011 @node Group Line Specification
1012 @subsection Group Line Specification
1013 @cindex group buffer format
1015 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1016 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1018 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1021 25: news.announce.newusers
1022 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1027 You can see that there are @code{25} unread articles in
1028 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1029 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1030 asterisk at the beginning of the line?)
1032 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1033 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1034 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1035 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1036 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1037 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1039 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1041 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1042 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1043 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1044 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1047 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1048 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1049 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1051 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1056 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1059 Whether the group is subscribed.
1062 Level of subscribedness.
1065 Number of unread articles.
1068 Number of dormant articles.
1071 Number of ticked articles.
1074 Number of read articles.
1077 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1078 minus @var{min-number} plus @code{1}.)
1081 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1084 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1093 Newsgroup description.
1096 @samp{m} if moderated.
1099 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1108 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1112 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1115 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1116 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1117 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1118 The default is @code{1}.
1121 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1122 be a letter. @sc{gnus} will call the function
1123 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1124 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current headers as
1125 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
1126 into the buffer just like information from any other specifier.
1130 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1131 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1132 group, or a bogus (or semi-bogus) native group.
1135 @node Group Modeline Specification
1136 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1137 @cindex group modeline
1139 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1140 The mode line can be changed by setting
1141 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). It
1142 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1146 The native news server.
1148 The native select method.
1152 @node Group Highlighting
1153 @subsection Group Highlighting
1154 @cindex highlighting
1155 @cindex group highlighting
1157 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1158 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1159 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1160 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1161 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1163 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1167 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1169 ,(custom-face-lookup "Red" nil nil t nil nil))
1170 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) .
1171 ,(custom-face-lookup "SeaGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1173 ,(custom-face-lookup "SpringGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1175 ,(custom-face-lookup "SteelBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
1177 ,(custom-face-lookup "SkyBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
1181 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1188 The number of unread articles in the group.
1192 Whether the group is a mail group.
1194 The level of the group.
1196 The score of the group.
1198 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1200 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1203 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1204 topic being inserted.
1207 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1208 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1209 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1211 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1212 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1213 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1214 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1215 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1218 @node Group Maneuvering
1219 @section Group Maneuvering
1220 @cindex group movement
1222 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1223 expected, hopefully.
1229 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1230 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1231 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1237 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1238 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1239 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1243 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1244 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1248 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1249 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1253 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1254 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1255 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1259 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1260 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1261 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1264 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1270 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1271 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1272 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1277 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1278 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1279 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1283 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1284 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1285 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1288 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1289 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1290 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1291 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1295 @node Selecting a Group
1296 @section Selecting a Group
1297 @cindex group selection
1302 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1303 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1304 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1305 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1306 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1307 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1308 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, Gnus
1309 will fetch @var{N} number of articles. If @var{N} is positive, fetch
1310 the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is negative, fetch the
1311 @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1315 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1316 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1317 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1318 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1319 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1323 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1324 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1325 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1326 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1327 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1328 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1329 enter some humongous group. If you give a @code{0} prefix to this command
1330 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer.
1331 This might be useful if you want to toggle threading before entering the
1335 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1336 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1337 This is yet one more command that does the same as the one above, but
1338 this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1339 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1343 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1344 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1345 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1346 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1347 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
1352 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1353 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1354 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1358 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1359 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1360 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1362 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1363 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1364 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1365 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1366 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1367 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1372 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1373 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1374 to be a big group. This is @code{200} by default. If the group has more
1375 unread articles than this, Gnus will query the user before entering the
1376 group. The user can then specify how many articles should be fetched
1377 from the server. If the user specifies a negative number (@code{-n}),
1378 the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it is positive, the
1379 @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will be fetched.
1381 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1382 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1383 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1384 automatically when entering a group.
1389 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1390 full summary buffer.
1393 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1396 Select the most high-scored article in the group when entering the
1400 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1401 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1402 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1406 @node Subscription Commands
1407 @section Subscription Commands
1408 @cindex subscription
1416 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1417 Toggle subscription to the current group
1418 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1424 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1425 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1426 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1427 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1433 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1434 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1440 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1441 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1444 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1445 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1446 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1447 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1448 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1454 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1455 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1459 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1460 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1463 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1464 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1465 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1466 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1467 be used with some caution. The only thing where this command comes in
1468 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1469 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level @code{7} will
1470 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1471 @file{.newsrc} file.
1475 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1479 @section Group Levels
1483 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1484 group is on level @code{2}, it is more subscribed than a group on level @code{5}. You
1485 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1486 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1487 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1489 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1495 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1496 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1497 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1498 prompted for a level.
1501 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1502 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1503 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1504 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1505 Gnus considers groups on between levels @code{1} and
1506 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default @code{5}) to be subscribed,
1507 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1508 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default @code{7}) to be
1509 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1510 (default @code{8}) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (default @code{9}),
1511 completely dead. Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly
1512 the same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what
1513 articles you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and
1514 living groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely
1515 for reasons of efficiency.
1517 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1518 low levels (e.g. @code{1} or @code{2}).
1520 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1521 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1522 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1524 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1525 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1526 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1527 (default @code{3}) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default @code{6}),
1528 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1529 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1530 relevant legal ranges.
1532 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1533 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1534 will only move to groups that are of the same level (or lower). In
1535 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1536 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1537 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1540 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1541 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1542 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1545 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1546 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1547 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1548 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1551 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1552 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1553 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1554 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1556 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1557 Gnus will normally just activate groups that are on level
1558 @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to activate
1559 unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable to
1560 @code{5}. The default is @code{6}.
1564 @section Group Score
1567 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1568 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1569 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1572 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1573 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1574 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1575 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1576 that is on level @code{4} and has a score of @code{1} has a higher rank than a group
1577 on level @code{5} that has a score of @code{300}. (The level is the most significant
1578 part and the score is the least significant part.)
1580 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1581 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1582 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1583 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1584 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1585 action after each summary exit, you can add
1586 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1587 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1588 slow things down somewhat.
1591 @node Marking Groups
1592 @section Marking Groups
1593 @cindex marking groups
1595 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1596 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1597 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1598 bidding on those groups.
1600 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1601 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1602 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1610 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1611 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1617 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1618 Remove the mark from the current group
1619 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1623 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1624 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1628 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1629 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1633 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1634 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1638 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1639 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1640 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1643 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1645 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1646 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1647 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1648 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1649 the command to be executed.
1652 @node Foreign Groups
1653 @section Foreign Groups
1654 @cindex foreign groups
1656 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1657 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1658 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1659 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1666 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1667 @cindex making groups
1668 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1669 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1670 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1674 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1675 @cindex renaming groups
1676 Rename the current group to something else
1677 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is legal only on some
1678 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1683 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1684 @cindex renaming groups
1685 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1686 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1690 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1691 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1692 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1696 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1697 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1698 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1702 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1704 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1705 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1710 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1711 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1715 @cindex (ding) archive
1716 @cindex archive group
1717 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1718 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1719 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1720 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1721 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1722 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1723 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1727 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1729 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1730 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1731 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1732 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
1736 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1738 Read an arbitrary directory as if with were a newsgroup with the
1739 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1740 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1744 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1745 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1747 Make a group based on some file or other
1748 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1749 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1750 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1751 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs}, and
1752 @code{forward}. If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will
1753 guess at the file type. @xref{Document Groups}.
1757 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1762 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1763 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1764 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1765 search engine type and the search string. Legal search engine types
1766 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1767 @xref{Web Searches}.
1770 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1771 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1772 This function will delete the current group
1773 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1774 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1775 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1776 absolutely sure of what you are doing.
1780 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1781 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1782 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
1786 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1787 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1788 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1791 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1794 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1795 If the @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
1796 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
1797 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
1798 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers.
1801 @node Group Parameters
1802 @section Group Parameters
1803 @cindex group parameters
1805 The group parameters store information local to a particular group:
1810 If the group parameter list contains an element that looks like
1811 @code{(to-address . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used by
1812 the backend when doing followups and posts. This is primarily useful in
1813 mail groups that represent closed mailing lists---mailing lists where
1814 it's expected that everybody that writes to the mailing list is
1815 subscribed to it. Since using this parameter ensures that the mail only
1816 goes to the mailing list itself, it means that members won't receive two
1817 copies of your followups.
1819 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
1820 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
1821 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
1822 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
1823 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
1824 list address instead.
1828 If the group parameter list has an element that looks like
1829 @code{(to-list . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used when
1830 doing a @kbd{a} in any group. It is totally ignored when doing a
1831 followup---except that if it is present in a news group, you'll get mail
1832 group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
1834 @item broken-reply-to
1835 @cindex broken-reply-to
1836 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
1837 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
1838 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
1839 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
1840 broken behavior. So there!
1844 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
1845 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
1849 If this symbol is present in the group parameter list and set to
1850 @code{t}, new composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current
1851 group. If it is present and set to @code{none}, no @code{Gcc:} header
1852 will be generated, if it is present and a string, this string will be
1853 inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header (this symbol takes precedence over
1854 any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later).
1858 If this symbol is present in the group parameter list, all articles that
1859 are read will be marked as expirable. For an alternative approach,
1860 @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
1863 @cindex total-expire
1864 If this symbol is present, all read articles will be put through the
1865 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
1870 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
1871 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
1872 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
1873 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
1874 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
1875 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
1878 @cindex score file group parameter
1879 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
1880 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. This
1881 means that all score commands you issue will end up in that file.
1884 @cindex adapt file group parameter
1885 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
1886 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
1887 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
1890 When unsubscribing to a mailing list you should never send the
1891 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
1892 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
1893 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
1896 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} says which articles to
1897 display on entering the group. Legal values are:
1901 Display all articles, both read and unread.
1904 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
1909 This parameter allows you to enter a arbitrary comment on the group.
1911 @item @var{(variable form)}
1912 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
1913 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
1914 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
1915 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
1916 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
1917 @code{eval}ed there.
1919 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
1920 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
1921 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
1922 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
1923 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
1927 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group.
1929 Also @pxref{Topic Parameters}.
1932 @node Listing Groups
1933 @section Listing Groups
1934 @cindex group listing
1936 These commands all list various slices of the groups that are available.
1944 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
1945 List all groups that have unread articles
1946 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
1947 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
1948 only lists groups of level five or lower (i.e., just subscribed groups).
1954 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
1955 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
1956 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
1957 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
1958 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
1959 unsubscribed groups).
1963 @findex gnus-group-list-level
1964 List all unread groups on a specific level
1965 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
1966 with no unread articles.
1970 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
1971 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
1972 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
1973 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
1978 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
1979 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
1983 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
1984 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
1985 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
1989 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
1990 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
1994 @findex gnus-group-list-active
1995 List absolutely all groups that are in the active file(s) of the
1996 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
1997 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
1998 to do a @kbd{A m} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
1999 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list group that
2000 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they are killed groups.
2001 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2005 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2006 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2007 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2011 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2012 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2013 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2017 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2018 @cindex visible group parameter
2019 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2020 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2021 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2022 get the same effect.
2024 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2025 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2026 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2027 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2028 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2031 @node Sorting Groups
2032 @section Sorting Groups
2033 @cindex sorting groups
2035 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2036 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2037 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2038 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2039 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2040 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2045 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2046 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2047 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2049 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2050 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2051 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2053 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2054 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2055 Sort by group level.
2057 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2058 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2059 Sort by group score.
2061 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2062 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2063 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2064 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}.
2066 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2067 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2068 Sort by number of unread articles.
2070 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2071 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2072 Sort by alphabetically on the select method.
2077 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2078 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2082 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2083 some sorting criteria:
2087 @kindex G S a (Group)
2088 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2089 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2090 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2093 @kindex G S u (Group)
2094 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2095 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2096 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2099 @kindex G S l (Group)
2100 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2101 Sort the group buffer by group level
2102 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2105 @kindex G S v (Group)
2106 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2107 Sort the group buffer by group score
2108 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}).
2111 @kindex G S r (Group)
2112 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2113 Sort the group buffer by group level
2114 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}).
2117 @kindex G S m (Group)
2118 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2119 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2120 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2124 When given a prefix, all these commands will sort in reverse order.
2126 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2130 @kindex G P a (Group)
2131 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2132 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2133 group name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2136 @kindex G P u (Group)
2137 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2138 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by the number of
2139 unread articles (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2142 @kindex G P l (Group)
2143 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2144 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group level
2145 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2148 @kindex G P v (Group)
2149 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2150 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group score
2151 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}).
2154 @kindex G P r (Group)
2155 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2156 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group level
2157 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}).
2160 @kindex G P m (Group)
2161 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2162 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2163 backend name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2169 @node Group Maintenance
2170 @section Group Maintenance
2171 @cindex bogus groups
2176 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2177 Find bogus groups and delete them
2178 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2182 @findex gnus-find-new-newsgroups
2183 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-find-new-newsgroups}). If
2184 given a prefix, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server for
2188 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2189 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2190 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2191 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2194 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2195 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2196 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2197 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2202 @node Browse Foreign Server
2203 @section Browse Foreign Server
2204 @cindex foreign servers
2205 @cindex browsing servers
2210 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2211 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2212 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2213 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2216 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2217 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2218 will be use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2219 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2221 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2226 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2227 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2231 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2232 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2235 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2236 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2237 Enter the current group and display the first article
2238 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2241 @kindex RET (Browse)
2242 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2243 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2247 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2248 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2249 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2255 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2256 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2260 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2261 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2262 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2267 @section Exiting Gnus
2268 @cindex exiting Gnus
2270 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
2275 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2276 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
2277 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2278 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2282 @findex gnus-group-exit
2283 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2287 @findex gnus-group-quit
2288 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2289 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
2292 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2293 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2294 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
2295 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
2296 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2301 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2302 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2303 trying to customize meta-variables.
2308 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, feels her feet go
2309 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2310 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2316 @section Group Topics
2319 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2320 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2321 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2322 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2323 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2324 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2332 2: alt.religion.emacs
2335 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2337 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2338 13: comp.sources.unix
2341 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2343 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2344 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2345 is a toggling command.)
2347 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2348 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2349 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2350 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2353 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2354 the hook for the group mode:
2357 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2361 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2362 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2363 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2364 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2365 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2369 @node Topic Variables
2370 @subsection Topic Variables
2371 @cindex topic variables
2373 Now, if you select a topic, if will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2374 really neat, I think.
2376 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2377 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2378 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2391 Number of groups in the topic.
2393 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2395 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2398 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2399 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2400 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2401 The default is @code{2}.
2403 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2404 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2406 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2407 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2408 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2411 @node Topic Commands
2412 @subsection Topic Commands
2413 @cindex topic commands
2415 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2416 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2417 definitions slightly.
2423 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2424 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2425 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2429 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2430 Move the current group to some other topic
2431 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2432 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2436 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2437 Copy the current group to some other topic
2438 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2439 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2443 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2444 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2445 This command uses the process/prefix convention
2446 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2450 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2451 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2452 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2456 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2457 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2458 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2462 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2463 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2464 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2467 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2468 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2469 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2470 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2474 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2476 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2477 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2478 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2479 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2480 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2481 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2484 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2485 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2486 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2487 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2488 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2492 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2493 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}).
2497 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2498 Yank the previously killed group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}).
2499 Note that all topics will be yanked before all groups.
2503 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2504 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2507 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2508 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2509 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2513 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2514 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2515 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2519 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2520 @cindex group parameters
2521 @cindex topic parameters
2523 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2524 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2530 @subsection Topic Sorting
2531 @cindex topic sorting
2533 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2539 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2540 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2541 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2542 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2545 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2546 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2547 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2548 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2551 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2552 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2553 Sort the current topic by group level
2554 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2557 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2558 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2559 Sort the current topic by group score
2560 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}).
2563 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2564 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2565 Sort the current topic by group level
2566 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}).
2569 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2570 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2571 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2572 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2576 @xref{Sorting Groups} for more information about group sorting.
2579 @node Topic Topology
2580 @subsection Topic Topology
2581 @cindex topic topology
2584 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2590 2: alt.religion.emacs
2593 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2595 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2596 13: comp.sources.unix
2599 So, here we have one top-level topic, two topics under that, and one
2600 sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always just one (@code{1})
2601 top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as follows:
2605 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2606 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2610 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2611 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2612 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2613 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2614 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2615 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2617 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2618 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2619 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2622 @node Topic Parameters
2623 @subsection Topic Parameters
2624 @cindex topic parameters
2626 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
2627 ancestor) topic parameters. All legal group parameters are legal topic
2628 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
2630 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
2631 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
2632 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
2633 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
2639 2: alt.religion.emacs
2643 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2645 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2646 13: comp.sources.unix
2650 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
2651 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
2652 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
2653 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
2654 @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
2655 . "religion.SCORE")}.
2657 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
2658 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
2659 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
2660 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
2661 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
2663 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
2664 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
2665 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
2666 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
2667 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
2668 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
2669 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
2670 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
2673 @node Misc Group Stuff
2674 @section Misc Group Stuff
2677 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
2678 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
2679 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
2686 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
2687 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
2688 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
2692 @findex gnus-group-post-news
2693 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). The current
2694 group name will be used as the default.
2698 @findex gnus-group-mail
2699 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
2703 Variables for the group buffer:
2707 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
2708 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
2709 @code{gnus-group-mode-hook} is called after the group buffer has been
2712 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
2713 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2714 @code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} is called after the group buffer is
2715 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
2718 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2719 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2720 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
2721 whether they are empty or not.
2726 @node Scanning New Messages
2727 @subsection Scanning New Messages
2728 @cindex new messages
2729 @cindex scanning new news
2735 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
2736 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
2737 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
2738 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
2739 command will force a total rereading of the active file(s) from the
2744 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
2745 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
2746 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
2747 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
2748 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
2749 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
2751 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
2752 @cindex activating groups
2754 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
2755 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
2760 @findex gnus-group-restart
2761 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}).
2765 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
2766 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
2768 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
2769 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
2773 @node Group Information
2774 @subsection Group Information
2775 @cindex group information
2776 @cindex information on groups
2784 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
2785 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
2788 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
2789 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
2790 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
2791 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
2792 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
2793 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
2794 for fetching the file.
2796 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
2797 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
2801 @cindex describing groups
2802 @cindex group description
2803 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
2804 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
2805 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
2809 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
2810 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
2811 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
2816 @findex gnus-version
2817 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
2821 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
2822 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
2825 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
2828 @findex gnus-info-find-node
2829 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
2834 @subsection File Commands
2835 @cindex file commands
2841 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
2842 @vindex gnus-init-file
2843 @cindex reading init file
2844 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
2845 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
2849 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
2850 @cindex saving .newsrc
2851 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
2852 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
2853 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
2856 @c @kindex Z (Group)
2857 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
2858 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
2863 @node The Summary Buffer
2864 @chapter The Summary Buffer
2865 @cindex summary buffer
2867 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
2868 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
2871 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
2872 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
2873 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
2874 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
2875 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
2876 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
2877 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
2878 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
2879 * Threading:: How threads are made.
2880 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
2881 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
2882 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
2883 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
2884 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
2885 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
2886 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
2887 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
2888 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
2889 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
2890 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
2891 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
2892 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
2893 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
2894 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
2895 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
2896 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
2900 @node Summary Buffer Format
2901 @section Summary Buffer Format
2902 @cindex summary buffer format
2905 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
2906 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
2907 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
2910 @findex mail-extract-address-components
2911 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
2912 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
2913 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
2914 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
2915 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined function exist:
2916 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
2917 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
2918 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
2919 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
2920 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead.
2922 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
2923 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
2924 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
2925 with those specs that require it. The default is @samp{}.
2928 @node Summary Buffer Lines
2929 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
2931 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
2932 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
2933 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
2934 lines a a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
2935 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2937 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
2939 The following format specification characters are understood:
2947 Subject if the article is the root or the previous article had a
2948 different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
2949 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @samp{}.)
2951 Full @code{From} header.
2953 The name (from the @code{From} header).
2955 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
2956 spec in that it uses @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is
2957 slower, but may be more thorough.
2959 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
2962 Number of lines in the article.
2964 Number of characters in the article.
2966 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
2968 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
2969 pushes everything after it off the screen).
2971 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{\[}, but can also be @samp{<}
2972 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
2974 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{\]}, but can also be @samp{>}
2975 for adopted articles.
2977 One space for each thread level.
2979 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
2987 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
2988 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
2989 default level. If the difference between
2990 @code{gnus-summary-default-level} and the score is less than
2991 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
2999 The @code{Date} in @code{YY-MMM} format.
3001 The @code{Date} in @code{YYYYMMDDTHHMMSS} format.
3007 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3008 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3010 A single character will be displayed if the article has any children.
3014 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3015 be a letter. @sc{gnus} will call the function
3016 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3017 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3018 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3019 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3022 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3023 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
3024 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3025 that. This means that it is illegal to have these specs after a
3026 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3027 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3029 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3030 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3032 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
3035 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
3036 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
3038 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
3039 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar. Set
3040 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you like. The default
3041 is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
3043 Here are the elements you can play with:
3049 Unprefixed group name.
3051 Current article number.
3055 Number of unread articles in this group.
3057 Number of unselected articles in this group.
3059 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
3060 either as @samp{<%U(+%u) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
3061 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
3062 and no unselected ones.
3064 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
3065 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
3067 Subject of the current article.
3071 Name of the current score file.
3073 Number of dormant articles.
3075 Number of ticked articles.
3077 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
3079 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
3083 @node Summary Highlighting
3084 @subsection Summary Highlighting
3088 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3089 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3090 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
3091 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
3092 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3094 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
3095 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
3096 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
3097 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3099 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
3100 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
3101 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) that is used to
3102 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
3104 @item gnus-summary-highlight
3105 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
3106 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
3107 list where the elements are on the format @var{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
3108 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
3109 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
3111 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
3112 ((> score default) . bold))
3114 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3115 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
3119 @node Summary Maneuvering
3120 @section Summary Maneuvering
3121 @cindex summary movement
3123 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
3124 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
3126 None of these commands select articles.
3131 @kindex M-n (Summary)
3132 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
3133 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
3134 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
3135 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
3139 @kindex M-p (Summary)
3140 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
3141 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
3142 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
3143 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
3148 @kindex G j (Summary)
3149 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
3150 Ask for an article number and then go that article
3151 (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
3154 @kindex G g (Summary)
3155 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
3156 Ask for an article number and then go the summary line of that article
3157 (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
3160 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
3161 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
3162 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
3163 to the group buffer.
3165 Variables related to summary movement:
3169 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
3170 @item gnus-auto-select-next
3171 If you are at the end of the group and issue one of the movement
3172 commands, Gnus will offer to go to the next group. If this variable is
3173 @code{t} and the next group is empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and
3174 return to the group buffer. If this variable is neither @code{t} nor
3175 @code{nil}, Gnus will select the next group, no matter whether it has
3176 any unread articles or not. As a special case, if this variable is
3177 @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
3178 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same will
3179 happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
3180 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
3181 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
3182 @pxref{Group Levels}.
3184 @item gnus-auto-select-same
3185 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
3186 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
3187 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
3188 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
3189 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) This variable is not
3190 particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
3192 @item gnus-summary-check-current
3193 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
3194 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
3195 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
3196 Instead, they will choose the current article.
3198 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
3199 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
3200 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
3201 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
3202 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
3203 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
3204 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
3205 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
3211 @node Choosing Articles
3212 @section Choosing Articles
3213 @cindex selecting articles
3216 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
3217 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
3221 @node Choosing Commands
3222 @subsection Choosing Commands
3224 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
3225 and they all select and display an article.
3229 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3230 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3231 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
3232 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3237 @kindex G n (Summary)
3238 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
3239 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
3244 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
3245 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
3250 @kindex G N (Summary)
3251 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
3252 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
3257 @kindex G P (Summary)
3258 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
3259 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
3262 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
3263 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
3264 Go to the next article with the same subject
3265 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
3268 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
3269 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
3270 Go to the previous article with the same subject
3271 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
3275 @kindex G f (Summary)
3277 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
3278 Go to the first unread article
3279 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
3283 @kindex G b (Summary)
3285 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
3286 Go to the article with the highest score
3287 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
3292 @kindex G l (Summary)
3293 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
3294 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
3297 @kindex G p (Summary)
3298 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
3299 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
3300 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
3301 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
3302 history as you like.
3306 @node Choosing Variables
3307 @subsection Choosing Variables
3309 Some variables that are relevant for moving and selecting articles:
3312 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3313 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3314 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
3315 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
3316 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
3317 the server and display it in the article buffer.
3319 @item gnus-select-article-hook
3320 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
3321 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
3322 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
3324 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
3325 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
3326 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
3327 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
3328 @findex gnus-unread-mark
3329 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
3330 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
3331 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
3332 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
3333 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
3334 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
3335 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
3336 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
3337 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
3342 @node Paging the Article
3343 @section Scrolling the Article
3344 @cindex article scrolling
3349 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3350 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3351 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3352 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3353 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3356 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3357 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3358 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3361 @kindex RET (Summary)
3362 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3363 Scroll the current article one line forward
3364 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3368 @kindex A g (Summary)
3370 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
3371 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
3372 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
3373 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
3374 the way it came from the server.
3379 @kindex A < (Summary)
3380 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3381 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3382 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3387 @kindex A > (Summary)
3388 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3389 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3393 @kindex A s (Summary)
3395 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3396 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3397 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3402 @node Reply Followup and Post
3403 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3406 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3407 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3411 @node Summary Mail Commands
3412 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3414 @cindex composing mail
3416 Commands for composing a mail message:
3422 @kindex S r (Summary)
3424 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3425 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3426 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3431 @kindex S R (Summary)
3432 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3433 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3434 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3435 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3438 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3439 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3440 Forward the current article to some other person
3441 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}).
3446 @kindex S m (Summary)
3447 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3448 Send a mail to some other person
3449 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
3452 @kindex S D b (Summary)
3453 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
3454 @cindex bouncing mail
3455 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
3456 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
3457 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
3458 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
3459 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
3460 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
3461 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
3462 very well fail, though.
3465 @kindex S D r (Summary)
3466 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
3467 Not to be confused with the previous command,
3468 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
3469 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
3470 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
3471 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
3472 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
3473 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
3474 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
3476 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
3477 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
3478 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
3479 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
3480 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
3483 @kindex S O m (Summary)
3484 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
3485 Digest the current series and forward the result using mail
3486 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
3487 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3490 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
3491 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
3492 @cindex crossposting
3493 @cindex excessive crossposting
3494 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
3495 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
3497 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
3498 This command is provided as a way to fight back agains the current
3499 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
3500 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
3501 command understands the process/prefix convention
3502 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
3507 @node Summary Post Commands
3508 @subsection Summary Post Commands
3510 @cindex composing news
3512 Commands for posting an article:
3518 @kindex S p (Summary)
3519 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
3520 Post an article to the current group
3521 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
3526 @kindex S f (Summary)
3527 @findex gnus-summary-followup
3528 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
3532 @kindex S F (Summary)
3534 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
3535 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
3536 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
3537 process/prefix convention.
3540 @kindex S o p (Summary)
3541 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
3542 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
3543 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
3546 @kindex S O p (Summary)
3547 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
3548 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
3549 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}).
3552 @kindex S u (Summary)
3553 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
3554 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
3555 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
3559 @node Canceling and Superseding
3560 @section Canceling Articles
3561 @cindex canceling articles
3562 @cindex superseding articles
3564 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
3565 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
3567 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
3569 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
3571 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
3572 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
3573 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
3574 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
3576 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
3577 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
3580 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
3581 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
3582 your original article.
3584 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
3586 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
3587 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
3588 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
3591 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
3592 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
3593 have posted almost the same article twice.
3595 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
3596 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
3597 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
3598 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*post-buf*}). There you will
3599 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
3600 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
3601 header by substituting one of those words for the word
3602 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
3603 you would do normally. The previous article will be
3604 canceled/superseded.
3606 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
3609 @node Marking Articles
3610 @section Marking Articles
3611 @cindex article marking
3612 @cindex article ticking
3615 There are several marks you can set on an article.
3617 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
3618 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
3619 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
3621 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
3624 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
3625 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
3626 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
3630 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
3634 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
3635 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
3639 @node Unread Articles
3640 @subsection Unread Articles
3642 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
3647 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
3648 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
3650 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
3651 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
3652 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
3653 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
3654 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
3658 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
3659 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
3661 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
3662 are followups to it.
3665 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
3666 Markes as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
3668 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
3673 @subsection Read Articles
3674 @cindex expirable mark
3676 All the following marks mark articles as read.
3681 @vindex gnus-del-mark
3682 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
3683 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
3686 @vindex gnus-read-mark
3687 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
3690 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
3691 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
3692 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
3695 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
3696 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
3699 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
3700 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
3703 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
3704 Marked as read by having a too low score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
3707 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
3708 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
3711 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
3712 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
3715 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
3716 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
3719 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
3720 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
3724 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
3725 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
3726 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
3730 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
3731 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
3733 One more special mark, though:
3737 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
3738 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
3740 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
3741 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
3742 control the expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
3743 articles that are marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
3749 @subsection Other Marks
3750 @cindex process mark
3753 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
3759 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
3760 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
3761 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
3762 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
3763 encounters the article.
3766 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
3767 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
3768 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
3769 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
3772 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
3773 Articles that are stored in the article cache will be marked with an
3774 @samp{*} in the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}).
3777 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
3778 Articles that are ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
3779 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
3780 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}.
3783 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
3784 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
3785 It the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
3786 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
3787 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
3790 @vindex gnus-process-mark
3791 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}. A
3792 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
3793 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
3794 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
3795 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
3799 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
3800 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
3801 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
3803 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
3804 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
3805 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
3809 @subsection Setting Marks
3810 @cindex setting marks
3812 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
3818 @kindex M t (Summary)
3819 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
3820 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
3825 @kindex M ? (Summary)
3826 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
3827 Mark the current article as dormant
3828 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}).
3832 @kindex M d (Summary)
3834 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
3835 Mark the current article as read
3836 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
3840 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
3841 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
3842 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
3847 @kindex M k (Summary)
3848 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
3849 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
3850 and then select the next unread article
3851 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
3855 @kindex M K (Summary)
3856 @kindex C-k (Summary)
3857 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
3858 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
3859 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
3862 @kindex M C (Summary)
3863 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
3864 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
3867 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
3868 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
3869 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
3870 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
3873 @kindex M H (Summary)
3874 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
3875 Catchup the current group to point
3876 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
3879 @kindex C-w (Summary)
3880 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
3881 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
3882 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
3885 @kindex M V k (Summary)
3886 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
3887 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
3888 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
3892 @kindex M c (Summary)
3893 @kindex M-u (Summary)
3894 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
3895 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
3896 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}).
3900 @kindex M e (Summary)
3902 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
3903 Mark the current article as expirable
3904 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
3907 @kindex M b (Summary)
3908 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
3909 Set a bookmark in the current article
3910 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
3913 @kindex M B (Summary)
3914 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
3915 Remove the bookmark from the current article
3916 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
3919 @kindex M V c (Summary)
3920 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
3921 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
3922 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
3925 @kindex M V u (Summary)
3926 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
3927 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
3928 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
3931 @kindex M V m (Summary)
3932 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
3933 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
3934 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
3935 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
3938 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
3939 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
3940 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
3941 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
3942 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
3943 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
3944 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
3945 The default is @code{t}.
3948 @node Setting Process Marks
3949 @subsection Setting Process Marks
3950 @cindex setting process marks
3957 @kindex M P p (Summary)
3958 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
3959 Mark the current article with the process mark
3960 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
3961 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
3965 @kindex M P u (Summary)
3966 @kindex M-# (Summary)
3967 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
3968 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
3971 @kindex M P U (Summary)
3972 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
3973 Remove the process mark from all articles
3974 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
3977 @kindex M P i (Summary)
3978 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
3979 Invert the list of process marked articles
3980 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
3983 @kindex M P R (Summary)
3984 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
3985 Mark articles by a regular expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
3988 @kindex M P r (Summary)
3989 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
3990 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
3993 @kindex M P t (Summary)
3994 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
3995 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
3996 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
3999 @kindex M P T (Summary)
4000 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4001 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4002 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4005 @kindex M P v (Summary)
4006 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
4007 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
4008 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
4011 @kindex M P s (Summary)
4012 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
4013 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4016 @kindex M P S (Summary)
4017 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
4018 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
4019 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
4022 @kindex M P a (Summary)
4023 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
4024 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4027 @kindex M P b (Summary)
4028 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
4029 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
4030 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
4033 @kindex M P k (Summary)
4034 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
4035 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
4036 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
4039 @kindex M P y (Summary)
4040 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
4041 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
4042 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
4045 @kindex M P w (Summary)
4046 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
4047 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
4048 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
4057 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
4058 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
4059 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
4066 @kindex / / (Summary)
4067 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
4068 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
4069 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
4072 @kindex / a (Summary)
4073 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
4074 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
4075 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4079 @kindex / u (Summary)
4081 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
4082 Limit the summary buffer to articles that are not marked as read
4083 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
4084 buffer to articles that are strictly unread. This means that ticked and
4085 dormant articles will also be excluded.
4088 @kindex / m (Summary)
4089 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
4090 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have not been marked
4091 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
4094 @kindex / n (Summary)
4095 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
4096 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
4097 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
4098 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4101 @kindex / w (Summary)
4102 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
4103 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
4104 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
4108 @kindex / v (Summary)
4109 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
4110 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
4111 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
4115 @kindex M S (Summary)
4116 @kindex / E (Summary)
4117 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
4118 Display all expunged articles
4119 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
4122 @kindex / D (Summary)
4123 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
4124 Display all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
4127 @kindex / d (Summary)
4128 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
4129 Hide all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
4132 @kindex / c (Summary)
4133 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
4134 Hide all dormant articles that have no children
4135 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
4138 @kindex / C (Summary)
4139 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
4140 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
4141 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
4142 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
4150 @cindex article threading
4152 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put replies to
4153 articles directly after the articles they reply to---in a hierarchical
4157 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
4158 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
4162 @node Customizing Threading
4163 @subsection Customizing Threading
4164 @cindex customizing threading
4170 @item gnus-show-threads
4171 @vindex gnus-show-threads
4172 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
4173 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
4174 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
4175 slower and more awkward.
4177 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
4178 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
4179 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
4180 more old headers---headers to articles that are marked as read. If you
4181 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
4182 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
4183 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
4184 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
4185 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
4186 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
4187 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
4188 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
4190 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
4191 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
4192 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
4193 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
4194 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
4195 articles that belong in the same thread together. This will leave
4196 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
4197 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
4198 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
4199 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
4200 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
4201 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
4202 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
4203 @code{nil} by default.
4205 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4206 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4207 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
4208 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
4209 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
4210 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
4211 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subjects lines. If
4212 you think so, set this variable to, say, @code{20} to require that only the
4213 first @code{20} characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
4214 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
4215 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
4217 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
4218 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
4219 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects.
4221 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4222 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4223 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
4224 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
4225 simplification is used.
4227 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4228 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4229 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
4230 as @code{10}, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
4232 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
4234 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4240 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
4241 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
4242 "answer" "reference" "announce"
4243 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
4248 (mapconcat 'identity
4249 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
4251 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
4254 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
4257 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4258 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4259 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
4260 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
4261 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
4262 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
4263 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process. The
4264 default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
4266 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4267 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4268 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
4269 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
4270 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
4271 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
4272 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever includes unrelated
4273 articles, but it's also means that people who have posted with broken
4274 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
4278 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4279 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4280 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
4281 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
4283 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4284 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4285 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
4288 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
4292 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4293 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
4296 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
4297 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
4298 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
4299 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
4300 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
4301 read or killed the root in a previous session.
4303 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
4304 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
4305 There are four possible values:
4307 @cindex adopting articles
4312 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
4313 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
4314 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
4315 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
4318 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
4319 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
4320 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
4321 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
4322 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
4323 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
4324 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
4327 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
4328 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
4329 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
4333 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
4334 display them after one another.
4337 Don't gather loose threads.
4340 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4341 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4342 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
4345 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
4346 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
4347 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
4350 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4351 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4352 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
4353 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
4354 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
4357 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
4358 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
4359 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
4360 The default is @code{4}.
4364 @node Thread Commands
4365 @subsection Thread Commands
4366 @cindex thread commands
4372 @kindex T k (Summary)
4373 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
4374 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
4375 Mark all articles in the current sub-thread as read
4376 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
4377 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
4382 @kindex T l (Summary)
4383 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
4384 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
4385 Lower the score of the current thread
4386 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
4389 @kindex T i (Summary)
4390 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
4391 Increase the score of the current thread
4392 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
4395 @kindex T # (Summary)
4396 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4397 Set the process mark on the current thread
4398 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4401 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
4402 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4403 Remove the process mark from the current thread
4404 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4407 @kindex T T (Summary)
4408 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
4409 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
4412 @kindex T s (Summary)
4413 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
4414 Expose the thread hidden under the current article, if any
4415 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
4418 @kindex T h (Summary)
4419 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
4420 Hide the current (sub)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
4423 @kindex T S (Summary)
4424 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
4425 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
4428 @kindex T H (Summary)
4429 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
4430 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
4433 @kindex T t (Summary)
4434 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
4435 Re-thread the thread the current article is part of
4436 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
4437 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
4440 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
4441 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
4442 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
4443 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}.
4447 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
4448 understand the numeric prefix.
4453 @kindex T n (Summary)
4454 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
4455 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
4458 @kindex T p (Summary)
4459 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
4460 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
4463 @kindex T d (Summary)
4464 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
4465 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
4468 @kindex T u (Summary)
4469 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
4470 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
4473 @kindex T o (Summary)
4474 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
4475 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
4478 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
4479 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
4480 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
4481 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
4482 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
4483 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
4484 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If is
4485 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
4486 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
4487 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
4488 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
4489 that have subjects that are fuzzily equal will be included.
4495 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
4496 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
4497 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
4498 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
4499 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
4500 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
4501 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
4502 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
4503 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which is a list of functions.
4504 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
4505 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
4506 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
4507 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
4508 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
4510 Each function takes two threads and return non-@code{nil} if the first
4511 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
4512 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread. If you use
4513 more than one function, the primary sort key should be the last function
4514 in the list. You should probably always include
4515 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
4516 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
4517 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
4518 ascending article order.
4520 If you would like to sort by score, then by subject, and finally by
4521 number, you could do something like:
4524 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
4525 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
4526 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
4527 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
4530 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
4531 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
4532 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
4533 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
4534 which the articles arrived.
4536 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
4540 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
4542 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
4543 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
4546 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
4547 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
4548 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
4549 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
4552 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
4553 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
4554 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
4555 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
4556 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
4557 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
4558 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
4559 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
4560 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
4561 is uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
4562 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
4563 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
4564 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
4566 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
4570 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
4571 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
4572 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
4577 @node Asynchronous Fetching
4578 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
4579 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
4580 @cindex article pre-fetch
4583 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
4584 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
4585 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
4586 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
4587 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
4589 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
4590 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
4592 Let's say you are reading article @code{1}, which is short, and article @code{2} is
4593 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
4594 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article @code{2}. You decide to read
4595 article @code{3}, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article @code{2}, the
4596 connection is blocked.
4598 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
4599 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
4600 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
4601 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
4603 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
4604 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
4605 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
4606 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
4609 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
4612 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
4613 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
4614 happen automatically.
4616 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
4617 You can control how many articles that are to be pre-fetched by setting
4618 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is @code{30} by default, which means
4619 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
4620 the next @code{30} articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
4621 pre-fetch all the articles that it can without bound. If it is
4622 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be made.
4624 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
4625 @findex gnus-async-read-p
4626 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
4627 articles, for instance. Which articles to pre-fetch is controlled by
4628 the @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable. This function should
4629 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
4630 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
4631 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
4632 data structure as the only parameter.
4634 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles that are
4635 shorter than @code{100} lines, you could say something like:
4638 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
4639 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
4640 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
4641 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
4644 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
4647 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
4648 preferrably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
4649 It's also probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
4651 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
4652 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
4653 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
4654 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
4658 Remove articles when they are read.
4661 Remove articles when exiting the group.
4664 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
4666 @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
4667 If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
4668 from the next group.
4671 @node Article Caching
4672 @section Article Caching
4673 @cindex article caching
4676 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
4677 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
4678 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
4679 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
4680 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
4682 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
4684 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
4685 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
4686 @vindex gnus-use-cache
4687 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
4688 all articles that are ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
4689 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
4690 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
4691 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
4693 When re-select a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
4694 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
4695 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
4696 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
4697 as dormant, and don't worry.
4699 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
4701 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
4702 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
4703 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
4704 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
4705 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
4706 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
4707 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
4708 articles that are marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
4709 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
4710 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
4712 @findex gnus-jog-cache
4713 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
4714 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
4715 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, and store them in
4716 the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this command if @code{1})
4717 your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really, really slow
4718 and @code{2}) you have a really, really, really huge disk. Seriously.
4720 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
4721 It is likely that you do not want caching on some groups. For instance,
4722 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
4723 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
4724 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space. To limit the caching,
4725 you could set the @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to
4726 @samp{^nnml}, for instance. This variable is @code{nil} by
4729 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
4730 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
4731 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
4732 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
4733 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
4734 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
4735 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
4736 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
4737 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
4741 @node Persistent Articles
4742 @section Persistent Articles
4743 @cindex persistent articles
4745 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
4746 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
4747 useful in my opinion.
4749 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
4750 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
4751 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
4752 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
4753 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
4754 the expiry going on at the news server.
4756 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
4757 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
4758 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
4764 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
4765 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
4768 @kindex M-* (Summary)
4769 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
4770 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
4771 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
4775 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
4777 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
4778 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
4779 interested in persistent articles:
4782 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
4786 @node Article Backlog
4787 @section Article Backlog
4789 @cindex article backlog
4791 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
4792 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
4793 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
4794 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
4795 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
4796 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
4797 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
4798 increase memory usage some.
4800 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
4801 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
4802 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
4803 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
4804 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
4805 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
4806 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
4808 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
4811 @node Saving Articles
4812 @section Saving Articles
4813 @cindex saving articles
4815 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
4816 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
4817 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
4818 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
4819 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
4821 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
4822 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
4823 unwanted headers before saving the article.
4825 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
4826 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
4827 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
4828 deleted before saving.
4834 @kindex O o (Summary)
4836 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
4837 Save the current article using the default article saver
4838 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
4841 @kindex O m (Summary)
4842 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
4843 Save the current article in mail format
4844 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
4847 @kindex O r (Summary)
4848 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
4849 Save the current article in rmail format
4850 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
4853 @kindex O f (Summary)
4854 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
4855 Save the current article in plain file format
4856 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
4859 @kindex O b (Summary)
4860 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
4861 Save the current article body in plain file format
4862 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
4865 @kindex O h (Summary)
4866 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
4867 Save the current article in mh folder format
4868 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
4871 @kindex O v (Summary)
4872 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
4873 Save the current article in a VM folder
4874 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
4877 @kindex O p (Summary)
4878 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
4879 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
4880 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
4883 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
4884 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
4885 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
4886 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
4887 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
4888 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
4889 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
4890 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
4891 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
4892 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
4893 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
4894 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
4898 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
4899 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
4900 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the four ready-made
4901 functions below, or you can create your own.
4905 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
4906 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
4907 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
4908 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
4909 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
4910 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4911 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
4913 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
4914 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
4915 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
4916 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
4917 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4918 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
4920 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
4921 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
4922 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
4923 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
4924 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
4925 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4926 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
4928 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
4929 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
4930 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
4931 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4932 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
4934 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
4935 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
4936 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
4937 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
4938 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
4941 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
4942 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
4943 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
4944 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
4945 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}. The former creates capitalized names, and
4946 the latter does not.
4948 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
4949 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
4950 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
4951 reader to use this setting.
4954 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
4955 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
4956 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
4957 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
4960 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
4961 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
4962 available functions that generate names:
4966 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
4967 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
4968 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
4970 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
4971 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
4972 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
4974 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
4975 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
4976 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
4978 @item gnus-plain-save-name
4979 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
4980 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
4983 @vindex gnus-split-methods
4984 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
4985 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
4986 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
4987 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
4991 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
4992 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
4993 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
4994 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
4997 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
4998 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
4999 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
5000 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
5001 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
5002 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
5003 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
5004 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
5005 called returns a string or a list of strings.
5007 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
5008 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
5009 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
5010 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
5012 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
5013 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
5014 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
5017 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5018 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
5019 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
5020 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
5021 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
5022 all the files in the toplevel directory
5023 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
5024 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
5025 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
5026 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
5028 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
5029 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
5030 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
5031 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
5032 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
5035 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
5039 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
5040 (setq gnus-default-article-save 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
5043 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
5044 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
5045 the toplevel directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
5046 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
5049 @node Decoding Articles
5050 @section Decoding Articles
5051 @cindex decoding articles
5053 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
5054 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
5057 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
5058 * Shared Articles:: Unshar articles.
5059 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
5060 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
5061 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
5064 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
5065 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
5066 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
5067 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
5068 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
5070 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
5071 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
5072 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
5074 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
5075 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
5076 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
5078 Subjects that are nonstandard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
5079 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
5080 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
5083 @node Uuencoded Articles
5084 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
5086 @cindex uuencoded articles
5091 @kindex X u (Summary)
5092 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
5093 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
5096 @kindex X U (Summary)
5097 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
5098 Uudecodes and saves the current series
5099 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5102 @kindex X v u (Summary)
5103 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
5104 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
5107 @kindex X v U (Summary)
5108 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
5109 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
5110 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
5113 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
5114 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
5115 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
5116 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
5117 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5119 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
5120 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
5121 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
5122 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
5125 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
5126 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
5127 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
5128 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
5129 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
5130 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
5134 @node Shared Articles
5135 @subsection Shared Articles
5137 @cindex shared articles
5142 @kindex X s (Summary)
5143 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
5144 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
5147 @kindex X S (Summary)
5148 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
5149 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
5152 @kindex X v s (Summary)
5153 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
5154 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
5157 @kindex X v S (Summary)
5158 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
5159 Unshars, views and saves the current series
5160 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
5164 @node PostScript Files
5165 @subsection PostScript Files
5171 @kindex X p (Summary)
5172 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
5173 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
5176 @kindex X P (Summary)
5177 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
5178 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
5179 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
5182 @kindex X v p (Summary)
5183 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
5184 View the current PostScript series
5185 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
5188 @kindex X v P (Summary)
5189 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
5190 View and save the current PostScript series
5191 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
5195 @node Decoding Variables
5196 @subsection Decoding Variables
5198 Adjective, not verb.
5201 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
5202 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
5203 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
5207 @node Rule Variables
5208 @subsubsection Rule Variables
5209 @cindex rule variables
5211 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
5212 variables are on the form
5215 (list '(regexp1 command2)
5222 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5223 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5225 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
5226 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
5229 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5230 (list '(\"\\\\.au$\" \"sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio\")))
5233 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5234 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5235 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
5236 user and default view rules.
5238 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5239 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5240 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
5245 @node Other Decode Variables
5246 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
5249 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5251 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5252 All functions in this list will be called right each file has been
5253 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
5254 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
5255 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
5259 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
5260 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
5263 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
5264 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
5265 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
5268 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5269 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5270 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
5272 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5273 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5274 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
5275 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
5276 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
5279 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5280 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5281 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
5283 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5284 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5285 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
5286 looking for files to display.
5288 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
5289 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
5290 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
5293 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5294 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5295 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
5298 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5299 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5300 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
5303 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5304 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5305 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
5308 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5309 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5310 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark articles that were
5311 unsuccessfully decoded as unread.
5313 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5314 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5315 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
5316 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
5318 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5319 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5321 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
5322 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
5323 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
5324 @code{metamail} for viewing.
5326 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5327 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5328 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
5329 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
5330 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
5331 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
5332 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
5333 simply dropped them.
5338 @node Uuencoding and Posting
5339 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
5343 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5344 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5345 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
5346 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
5347 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
5348 for you when you post the article.
5350 @item gnus-uu-post-length
5351 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
5352 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
5353 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
5355 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
5356 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
5357 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
5358 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen are able
5359 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
5360 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
5361 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
5363 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5364 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5365 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
5366 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
5367 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
5368 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
5369 Default is @code{t}.
5375 @subsection Viewing Files
5376 @cindex viewing files
5377 @cindex pseudo-articles
5379 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
5380 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
5381 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
5382 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
5383 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
5384 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
5385 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
5387 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
5388 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
5389 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
5390 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
5392 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
5393 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
5394 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
5396 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
5397 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
5398 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
5399 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
5400 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
5402 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
5403 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
5404 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
5405 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
5406 a list of parameters to that command.
5408 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
5409 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
5410 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
5412 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
5413 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
5414 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
5417 @node Article Treatment
5418 @section Article Treatment
5420 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
5421 object of newsreaders are to actually, like, read what people have
5422 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
5423 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
5424 these articles easier.
5427 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
5428 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
5429 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
5430 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
5431 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
5432 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
5436 @node Article Highlighting
5437 @subsection Article Highlighting
5440 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
5441 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
5446 @kindex W H a (Summary)
5447 @findex gnus-article-highlight
5448 Highlight the current article (@code{gnus-article-highlight}).
5451 @kindex W H h (Summary)
5452 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
5453 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
5454 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
5455 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
5456 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
5457 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
5458 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name and
5459 @var{content} is the face for highlighting the header value. The first
5460 match made will be used. Note that @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^}
5461 prepended---Gnus will add one.
5464 @kindex W H c (Summary)
5465 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
5466 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
5468 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
5471 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
5473 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
5474 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
5475 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
5477 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
5478 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
5479 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
5481 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
5482 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
5483 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
5485 @item gnus-cite-face-list
5486 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
5487 List of faces used for highlighting citations. When there are citations
5488 from multiple articles in the same message, Gnus will try to give each
5489 citation from each article its own face. This should make it easier to
5492 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
5493 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
5494 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
5496 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
5497 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
5498 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
5500 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
5501 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
5502 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
5503 that it's a citation.
5505 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
5506 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
5507 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
5509 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
5510 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
5511 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
5513 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
5514 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
5515 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
5516 cited text belonging to the attribution.
5522 @kindex W H s (Summary)
5523 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
5524 @vindex gnus-signature-face
5525 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
5526 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
5527 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
5528 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
5529 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
5535 @node Article Hiding
5536 @subsection Article Hiding
5537 @cindex article hiding
5539 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
5540 too much cruft in most articles.
5545 @kindex W W a (Summary)
5546 @findex gnus-article-hide
5547 Do maximum hiding on the summary buffer (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}).
5550 @kindex W W h (Summary)
5551 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
5552 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
5556 @kindex W W b (Summary)
5557 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
5558 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
5559 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
5562 @kindex W W s (Summary)
5563 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
5564 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
5568 @kindex W W p (Summary)
5569 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
5570 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}).
5573 @kindex W W P (Summary)
5574 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
5575 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) gruft
5576 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
5579 @kindex W W c (Summary)
5580 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
5581 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
5582 customizing the hiding:
5586 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
5587 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
5588 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
5589 50), hide the cited text.
5591 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
5592 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
5593 The cited text must be have at least this length (default 10) before it
5596 @item gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
5597 @vindex gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
5598 Gnus adds buttons show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
5599 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
5600 by this format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
5605 Start point of the hidden text.
5607 End point of the hidden text.
5609 Length of the hidden text.
5612 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
5613 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
5614 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
5619 @kindex W W C (Summary)
5620 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
5621 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
5622 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
5623 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
5624 in @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
5628 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
5629 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
5630 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
5632 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
5633 citation customization.
5636 @node Article Washing
5637 @subsection Article Washing
5639 @cindex article washing
5641 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
5642 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
5644 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
5645 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
5651 @kindex W l (Summary)
5652 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
5653 Remove page breaks from the current article
5654 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}).
5657 @kindex W r (Summary)
5658 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
5659 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
5660 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
5663 @kindex W t (Summary)
5664 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
5665 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
5666 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
5669 @kindex W v (Summary)
5670 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
5671 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
5672 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
5675 @kindex W m (Summary)
5676 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
5677 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
5678 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
5681 @kindex W o (Summary)
5682 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
5683 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
5686 @kindex W w (Summary)
5687 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
5688 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}). If you use this
5689 function in @code{gnus-article-display-hook}, it should be run fairly
5690 late and certainly after any highlighting.
5693 @kindex W c (Summary)
5694 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
5695 Remove CR (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
5698 @kindex W q (Summary)
5699 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
5700 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
5703 @kindex W f (Summary)
5705 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
5706 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
5707 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
5708 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
5709 Look for and display any X-Face headers
5710 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
5711 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
5712 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
5713 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
5714 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
5715 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
5716 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
5717 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
5718 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
5719 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
5720 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
5721 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
5722 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
5726 @kindex W b (Summary)
5727 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
5728 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
5731 @kindex W B (Summary)
5732 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
5733 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
5734 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
5737 @kindex W E l (Summary)
5738 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
5739 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
5740 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
5743 @kindex W E m (Summary)
5744 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
5745 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
5746 lines with a single empty line.
5747 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
5750 @kindex W E t (Summary)
5751 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
5752 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
5753 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
5756 @kindex W E a (Summary)
5757 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
5758 Do all the three commands above
5759 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
5764 @node Article Buttons
5765 @subsection Article Buttons
5768 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
5769 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
5770 with the minimum of fuzz.
5772 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
5773 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
5774 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
5779 @item gnus-button-alist
5780 @vindex gnus-button-alist
5781 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
5784 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
5790 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
5791 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that match embedded URLs:
5792 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
5795 Gnus has to know which parts of the match is to be highlighted. This is
5796 a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp that is to be
5797 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use @code{0} here.
5800 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
5801 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
5802 avoid false matches.
5805 This function will be called when you click on this button.
5808 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
5809 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
5813 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
5816 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
5819 @item gnus-header-button-alist
5820 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
5821 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
5822 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
5823 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
5826 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
5829 @var{header} is a regular expression.
5831 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
5832 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
5833 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
5834 default values of the variables above.
5836 @item gnus-article-button-face
5837 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
5838 Face used on buttons.
5840 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
5841 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
5842 Face is used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
5848 @subsection Article Date
5850 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
5851 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
5852 when the article was sent.
5857 @kindex W T u (Summary)
5858 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
5859 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
5860 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
5863 @kindex W T l (Summary)
5864 @findex gnus-article-date-local
5865 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
5868 @kindex W T e (Summary)
5869 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
5870 Say how much time has (e)lapsed between the article was posted and now
5871 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}).
5874 @kindex W T o (Summary)
5875 @findex gnus-article-date-original
5876 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
5877 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and is
5878 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
5879 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
5880 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
5885 @node Article Signature
5886 @subsection Article Signature
5888 @cindex article signature
5890 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
5891 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
5892 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
5893 that says what is to be considered a signature is
5894 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
5895 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
5896 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
5897 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
5898 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
5901 (setq gnus-signature-separator
5902 '("^-- $" ; The standard
5903 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
5904 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
5905 ; line of dashes. Shame!
5906 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
5907 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
5908 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
5911 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
5914 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
5915 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
5920 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
5923 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
5926 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
5927 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
5929 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
5930 in question is not a signature.
5933 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
5937 @node Summary Sorting
5938 @section Summary Sorting
5939 @cindex summary sorting
5941 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
5942 can't really see why you'd want that.
5947 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
5948 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
5949 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
5952 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
5953 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
5954 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
5957 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
5958 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
5959 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
5962 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
5963 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
5964 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
5967 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
5968 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
5969 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
5972 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
5973 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
5974 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
5975 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
5976 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
5980 @node Finding the Parent
5981 @section Finding the Parent
5982 @cindex parent articles
5983 @cindex referring articles
5985 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
5987 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
5988 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
5989 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
5990 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
5991 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
5992 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
5993 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
5994 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
5996 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
5997 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
5998 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
5999 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
6000 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
6003 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
6004 @kindex A R (Summary)
6005 You can have Gnus fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References}
6006 header of the article by pushing @kbd{A R}
6007 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
6009 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
6010 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
6011 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
6012 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
6013 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
6014 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
6015 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
6016 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
6018 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
6019 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
6020 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
6021 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
6022 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the same
6023 as the one that keeps the spool you are reading from updated, but that's
6024 not really necessary.
6026 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
6027 not do a particularly excellent job of it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
6028 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
6029 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
6030 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
6031 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
6034 @node Alternative Approaches
6035 @section Alternative Approaches
6037 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
6038 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
6041 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
6042 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
6047 @subsection Pick and Read
6048 @cindex pick and read
6050 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{nn}) use a two-phased
6051 reading interface. The user first marks the articles she wants to read
6052 from a summary buffer. Then she starts reading the articles with just
6053 an article buffer displayed.
6055 @findex gnus-pick-mode
6056 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
6057 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
6058 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
6059 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
6060 it makes one additional command for switching to the summary buffer
6063 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
6068 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6069 Pick the article on the current line
6070 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}). If given a numerical prefix,
6071 go to the article on that line and pick that article. (The line number
6072 is normally displayed on the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
6075 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
6076 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
6077 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
6078 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
6082 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6083 Unpick the article (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6087 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6088 Unpick all articles (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6092 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6093 Pick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6097 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6098 Unpick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6102 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6103 Pick the region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6107 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6108 Unpick the region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6112 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6113 Pick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6117 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6118 Unpick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6122 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6123 Pick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6127 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-buffer
6128 Unpick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-buffer}).
6132 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
6133 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
6134 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
6135 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
6136 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
6137 will still be visible when you are reading.
6141 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
6144 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
6147 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
6148 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
6150 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
6151 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
6152 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
6154 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
6155 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different than the
6156 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
6157 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
6158 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
6159 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
6160 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
6164 @subsection Binary Groups
6165 @cindex binary groups
6167 @findex gnus-binary-mode
6168 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
6169 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
6170 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
6171 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
6172 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
6173 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
6176 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
6177 In fact, the only way to see the actual articles if you have turned this
6178 mode on is the @kbd{g} command (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
6180 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
6181 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
6185 @section Tree Display
6188 @vindex gnus-use-trees
6189 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
6190 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
6191 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
6194 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
6197 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
6198 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
6199 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
6201 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6202 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6203 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers. The default
6204 is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}. For a list of legal specs, @pxref{Summary
6207 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
6208 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
6209 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
6210 default is @code{modeline}.
6212 @item gnus-tree-line-format
6213 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
6214 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
6215 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
6216 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
6217 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
6218 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
6224 The name of the poster.
6226 The @code{From} header.
6228 The number of the article.
6230 The opening bracket.
6232 The closing bracket.
6237 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6239 Variables related to the display are:
6242 @item gnus-tree-brackets
6243 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
6244 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
6245 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
6246 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
6247 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}))}.
6249 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
6250 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
6251 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
6252 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
6256 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
6257 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
6258 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
6259 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
6260 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
6261 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}.
6263 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
6264 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
6265 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
6266 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
6267 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
6268 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
6269 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
6273 Here's and example from a horizontal tree buffer:
6276 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
6286 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
6290 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
6291 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
6293 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
6295 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
6301 @node Mail Group Commands
6302 @section Mail Group Commands
6303 @cindex mail group commands
6305 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
6306 illegal in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
6308 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
6309 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6314 @kindex B e (Summary)
6315 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
6316 Expire all expirable articles in the group
6317 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
6320 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
6321 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
6322 Expunge all the expirable articles in the group
6323 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
6324 articles that are eligible for expiry in the current group will
6325 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
6328 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
6329 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
6330 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
6331 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
6332 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
6335 @kindex B m (Summary)
6337 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
6338 Move the article from one mail group to another
6339 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
6342 @kindex B c (Summary)
6344 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
6345 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
6346 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
6349 @kindex B C (Summary)
6350 @cindex crosspost mail
6351 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
6352 Crosspost the current article to some other group
6353 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
6354 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
6355 be properly updated.
6358 @kindex B i (Summary)
6359 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
6360 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
6361 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
6362 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
6365 @kindex B r (Summary)
6366 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
6367 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
6371 @kindex B w (Summary)
6373 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
6374 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
6375 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
6376 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
6377 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}).
6380 @kindex B q (Summary)
6381 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
6382 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
6383 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
6384 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
6387 @kindex B p (Summary)
6388 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
6389 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
6390 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
6391 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
6392 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
6393 article from your news server (or rather, from
6394 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
6395 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
6396 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
6397 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
6398 just not have arrived yet.
6402 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
6403 @cindex moving articles
6404 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
6405 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
6406 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
6407 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
6408 suggestions you find reasonable.
6411 @node Various Summary Stuff
6412 @section Various Summary Stuff
6415 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
6416 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
6417 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
6418 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
6422 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
6423 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
6424 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
6426 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
6427 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
6428 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
6429 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
6430 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
6431 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
6434 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
6435 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
6436 Is is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
6437 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
6438 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
6443 @node Summary Group Information
6444 @subsection Summary Group Information
6449 @kindex H f (Summary)
6450 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
6451 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
6452 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
6453 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
6454 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
6455 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
6456 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
6457 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} probably will be used for
6461 @kindex H d (Summary)
6462 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
6463 Give a brief description of the current group
6464 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
6465 rereading the description from the server.
6468 @kindex H h (Summary)
6469 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
6470 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
6471 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
6474 @kindex H i (Summary)
6475 @findex gnus-info-find-node
6476 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
6480 @node Searching for Articles
6481 @subsection Searching for Articles
6486 @kindex M-s (Summary)
6487 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
6488 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
6489 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
6492 @kindex M-r (Summary)
6493 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
6494 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
6495 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
6499 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
6500 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
6501 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
6502 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}).
6505 @kindex M-& (Summary)
6506 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
6507 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
6508 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
6511 @node Summary Generation Commands
6512 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
6517 @kindex Y g (Summary)
6518 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
6519 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
6522 @kindex Y c (Summary)
6523 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
6524 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
6525 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
6530 @node Really Various Summary Commands
6531 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
6536 @kindex C-d (Summary)
6537 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
6538 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
6539 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
6540 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
6541 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
6542 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
6543 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages on
6544 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
6548 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
6549 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
6550 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
6551 several documents into one biiig group
6552 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
6553 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
6554 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
6555 command understands the process/prefix convention
6556 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6559 @kindex C-t (Summary)
6560 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
6561 Toggle truncation of summary lines
6562 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
6563 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
6564 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
6568 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
6569 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
6570 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
6575 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
6576 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
6577 @cindex summary exit
6578 @cindex exiting groups
6580 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
6581 group and return you to the group buffer.
6587 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
6589 @findex gnus-summary-exit
6590 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
6591 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
6592 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
6593 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
6594 called before doing much of the exiting, and calls
6595 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
6596 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exiting
6601 @kindex Z E (Summary)
6603 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
6604 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
6605 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
6609 @kindex Z c (Summary)
6611 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
6612 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
6613 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
6616 @kindex Z C (Summary)
6617 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
6618 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
6619 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
6622 @kindex Z n (Summary)
6623 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
6624 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
6625 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
6628 @kindex Z R (Summary)
6629 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
6630 Exit this group, and then enter it again
6631 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
6632 all articles, both read and unread.
6636 @kindex Z G (Summary)
6637 @kindex M-g (Summary)
6638 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
6639 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
6640 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
6641 articles, both read and unread.
6644 @kindex Z N (Summary)
6645 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
6646 Exit the group and go to the next group
6647 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
6650 @kindex Z P (Summary)
6651 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
6652 Exit the group and go to the previous group
6653 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
6656 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
6657 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
6660 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
6661 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
6662 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
6663 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
6664 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
6665 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
6666 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
6667 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
6668 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
6669 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
6670 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
6671 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
6673 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
6675 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
6676 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
6677 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
6678 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
6679 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
6680 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
6681 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
6682 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
6683 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
6686 @node Crosspost Handling
6687 @section Crosspost Handling
6691 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
6692 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
6693 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
6694 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
6695 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
6696 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
6699 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
6700 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
6701 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
6702 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
6703 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
6705 @cindex cross-posting
6708 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
6709 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
6710 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
6711 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
6712 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
6713 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
6714 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
6715 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
6716 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
6717 the cross reference mechanism.
6719 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
6720 @cindex overview.fmt
6721 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
6722 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
6723 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
6724 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
6725 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
6726 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
6729 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
6730 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
6731 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
6736 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
6739 @node Duplicate Suppression
6740 @section Duplicate Suppression
6742 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
6743 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
6744 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
6745 approach may not work satisfactorily for some users for various
6750 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
6751 is evil and not very common.
6754 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
6755 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
6758 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
6759 different @sc{nntp} servers.
6762 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
6765 I'm sure there are other situations that @code{Xref} handling fails as
6766 well, but these four are the most common situations.
6768 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
6769 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
6770 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
6771 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
6772 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
6773 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
6774 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
6777 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
6778 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
6779 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
6780 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
6781 article as read the the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
6785 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
6786 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
6787 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
6789 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
6790 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
6791 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
6792 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
6793 However, this means that only duplicate articles that is read in a
6794 single Gnus session are suppressed.
6796 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
6797 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
6798 This variables says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
6799 suppression list. The default is 10000.
6801 @item gnus-duplicate-file
6802 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
6803 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list. The
6804 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
6807 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
6808 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
6809 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
6810 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
6811 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
6812 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
6813 to you to figure out, I think.
6816 @node The Article Buffer
6817 @chapter The Article Buffer
6818 @cindex article buffer
6820 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
6821 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
6822 tell Gnus otherwise.
6825 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
6826 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
6827 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
6828 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
6829 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
6833 @node Hiding Headers
6834 @section Hiding Headers
6835 @cindex hiding headers
6836 @cindex deleting headers
6838 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
6839 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
6841 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
6842 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
6843 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
6844 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
6845 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
6846 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
6847 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
6848 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
6849 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
6851 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
6855 @item gnus-visible-headers
6856 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
6857 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
6858 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
6859 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
6861 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
6862 the article and the subject, you'd say:
6865 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
6868 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers that are to
6871 @item gnus-ignored-headers
6872 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
6873 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
6874 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
6875 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
6876 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
6878 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
6879 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
6882 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
6885 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers that are to
6888 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
6889 variable will have no effect.
6893 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
6894 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
6895 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
6896 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
6897 the headers are to be displayed.
6899 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
6900 and then the subject, you might say something like:
6903 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
6906 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
6907 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers that
6908 are listed in this variable.
6910 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
6911 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
6912 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
6913 You can hide further boring headers by entering
6914 @code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers} into
6915 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}. What this function does depends on
6916 the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a list, but this
6917 list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is lists various
6918 @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove from sight.
6920 These conditions are:
6923 Remove all empty headers.
6925 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
6928 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
6929 @code{Newsgroups} header.
6931 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
6934 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
6938 To include the four first elements, you could say something like;
6941 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
6942 '(empty newsgroups followup-to reply-to))
6945 This is also the default value for this variable.
6949 @section Using @sc{mime}
6952 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
6953 while people stand around yawning.
6955 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
6956 while all newsreaders die of fear.
6958 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
6959 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
6960 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
6962 @vindex gnus-show-mime
6963 @vindex gnus-show-mime-method
6964 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
6965 @findex metamail-buffer
6966 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
6967 @code{gnus-show-mime-method}, which is @code{metamail-buffer} by
6968 default. Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
6969 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
6970 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
6971 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
6972 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
6973 buffer. These can't be avoided.
6975 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the summary
6976 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
6977 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
6978 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
6979 comes streaming out out your speakers, and you can't find the volume
6980 button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you,
6981 and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the
6982 program to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly
6983 decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
6985 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
6988 @node Customizing Articles
6989 @section Customizing Articles
6990 @cindex article customization
6992 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
6993 The @code{gnus-article-display-hook} is called after the article has
6994 been inserted into the article buffer. It is meant to handle all
6995 treatment of the article before it is displayed.
6997 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6998 By default this hook just contains @code{gnus-article-hide-headers},
6999 @code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}, and
7000 @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight}, but there are thousands, nay
7001 millions, of functions you can put in this hook. For an overview of
7002 functions @pxref{Article Highlighting}, @pxref{Article Hiding},
7003 @pxref{Article Washing}, @pxref{Article Buttons} and @pxref{Article
7006 You can, of course, write your own functions. The functions are called
7007 from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like, pretty much.
7008 There is no information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can
7009 change everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead
7010 make them invisible if you want to make them go away.
7013 @node Article Keymap
7014 @section Article Keymap
7016 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
7017 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
7018 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
7019 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
7022 A few additional keystrokes are available:
7027 @kindex SPACE (Article)
7028 @findex gnus-article-next-page
7029 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
7032 @kindex DEL (Article)
7033 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
7034 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
7037 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
7038 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
7039 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
7040 @kbd{r}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
7041 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
7044 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
7045 @findex gnus-article-mail
7046 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
7047 given a prefix, include the mail.
7051 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
7052 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
7053 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
7057 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
7058 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
7059 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
7062 @kindex TAB (Article)
7063 @findex gnus-article-next-button
7064 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}. This
7065 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
7068 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
7069 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
7070 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}.
7076 @section Misc Article
7080 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
7081 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
7082 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
7083 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
7086 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
7087 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
7088 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
7089 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
7090 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
7091 the contents of the article buffer.
7093 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7094 @item gnus-article-display-hook
7095 This hook is called as the last thing when displaying an article, and is
7096 intended for modifying the contents of the buffer, doing highlights,
7097 hiding headers, and the like.
7099 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
7100 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
7101 Hook called in article mode buffers.
7103 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
7104 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
7105 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
7106 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. It accepts the same
7107 format specifications as that variable, with one extension:
7111 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
7112 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
7116 @vindex gnus-break-pages
7118 @item gnus-break-pages
7119 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
7120 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
7121 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
7122 paging will not be done.
7124 @item gnus-page-delimiter
7125 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
7126 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
7131 @node Composing Messages
7132 @chapter Composing Messages
7137 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
7138 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
7139 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
7140 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
7141 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
7142 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
7143 to make Gnus try to post using the foreign server.
7146 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
7147 * Post:: Posting and following up.
7148 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
7149 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
7150 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
7151 @c * Posting Styles:: An easier way to configure some key elements.
7152 @c * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
7153 @c * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
7156 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
7157 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
7163 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
7166 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
7167 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
7168 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
7169 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
7177 Variables for composing news articles:
7180 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
7181 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
7182 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
7183 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
7184 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
7185 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to sent the
7186 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
7187 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
7188 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
7191 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
7192 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
7193 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
7194 file. It is 1000 by default.
7199 @node Posting Server
7200 @section Posting Server
7202 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
7203 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
7205 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
7207 @vindex gnus-post-method
7209 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
7210 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
7211 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
7212 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
7213 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
7216 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
7219 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
7220 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
7221 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
7222 the ``current'' server for posting.
7224 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
7225 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
7227 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
7228 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
7233 @section Mail and Post
7235 Here's a list of variables that are relevant to both mailing and
7239 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
7240 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
7241 @cindex mailing lists
7243 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists that are
7244 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
7245 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
7246 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
7247 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
7248 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that match the groups that
7249 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
7250 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
7251 still a pain, though.
7255 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
7256 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
7257 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
7260 @findex ispell-message
7262 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
7266 @node Archived Messages
7267 @section Archived Messages
7268 @cindex archived messages
7269 @cindex sent messages
7271 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail you send.
7272 The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to store
7273 the mail. If you want to disable this completely, you should set
7274 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil}.
7276 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
7277 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
7278 use to store sent messages. The default is:
7282 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive/"))
7285 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
7286 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
7287 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
7288 directory chosen, you could say something like:
7291 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
7292 '(nnfolder "archive"
7293 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
7294 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
7295 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
7298 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
7300 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
7301 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
7302 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
7304 This variable can be:
7308 Messages will be saved in that group.
7309 @item a list of strings
7310 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
7311 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
7312 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
7314 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
7319 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
7321 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
7324 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
7326 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
7329 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
7331 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7332 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
7333 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
7334 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
7339 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7340 '((if (message-news-p)
7345 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
7346 messages in one file per month:
7349 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7350 '((if (message-news-p)
7352 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
7353 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
7356 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
7357 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
7358 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
7359 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
7360 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
7361 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
7362 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
7363 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
7364 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
7365 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
7367 That's the default method of archiving sent mail. Gnus also a different
7368 way for the people who don't like the default method. In that case you
7369 should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil}; this will
7372 XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
7373 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.
7376 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
7377 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
7378 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
7379 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
7380 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
7383 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
7384 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
7385 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
7390 @c @node Posting Styles
7391 @c @section Posting Styles
7392 @c @cindex posting styles
7395 @c All them variables, they make my head swim.
7397 @c So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
7398 @c on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
7399 @c and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
7402 @c @vindex gnus-posting-styles
7403 @c One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
7404 @c variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
7405 @c came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
7406 @c a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
7411 @c (signature . "Peace and happiness")
7412 @c (organization . "What me?"))
7414 @c (signature . "Death to everybody"))
7415 @c ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
7416 @c (organization . "Emacs is it")))
7419 @c As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
7420 @c @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
7421 @c ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
7422 @c over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
7423 @c applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
7424 @c the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
7425 @c @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
7426 @c signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
7428 @c The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
7429 @c string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
7430 @c If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
7431 @c arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
7432 @c referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
7433 @c any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
7436 @c Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
7437 @c attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
7438 @c can be one of @code{signature}, @code{organization} or @code{from}. The
7439 @c attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
7440 @c a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
7443 @c The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
7444 @c return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
7445 @c list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
7447 @c So here's a new example:
7450 @c (setq gnus-posting-styles
7452 @c (signature . "~/.signature")
7453 @c (from . "user@@foo (user)")
7454 @c ("X-Home-Page" . (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
7455 @c (organization . "People's Front Against MWM"))
7457 @c (signature . my-funny-signature-randomizer))
7458 @c ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
7459 @c (signature . my-quote-randomizer))
7460 @c (posting-from-work-p
7461 @c (signature . "~/.work-signature")
7462 @c (from . "user@@bar.foo (user)")
7463 @c (organization . "Important Work, Inc"))
7465 @c (signature . "~/.mail-signature"))))
7472 @c If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
7473 @c you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
7474 @c craazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save the
7475 @c message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some other
7476 @c day, and send it when you feel its finished.
7478 @c Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
7479 @c some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
7480 @c automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
7481 @c If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
7482 @c article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
7486 @c @vindex gnus-draft-group-directory
7487 @c The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
7488 @c @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
7489 @c @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{gnus-draft-group-directory}
7490 @c controls both the name of the group and the location---the leaf element
7491 @c in the path will be used as the name of the group. What makes this
7492 @c group special is that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any
7493 @c articles as read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
7495 @c If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
7498 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
7499 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
7500 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
7501 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
7502 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
7503 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
7504 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
7505 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
7506 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
7507 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
7508 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
7509 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
7510 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
7511 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
7513 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
7514 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
7515 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
7517 @c @findex gnus-summary-send-draft
7518 @c @kindex S D c (Summary)
7519 @c When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
7520 @c draft group and push @kbd{S D c} (@code{gnus-summary-send-draft}) to do
7521 @c that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
7523 @c Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
7526 @c @findex gnus-summary-send-all-drafts
7527 @c If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
7528 @c doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{S D a} command
7529 @c (@code{gnus-summary-send-all-drafts}). This command understands the
7530 @c process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7533 @c @node Rejected Articles
7534 @c @section Rejected Articles
7535 @c @cindex rejected articles
7537 @c Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
7538 @c doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
7539 @c @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
7540 @c Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
7542 @c These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
7543 @c (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
7544 @c fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
7545 @c you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
7546 @c articles until some later time when the server feels better.
7548 @c The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
7549 @c (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
7550 @c typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
7553 @node Select Methods
7554 @chapter Select Methods
7555 @cindex foreign groups
7556 @cindex select methods
7558 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group that is not read by the usual (or
7559 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
7560 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
7561 personal mail group.
7563 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
7564 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
7565 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
7566 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
7567 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
7568 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
7570 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
7571 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
7573 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
7576 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
7577 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
7578 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
7579 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
7580 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
7582 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
7585 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
7586 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
7587 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
7588 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
7589 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
7593 @node The Server Buffer
7594 @section The Server Buffer
7596 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
7597 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
7598 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
7599 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
7600 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
7601 backend represents a virtual server.
7603 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
7604 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
7605 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
7606 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
7608 These select methods specifications can sometimes become quite
7609 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
7610 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number @code{13}, which
7611 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
7612 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
7613 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
7614 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
7616 To enter the server buffer, user the @kbd{^}
7617 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
7620 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
7621 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
7622 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
7623 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
7624 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
7625 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
7628 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
7629 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
7632 @node Server Buffer Format
7633 @subsection Server Buffer Format
7634 @cindex server buffer format
7636 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
7637 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
7638 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
7639 variable, with some simple extensions:
7644 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
7647 The name of this server.
7650 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
7653 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
7656 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
7657 The mode line can also be customized by using the
7658 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable. The following specs are
7669 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
7672 @node Server Commands
7673 @subsection Server Commands
7674 @cindex server commands
7680 @findex gnus-server-add-server
7681 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
7685 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
7686 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
7689 @kindex SPACE (Server)
7690 @findex gnus-server-read-server
7691 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
7695 @findex gnus-server-exit
7696 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
7700 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
7701 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
7705 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
7706 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
7710 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
7711 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
7715 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
7716 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
7720 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
7721 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
7722 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
7728 @node Example Methods
7729 @subsection Example Methods
7731 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
7734 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
7737 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
7743 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
7744 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
7747 After these two elements, there may be a arbitrary number of
7748 @var{(variable form)} pairs.
7750 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
7751 port @code{15} from that machine. This is what the select method should
7755 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
7758 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
7759 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example.
7761 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
7762 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
7763 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
7767 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
7770 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
7773 Here's the method for a public spool:
7777 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
7778 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
7782 @node Creating a Virtual Server
7783 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
7785 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
7786 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
7788 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
7789 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
7790 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
7792 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
7794 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
7795 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
7796 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
7797 will contain the following:
7807 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
7808 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
7809 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
7812 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
7813 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
7814 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
7817 @node Servers and Methods
7818 @subsection Servers and Methods
7820 Wherever you would normally use a select method
7821 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
7822 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
7823 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
7827 @node Unavailable Servers
7828 @subsection Unavailable Servers
7830 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
7831 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
7832 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
7833 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
7834 actually the case or not.
7836 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
7837 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to the server
7838 @samp{nepholococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
7839 away from you, the machine is quite, so it takes 1 minute just to find
7840 out that it refuses connection from you today. If Gnus were to attempt
7841 to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't attempt to do
7842 that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'', it will
7843 regard that server as ``down''.
7845 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
7846 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
7848 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
7849 with the following commands:
7855 @findex gnus-server-open-server
7856 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
7857 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
7861 @findex gnus-server-close-server
7862 Close the connection (if any) to the server
7863 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
7867 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
7868 Mark the current server as unreachable
7869 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
7872 @kindex M-o (Server)
7873 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
7874 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
7875 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
7878 @kindex M-c (Server)
7879 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
7880 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
7881 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
7885 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
7886 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from all servers
7887 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
7893 @section Getting News
7894 @cindex reading news
7895 @cindex news backends
7897 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
7898 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
7899 or it can read from a local spool.
7902 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
7903 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
7908 @subsection @sc{nntp}
7911 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
7912 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
7913 server as the, uhm, address.
7915 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
7916 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
7917 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
7918 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
7920 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
7921 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
7922 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
7924 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
7929 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
7930 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
7931 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
7933 @cindex authentification
7934 @cindex nntp authentification
7935 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
7936 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
7937 @code{nntp-server-opened-hook} is run after a connection has been made.
7938 It can be used to send commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has
7939 been contacted. By default is sends the command @code{MODE READER} to
7940 the server with the @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function.
7942 @item nntp-authinfo-function
7943 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
7944 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
7945 server. Available functions include:
7948 @item nntp-send-authinfo
7949 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
7950 This function will used you current login name as the user name and will
7951 prompt you for the password. This is the default.
7953 @item nntp-send-nosy-authinfo
7954 @findex nntp-send-nosy-authinfo
7955 This function will prompt you for both user name and password.
7957 @item nntp-send-authinfo-from-file
7958 @findex nntp-send-authinfo-from-file
7959 This function will use your current login name as the user name and will
7960 read the @sc{nntp} password from @file{~/.nntp-authinfo}.
7963 @item nntp-server-action-alist
7964 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
7965 This is an list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
7966 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
7967 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
7970 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
7974 You probably don't want to do that, though.
7976 The default value is
7979 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
7980 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook nntp-send-mode-reader)))
7983 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
7984 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
7986 @item nntp-maximum-request
7987 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
7988 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
7989 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
7990 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
7991 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
7992 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
7993 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
7995 @item nntp-connection-timeout
7996 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
7997 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
7998 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
7999 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
8000 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
8001 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
8002 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
8003 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
8004 no timeouts are done.
8006 @item nntp-command-timeout
8007 @vindex nntp-command-timeout
8008 @cindex PPP connections
8009 @cindex dynamic IP addresses
8010 If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
8011 address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
8012 changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
8013 waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
8014 unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
8015 then, if it sits waiting longer than that number of seconds for a reply
8016 from the server, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
8017 the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
8018 likely number is 30 seconds.
8020 @item nntp-retry-on-break
8021 @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
8022 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
8023 hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
8026 @item nntp-server-hook
8027 @vindex nntp-server-hook
8028 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
8031 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
8032 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
8033 @item nntp-open-server-function
8034 @vindex nntp-open-server-function
8035 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Two pre-made
8036 functions are @code{nntp-open-network-stream}, which is the default, and
8037 simply connects to some port or other on the remote system. The other
8038 is @code{nntp-open-rlogin}, which does an rlogin on the remote system,
8039 and then does a telnet to the @sc{nntp} server available there.
8041 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
8042 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
8043 If you use @code{nntp-open-rlogin} as the
8044 @code{nntp-open-server-function}, this list will be used as the
8045 parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
8047 @item nntp-end-of-line
8048 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
8049 String to use as end-of-line markers when talking to the @sc{nntp}
8050 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
8051 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
8053 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
8054 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
8055 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
8059 @vindex nntp-address
8060 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
8062 @item nntp-port-number
8063 @vindex nntp-port-number
8064 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
8067 @item nntp-buggy-select
8068 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
8069 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
8071 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
8072 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
8073 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
8074 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks whether @sc{nov}
8075 can be used automatically.
8077 @item nntp-xover-commands
8078 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
8081 List of strings that are used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
8082 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
8086 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
8087 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
8088 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
8089 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
8090 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
8091 lines that you do not want, and will not use. This variable says how
8092 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
8093 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
8094 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
8095 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
8096 @code{nntp} will never split requests.
8098 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
8099 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
8100 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
8102 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
8103 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
8104 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
8105 server closes connection.
8111 @subsection News Spool
8115 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
8116 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
8117 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
8120 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @samp{} (or
8121 anything else) as the address.
8123 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
8124 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
8125 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
8126 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
8130 @item nnspool-inews-program
8131 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
8132 Program used to post an article.
8134 @item nnspool-inews-switches
8135 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
8136 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
8138 @item nnspool-spool-directory
8139 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
8140 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
8141 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
8143 @item nnspool-nov-directory
8144 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
8145 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
8146 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
8148 @item nnspool-lib-dir
8149 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
8150 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
8152 @item nnspool-active-file
8153 @vindex nnspool-active-file
8154 The path of the active file.
8156 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
8157 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
8158 The path of the group descriptions file.
8160 @item nnspool-history-file
8161 @vindex nnspool-history-file
8162 The path of the news history file.
8164 @item nnspool-active-times-file
8165 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
8166 The path of the active date file.
8168 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
8169 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
8170 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
8173 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
8174 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
8176 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
8177 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
8178 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
8184 @section Getting Mail
8185 @cindex reading mail
8188 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
8192 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
8193 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
8194 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
8195 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
8196 * Mail and Procmail:: Reading mail groups that procmail create.
8197 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
8198 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
8199 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
8200 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
8201 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
8202 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
8206 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
8207 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
8209 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
8210 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
8211 and things will happen automatically.
8213 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a one file per
8214 mail backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
8217 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
8218 '((nnml "private")))
8221 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
8222 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
8223 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
8224 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
8225 like any other group.
8227 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
8230 (setq nnmail-split-methods
8231 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
8232 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
8236 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
8237 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
8238 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
8241 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
8242 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though,
8243 especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
8246 @node Splitting Mail
8247 @subsection Splitting Mail
8248 @cindex splitting mail
8249 @cindex mail splitting
8251 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
8252 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
8253 to be split into groups.
8256 (setq nnmail-split-methods
8257 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
8258 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
8262 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
8263 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
8264 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
8265 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
8266 determine if it belongs in this mail group.
8268 If the first element is the special symbol @code{junk}, then messages
8269 that match the regexp will disappear into the aether. Use with
8272 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
8273 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
8274 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
8275 mail belongs in that group.
8277 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
8278 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any
8279 mails that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps.
8281 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
8282 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
8283 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
8284 message. The function should return a list of groups names that it
8285 thinks should carry this mail message.
8287 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent
8288 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
8289 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
8290 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
8292 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
8293 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
8294 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
8295 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
8296 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
8298 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
8301 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
8302 the crossposted articles. However, not all files systems support hard
8303 links. If that's the case for you, set
8304 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
8305 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
8307 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
8308 @kindex nnmail-split-history
8309 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
8310 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
8312 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
8313 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
8314 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
8315 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
8316 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
8317 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
8318 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
8319 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
8323 @node Mail Backend Variables
8324 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
8326 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
8330 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
8331 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
8332 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
8333 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
8335 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
8336 @item nnmail-spool-file
8340 @vindex nnmail-pop-password
8341 @vindex nnmail-pop-password-required
8342 The backends will look for new mail in this file. If this variable is
8343 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
8344 themselves. If you are using a POP mail server and your name is
8345 @samp{larsi}, you should set this variable to @samp{po:larsi}. If
8346 your name is not @samp{larsi}, you should probably modify that
8347 slightly, but you may have guessed that already, you smart & handsome
8348 devil! You can also set this variable to @code{pop}, and Gnus will try
8349 to figure out the POP mail string by itself. In any case, Gnus will
8350 call @code{movemail} which will contact the POP server named in the
8351 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable. If the POP server needs a
8352 password, you can either set @code{nnmail-pop-password-required} to
8353 @code{t} and be prompted for the password, or set
8354 @code{nnmail-pop-password} to the password itself.
8356 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
8357 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
8358 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
8359 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
8360 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
8361 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
8363 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
8364 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
8365 @item nnmail-use-procmail
8366 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will look in
8367 @code{nnmail-procmail-directory} for incoming mail. All the files in
8368 that directory that have names ending in @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix}
8369 will be considered incoming mailboxes, and will be searched for new
8372 @vindex nnmail-crash-box
8373 @item nnmail-crash-box
8374 When the mail backends read a spool file, it is first moved to this
8375 file, which is @file{~/.gnus-crash-box} by default. If this file
8376 already exists, it will always be read (and incorporated) before any
8379 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
8380 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
8381 This is run in a buffer that holds all the new incoming mail, and can be
8382 used for, well, anything, really.
8384 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
8385 @item nnmail-split-hook
8386 @findex article-decode-rfc1522
8387 @findex RFC1522 decoding
8388 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
8389 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
8390 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
8391 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
8392 in the buffer will show up in any files. @code{article-decode-rfc1522}
8393 is one likely function to add to this hook.
8395 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
8396 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
8397 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
8398 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
8399 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
8400 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
8401 starting to handle the new mail) and
8402 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
8403 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
8404 default file modes the new mail files get:
8407 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
8408 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
8410 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
8411 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
8414 @item nnmail-tmp-directory
8415 @vindex nnmail-tmp-directory
8416 This variable says where to move the incoming mail to while processing
8417 it. This is usually done in the same directory that the mail backend
8418 inhabits (i.e., @file{~/Mail/}), but if this variable is non-@code{nil},
8419 it will be used instead.
8421 @item nnmail-movemail-program
8422 @vindex nnmail-movemail-program
8423 This program is executed to move mail from the user's inbox to her home
8424 directory. The default is @samp{movemail}.
8426 This can also be a function. In that case, the function will be called
8427 with two parameters -- the name of the inbox, and the file to be moved
8430 @item nnmail-delete-incoming
8431 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
8432 @cindex incoming mail files
8433 @cindex deleting incoming files
8434 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will delete the temporary incoming
8435 file after splitting mail into the proper groups. This is @code{nil} by
8436 default for reasons of security.
8438 Since Red Gnus is an alpha release, it is to be expected to lose mail.
8439 (No Gnus release since (ding) Gnus 0.10 (or something like that) have
8440 lost mail, I think, but that's not the point.) By not deleting the
8441 Incoming* files, one can be sure to not lose mail -- if Gnus totally
8442 whacks out, one can always recover what was lost.
8444 Delete the @file{Incoming*} files at will.
8446 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
8447 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
8448 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
8449 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories like
8450 @file{mail.misc/}. If it is @code{nil}, the same group will end up in
8453 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
8454 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
8456 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
8461 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
8462 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
8463 @cindex mail splitting
8464 @cindex fancy mail splitting
8466 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
8467 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
8468 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
8469 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
8470 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
8471 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
8473 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
8476 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
8477 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
8478 ;; from real errors.
8479 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
8481 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
8482 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
8483 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
8484 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
8485 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
8486 ;; Other mailing lists...
8487 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
8488 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
8490 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen"))
8491 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
8495 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
8496 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
8497 the five possible split syntaxes:
8502 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name.
8505 @var{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, and the first
8506 element is a string, then that means that if header FIELD (a regexp)
8507 contains VALUE (also a regexp), then store the message as specified by
8511 @var{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
8512 @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them
8513 matches. A SPLIT is said to match if it will cause the mail message to
8514 be stored in one or more groups.
8517 @var{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
8518 @code{&}, then process all SPLITs in the list.
8521 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
8522 this message anywhere.
8526 In these splits, FIELD must match a complete field name. VALUE must
8527 match a complete word according to the fundamental mode syntax table.
8528 You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial field names or
8531 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
8532 FIELD and VALUE can also be lisp symbols, in that case they are expanded
8533 as specified by the variable @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is
8534 an alist of cons cells, where the car of the cells contains the key, and
8535 the cdr contains a string.
8537 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
8538 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
8539 when all this splitting is performed.
8542 @node Mail and Procmail
8543 @subsection Mail and Procmail
8548 Many people use @code{procmail} (or some other mail filter program or
8549 external delivery agent---@code{slocal}, @code{elm}, etc) to split
8550 incoming mail into groups. If you do that, you should set
8551 @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{procmail} to ensure that the mail
8552 backends never ever try to fetch mail by themselves.
8554 This also means that you probably don't want to set
8555 @code{nnmail-split-methods} either, which has some, perhaps, unexpected
8558 When a mail backend is queried for what groups it carries, it replies
8559 with the contents of that variable, along with any groups it has figured
8560 out that it carries by other means. None of the backends (except
8561 @code{nnmh}) actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
8562 exist. (It's not trivial to distinguish between what the user thinks is
8563 a basis for a newsgroup and what is just a plain old file or directory.)
8565 This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) what groups
8568 Let's take the @code{nnmh} backend as an example.
8570 The folders are located in @code{nnmh-directory}, say, @file{~/Mail/}.
8571 There are three folders, @file{foo}, @file{bar} and @file{mail.baz}.
8573 Go to the group buffer and type @kbd{G m}. When prompted, answer
8574 @samp{foo} for the name and @samp{nnmh} for the method. Repeat
8575 twice for the two other groups, @samp{bar} and @samp{mail.baz}. Be sure
8576 to include all your mail groups.
8578 That's it. You are now set to read your mail. An active file for this
8579 method will be created automatically.
8581 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
8582 @vindex nnmail-procmail-directory
8583 If you use @code{nnfolder} or any other backend that store more than a
8584 single article in each file, you should never have procmail add mails to
8585 the file that Gnus sees. Instead, procmail should put all incoming mail
8586 in @code{nnmail-procmail-directory}. To arrive at the file name to put
8587 the incoming mail in, append @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix} to the group
8588 name. The mail backends will read the mail from these files.
8590 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
8591 When Gnus reads a file called @file{mail.misc.spool}, this mail will be
8592 put in the @code{mail.misc}, as one would expect. However, if you want
8593 Gnus to split the mail the normal way, you could set
8594 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to @code{t}.
8596 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
8597 If you use @code{procmail} to split things directory into an @code{nnmh}
8598 directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
8599 @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} to non-@code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
8600 ever expiring the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is quite,
8603 Here's an example setup: The incoming spools are located in
8604 @file{~/incoming/} and have @samp{""} as suffixes (i. e., the incoming
8605 spool files have the same names as the equivalent groups). The
8606 @code{nnfolder} backend is to be used as the mail interface, and the
8607 @code{nnfolder} directory is @file{~/fMail/}.
8610 (setq nnfolder-directory "~/fMail/")
8611 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
8612 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/incoming/")
8613 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnfolder "")))
8614 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "")
8618 @node Incorporating Old Mail
8619 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
8621 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
8622 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
8623 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
8626 Doing so can be quite easy.
8628 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
8629 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
8630 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
8631 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
8632 your @code{nnml} groups.
8638 Go to the group buffer.
8641 Type `G f' and give the path of the mbox file when prompted to create an
8642 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
8645 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
8648 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group (@pxref{Setting
8652 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
8653 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
8656 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
8657 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
8658 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
8659 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
8660 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
8662 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
8663 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
8664 using the new mail backend.
8668 @subsection Expiring Mail
8669 @cindex article expiry
8671 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
8672 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
8673 different approach to mail reading.
8675 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
8676 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
8677 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
8678 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
8679 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
8680 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
8683 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
8684 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
8685 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
8686 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
8687 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
8688 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
8689 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
8690 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
8692 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
8693 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
8694 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
8695 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
8696 articles that are marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
8697 column in the summary buffer.
8699 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
8700 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
8703 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
8704 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
8707 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
8708 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
8710 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
8711 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
8712 expirable article has to live. The default is seven days.
8714 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
8715 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
8716 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
8717 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
8720 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
8722 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
8724 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
8726 ((string= group "mail.junk")
8728 ((string= group "important")
8734 The group names that this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
8735 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
8737 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
8738 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can be either a number (not
8739 necessarily an integer) or the symbols @code{immediate} or
8742 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
8743 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8745 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
8746 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
8747 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
8748 easier for procmail users.
8750 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
8751 By the way, that line up there about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
8752 articles is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
8753 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
8754 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
8755 caution. Even more dangerous is the
8756 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
8757 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
8758 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
8759 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
8760 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
8761 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
8762 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
8767 @subsection Washing Mail
8768 @cindex mail washing
8769 @cindex list server brain damage
8770 @cindex incoming mail treatment
8772 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
8773 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
8774 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
8775 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
8776 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
8777 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
8779 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
8780 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
8781 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
8784 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
8785 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
8786 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
8787 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
8790 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
8791 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
8792 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
8793 grand, sweeping gestures. Functions to be used include:
8796 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
8797 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
8798 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
8799 Emacs running on MS machines.
8803 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
8804 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
8805 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
8806 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
8809 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
8810 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
8811 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
8812 headers too make them look nice. Aaah.
8814 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
8815 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
8816 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
8817 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
8818 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
8819 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
8820 also be a list of regexp.
8822 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
8823 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
8826 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
8827 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
8830 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
8831 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
8832 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
8836 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
8837 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
8838 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
8842 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
8843 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
8844 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
8851 @subsection Duplicates
8853 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
8854 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
8855 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
8856 @cindex duplicate mails
8857 If you are a member of a couple of mailing list, you will sometime
8858 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
8859 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
8860 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
8861 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
8862 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
8863 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
8864 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
8865 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
8866 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
8867 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
8868 will generate a brand new @code{Message-ID} for the mail and insert a
8869 warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks that this is a
8870 duplicate of a different message.
8872 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
8873 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
8874 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
8875 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
8877 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
8880 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
8881 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
8885 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
8886 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
8887 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
8888 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
8889 (any mail "mail.misc")
8896 (setq nnmail-split-methods
8897 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
8902 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
8903 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
8904 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
8905 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
8906 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
8909 @node Not Reading Mail
8910 @subsection Not Reading Mail
8912 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
8913 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
8914 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
8916 If you set @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{nil}, none of the backends
8917 will ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.
8919 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
8920 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
8921 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
8922 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
8923 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
8924 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
8925 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
8926 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
8927 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
8928 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
8929 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
8931 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
8932 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
8936 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
8937 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
8939 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
8940 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
8941 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
8944 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
8945 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
8946 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
8947 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
8948 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
8953 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
8955 @cindex unix mail box
8957 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
8958 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
8959 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
8960 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
8961 which group it belongs in.
8963 Virtual server settings:
8966 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
8967 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
8968 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
8970 @item nnmbox-active-file
8971 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
8972 The name of the active file for the mail box.
8974 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
8975 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
8976 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
8982 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
8986 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
8987 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
8988 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
8989 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
8990 article to say which group it belongs in.
8992 Virtual server settings:
8995 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
8996 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
8997 The name of the rmail mbox file.
8999 @item nnbabyl-active-file
9000 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
9001 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
9003 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
9004 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
9005 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
9010 @subsubsection Mail Spool
9012 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
9014 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
9015 format. It should be used with some caution.
9017 @vindex nnml-directory
9018 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files;
9019 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the correct
9020 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
9021 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
9023 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
9026 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
9027 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
9028 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
9029 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
9030 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
9031 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
9032 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
9033 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
9035 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
9036 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
9037 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes is the fastest
9038 backend when it comes to reading mail.
9040 Virtual server settings:
9043 @item nnml-directory
9044 @vindex nnml-directory
9045 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
9047 @item nnml-active-file
9048 @vindex nnml-active-file
9049 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
9051 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
9052 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
9053 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
9056 @item nnml-get-new-mail
9057 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
9058 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
9060 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
9061 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
9062 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
9064 @item nnml-nov-file-name
9065 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
9066 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
9068 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
9069 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
9070 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
9074 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
9075 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
9076 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
9077 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
9078 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
9079 might take a while to complete.
9083 @subsubsection MH Spool
9085 @cindex mh-e mail spool
9087 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
9088 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
9089 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
9090 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
9092 Virtual server settings:
9095 @item nnmh-directory
9096 @vindex nnmh-directory
9097 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
9099 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
9100 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
9101 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
9104 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
9105 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
9106 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
9107 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
9108 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
9109 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
9110 to set this variable to @code{t}.
9115 @subsubsection Mail Folders
9117 @cindex mbox folders
9118 @cindex mail folders
9120 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
9121 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
9122 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
9125 Virtual server settings:
9128 @item nnfolder-directory
9129 @vindex nnfolder-directory
9130 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
9132 @item nnfolder-active-file
9133 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
9134 The name of the active file.
9136 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
9137 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
9138 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
9140 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
9141 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
9142 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
9145 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
9146 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
9147 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
9148 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
9149 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
9150 @code{nnfolder-directory}.
9154 @section Other Sources
9156 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
9157 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
9161 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
9162 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
9163 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
9164 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
9165 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
9166 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
9170 @node Directory Groups
9171 @subsection Directory Groups
9173 @cindex directory groups
9175 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
9176 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
9179 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp}, that most
9180 wonderful of all wonderful Emacs packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I
9181 didn't think much about it---a backend to read directories. Big deal.
9183 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
9184 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
9185 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the the directory name,
9186 @code{ange-ftp} will actually allow you to read this directory over at
9187 @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
9189 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
9191 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
9192 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
9193 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
9194 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
9197 @node Anything Groups
9198 @subsection Anything Groups
9201 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
9202 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
9203 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
9206 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
9207 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
9208 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
9209 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
9210 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
9211 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
9212 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
9213 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source
9214 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
9215 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
9218 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
9219 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
9220 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
9221 in the article buffer, just as usual.
9223 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
9224 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
9225 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
9226 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
9228 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
9229 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
9230 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
9231 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
9232 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
9233 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
9234 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
9235 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
9240 @item nneething-map-file-directory
9241 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
9242 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
9243 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
9245 @item nneething-exclude-files
9246 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
9247 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
9248 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
9250 @item nneething-map-file
9251 @vindex nneething-map-file
9252 Name of the map files.
9256 @node Document Groups
9257 @subsection Document Groups
9259 @cindex documentation group
9262 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
9263 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
9270 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
9275 The standard Unix mbox file.
9277 @cindex MMDF mail box
9279 The MMDF mail box format.
9282 Several news articles appended into a file.
9285 @cindex rnews batch files
9286 The rnews batch transport format.
9287 @cindex forwarded messages
9296 @cindex RFC 1153 digest
9297 @cindex RFC 341 digest
9298 MIME (RFC 1341) digest format.
9300 @item standard-digest
9301 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
9304 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
9307 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
9308 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
9309 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
9312 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
9313 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
9314 group. And that's it.
9316 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
9317 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
9318 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
9319 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
9320 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
9321 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
9322 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
9323 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
9324 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
9325 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
9327 Virtual server variables:
9330 @item nndoc-article-type
9331 @vindex nndoc-article-type
9332 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
9333 @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{news}, @code{rnews},
9334 @code{mime-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, or @code{guess}.
9336 @item nndoc-post-type
9337 @vindex nndoc-post-type
9338 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
9339 a mail group. There are two legal values: @code{mail} (the default)
9344 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
9348 @node Document Server Internals
9349 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
9351 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
9352 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
9353 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
9354 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
9356 First, here's an example document type definition:
9360 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
9361 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
9364 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
9365 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
9366 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
9367 types can be defined with very few settings:
9371 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
9372 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
9376 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
9377 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
9379 @item head-begin-function
9380 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
9383 @item nndoc-head-begin
9384 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
9387 @item nndoc-head-end
9388 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
9389 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
9391 @item body-begin-function
9392 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
9396 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
9399 @item body-end-function
9400 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
9404 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
9406 @item nndoc-file-end
9407 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
9408 regexp will be totally ignored.
9412 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
9413 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
9414 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
9415 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
9416 something that's palatable for Gnus:
9419 @item prepare-body-function
9420 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
9421 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
9422 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
9424 @item article-transform-function
9425 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
9426 meant to be used how more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
9427 body of the article.
9429 @item generate-head-function
9430 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
9431 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
9432 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
9433 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
9437 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
9442 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
9443 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
9444 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
9445 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
9447 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
9448 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
9449 (subtype digest guess))
9452 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
9453 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
9454 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
9455 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
9456 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
9458 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
9459 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
9460 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
9461 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
9462 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for each
9463 type. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
9464 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
9465 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
9466 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
9467 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
9468 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest legal number.
9476 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
9477 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
9478 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
9480 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
9481 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
9482 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
9485 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
9486 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
9487 that interested in doing things properly.
9489 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
9490 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
9496 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
9497 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie, or you can use Gnus to create the
9498 packet with the @kbd{O s} command.
9501 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
9504 You put the packet in your home directory.
9507 You fire up Gnus using the @code{nnsoup} backend as the native server.
9510 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
9514 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
9518 You transfer this packet to the server.
9521 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
9524 You then repeat until you die.
9528 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
9529 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
9532 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
9533 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
9534 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
9539 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
9543 @kindex G s b (Group)
9544 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
9545 Pack all unread articles in the current group
9546 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
9547 process/prefix convention.
9550 @kindex G s w (Group)
9551 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
9552 Save all data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
9555 @kindex G s s (Group)
9556 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
9557 Send all replies from the replies packet
9558 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
9561 @kindex G s p (Group)
9562 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
9563 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
9566 @kindex G s r (Group)
9567 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
9568 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
9571 @kindex O s (Summary)
9572 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
9573 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
9574 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
9580 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
9585 @item gnus-soup-directory
9586 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
9587 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
9588 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
9590 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
9591 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
9592 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
9593 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
9595 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
9596 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
9597 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
9600 @item gnus-soup-packer
9601 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
9602 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
9603 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
9605 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
9606 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
9607 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
9608 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
9610 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
9611 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
9612 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
9614 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
9615 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
9616 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
9617 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
9623 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
9626 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
9627 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
9628 you can read them at leisure.
9630 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
9634 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
9635 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
9636 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
9637 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
9639 @item nnsoup-directory
9640 @vindex nnsoup-directory
9641 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
9642 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
9644 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
9645 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
9646 All replies will stored in this directory before being packed into a
9647 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
9649 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
9650 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
9651 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
9652 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
9653 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
9655 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
9656 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
9657 The index type of the replies packet. The is @samp{?n}, which means
9658 ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
9660 @item nnsoup-active-file
9661 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
9662 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
9663 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
9664 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
9665 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
9668 @vindex nnsoup-packer
9669 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
9670 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
9672 @item nnsoup-unpacker
9673 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
9674 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
9675 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
9677 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
9678 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
9679 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
9682 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
9683 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
9684 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
9691 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
9693 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
9694 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
9695 more for that to happen.
9697 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
9698 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
9699 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
9702 In specific, this is what it does:
9705 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
9706 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
9709 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
9710 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
9711 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
9715 @subsection Web Searches
9720 @cindex Usenet searches
9721 @cindex searching the Usenet
9723 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
9724 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
9725 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
9726 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
9727 searches without having to use a browser.
9729 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
9730 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
9731 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
9732 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
9733 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
9735 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
9736 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
9737 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
9738 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
9739 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@code{Duplicate
9740 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
9741 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
9742 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
9743 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
9744 header---mark all articles that were posted before the last date you
9745 read the group as read.
9747 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
9748 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
9749 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
9750 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
9751 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
9752 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
9754 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
9755 to use @code{nnweb}.
9757 Virtual server variables:
9762 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
9763 are @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
9766 @vindex nnweb-search
9767 The search string to feed to the search engine.
9769 @item nnweb-max-hits
9770 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
9771 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
9774 @item nnweb-type-definition
9775 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
9776 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
9777 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
9782 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
9786 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
9789 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
9792 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
9796 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
9803 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
9804 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
9805 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
9808 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
9809 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
9810 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
9812 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
9818 @item nngateway-address
9819 @vindex nngateway-address
9820 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
9822 @item nngateway-header-transformation
9823 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
9824 News headers have often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
9825 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
9826 transformation should be called, and defaults to
9827 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
9828 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
9831 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
9832 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address---an article with this
9833 @code{Newsgroups} header:
9836 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
9839 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
9842 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
9847 So, to use this, simply say something like:
9850 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
9854 @node Combined Groups
9855 @section Combined Groups
9857 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
9861 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
9862 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
9866 @node Virtual Groups
9867 @subsection Virtual Groups
9869 @cindex virtual groups
9871 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
9874 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small group, you can
9875 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
9876 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
9878 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
9879 regexp to match component groups.
9881 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
9882 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
9883 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
9884 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
9887 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
9888 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
9891 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
9894 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
9895 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
9897 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
9898 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
9899 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
9900 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
9903 "^nntp+some.server.jp:soc.motss$\\|^nntp+some.server.no:soc.motss$"
9906 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
9907 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
9908 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
9909 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
9910 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}.
9912 One limitation, however---all groups that are included in a virtual
9913 group has to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
9914 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
9916 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
9917 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
9918 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
9919 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
9920 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
9921 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
9922 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
9923 effect if you have two virtual groups that contain the same component
9924 group. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
9925 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
9926 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
9929 @node Kibozed Groups
9930 @subsection Kibozed Groups
9934 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
9935 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
9936 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
9937 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
9940 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
9943 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
9944 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
9945 @code{nnkiboze} group. There most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
9946 and @code{nnvirtual} ends.
9948 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
9949 must have a score file to say what articles that are to be included in
9950 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
9952 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
9953 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
9954 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
9955 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
9956 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
9957 all the articles in all the components groups and run them through the
9958 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
9959 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
9961 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
9962 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
9963 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
9964 Stranger things have happened.
9966 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
9967 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
9969 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
9970 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
9971 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
9972 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
9973 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
9974 on what groups that have been searched through to find component
9977 Articles that are marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have their
9978 @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
9985 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
9986 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
9987 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
9990 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
9991 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
9992 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
9993 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
9994 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
9996 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
9997 before generating the summary buffer.
9999 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
10000 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
10001 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
10003 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
10004 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
10005 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
10006 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
10009 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
10010 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
10011 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
10012 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
10013 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
10014 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus @emph{knows} what you read.
10015 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
10016 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
10017 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
10018 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
10019 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
10020 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
10021 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
10022 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
10023 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
10027 @node Summary Score Commands
10028 @section Summary Score Commands
10029 @cindex score commands
10031 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
10032 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
10033 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
10034 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
10035 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
10037 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
10038 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
10039 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
10040 score file the current one.
10042 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
10047 @kindex V s (Summary)
10048 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
10049 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
10052 @kindex V S (Summary)
10053 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
10054 Display the score of the current article
10055 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
10058 @kindex V t (Summary)
10059 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
10060 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
10061 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
10064 @kindex V R (Summary)
10065 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
10066 Run the current summary through the scoring process
10067 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
10068 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
10069 effect you're having.
10072 @kindex V a (Summary)
10073 @findex gnus-summary-score-entry
10074 Add a new score entry, and allow specifying all elements
10075 (@code{gnus-summary-score-entry}).
10078 @kindex V c (Summary)
10079 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
10080 Make a different score file the current
10081 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
10084 @kindex V e (Summary)
10085 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
10086 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
10087 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
10091 @kindex V f (Summary)
10092 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
10093 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
10094 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
10097 @kindex V F (Summary)
10098 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
10099 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
10100 after editing score files.
10103 @kindex V C (Summary)
10104 @findex gnus-score-customize
10105 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
10106 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
10109 @kindex I C-i (Summary)
10110 @findex gnus-summary-raise-score
10111 Increase the score of the current article
10112 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-score}).
10115 @kindex L C-l (Summary)
10116 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
10117 Lower the score of the current article
10118 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-score}).
10121 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
10126 @kindex V m (Summary)
10127 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
10128 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
10129 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
10132 @kindex V x (Summary)
10133 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
10134 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
10135 expunge all articles below this score
10136 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
10139 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
10140 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
10145 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
10146 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
10148 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
10149 keys are available:
10153 Score on the author name.
10156 Score on the subject line.
10159 Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
10162 Score on thread---the References line.
10168 Score on the number of lines.
10171 Score on the Message-ID.
10174 Score on followups.
10184 The third key is the match type. Which match types are legal depends on
10185 what headers you are scoring on.
10197 Substring matching.
10229 Greater than number.
10234 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
10235 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
10236 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
10240 Temporary score entry.
10243 Permanent score entry.
10246 Immediately scoring.
10251 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
10252 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
10253 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
10254 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
10256 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
10257 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
10258 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
10259 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
10260 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
10262 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
10263 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
10264 pretend they are keymaps or not.
10267 @node Group Score Commands
10268 @section Group Score Commands
10269 @cindex group score commands
10271 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
10276 @kindex W f (Group)
10277 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
10278 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
10279 all the time. This command will flush the cache
10280 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
10285 @node Score Variables
10286 @section Score Variables
10287 @cindex score variables
10291 @item gnus-use-scoring
10292 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
10293 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
10294 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
10296 @item gnus-kill-killed
10297 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
10298 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
10299 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
10300 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
10301 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
10302 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
10303 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
10305 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
10306 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
10307 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
10308 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
10309 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
10311 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
10312 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
10313 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
10314 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
10316 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
10317 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
10318 @cindex score cache
10319 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
10320 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
10321 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files that are
10322 unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
10323 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
10324 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
10325 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
10328 @item gnus-save-score
10329 @vindex gnus-save-score
10330 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
10331 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
10332 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
10334 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
10335 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
10336 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
10337 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
10338 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
10339 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
10340 manually entered data.
10342 @item gnus-summary-default-score
10343 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
10344 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
10346 @item gnus-score-over-mark
10347 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
10348 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
10349 default. Default is @samp{+}.
10351 @item gnus-score-below-mark
10352 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
10353 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
10354 default. Default is @samp{-}.
10356 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
10357 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
10358 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
10359 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
10361 Predefined functions available are:
10364 @item gnus-score-find-single
10365 @findex gnus-score-find-single
10366 Only apply the group's own score file.
10368 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
10369 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
10370 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
10371 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
10372 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
10373 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
10374 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
10375 then a regexp match is done.
10377 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
10378 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
10380 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
10381 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
10382 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
10383 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
10385 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
10386 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
10387 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
10388 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
10389 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
10392 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
10393 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
10394 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
10395 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
10396 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
10397 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
10400 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
10401 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
10402 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
10403 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
10404 are expired. It's 7 by default.
10406 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
10407 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
10408 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
10409 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
10410 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
10411 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
10412 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
10415 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
10416 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
10417 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
10422 @node Score File Format
10423 @section Score File Format
10424 @cindex score file format
10426 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
10427 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
10428 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
10430 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
10434 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
10436 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
10438 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
10440 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
10445 (mark-and-expunge -10)
10449 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
10450 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
10451 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
10452 (gnus-summary-make-false-root 'empty))
10456 This example demonstrates absolutely everything about a score file.
10458 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
10459 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
10460 has to be legal syntactically, if not semantically.
10462 Six keys are supported by this alist:
10467 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
10468 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
10469 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
10470 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
10471 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
10472 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
10473 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
10474 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
10475 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
10476 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
10477 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
10478 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
10479 to articles that matches these score entries.
10481 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
10482 score entry has one to four elements.
10486 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
10487 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
10491 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
10492 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
10493 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
10494 is successful. If this element is not present, the
10495 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
10496 instead. This is 1000 by default.
10499 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
10500 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
10501 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
10502 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
10503 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 ce.
10506 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
10507 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
10508 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
10509 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
10512 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
10513 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
10514 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
10515 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
10516 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
10517 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
10518 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
10519 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
10520 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
10521 instead, if you feel like.
10524 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
10525 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
10528 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
10529 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
10530 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
10531 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
10532 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
10533 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
10534 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
10538 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
10539 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
10540 ISO8601 compact format first---@samp{YYYYMMDDTHHMMSS}. If you want to
10541 match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in every year, you
10542 could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string, for instance.
10543 (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so this will
10544 match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where the article
10545 was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the whole
10548 @item Head, Body, All
10549 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
10553 This match key will add a score entry on all articles that followup to
10554 some author. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header uses.
10557 This match key will add a score entry on all articles that are part of
10558 a thread. Uses the same match types as the @code{References} header
10564 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
10565 lower than this number will be marked as read.
10568 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
10569 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
10571 @item mark-and-expunge
10572 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
10573 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
10576 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
10577 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
10578 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
10579 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
10580 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
10583 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
10584 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
10587 @item exclude-files
10588 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. This files will
10589 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
10593 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
10594 ignored when handling global score files.
10597 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
10598 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}).
10601 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
10602 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
10603 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
10604 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
10606 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
10610 (mark-and-expunge -100)
10613 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
10614 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
10615 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
10616 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
10617 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
10619 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
10620 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
10621 ordinary scoring rules.
10624 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
10625 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
10626 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
10627 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
10628 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
10629 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
10630 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
10631 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
10632 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
10633 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
10634 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
10638 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
10639 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
10640 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
10641 file for a number of groups.
10644 @cindex local variables
10645 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
10646 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
10647 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
10648 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
10653 @node Score File Editing
10654 @section Score File Editing
10656 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
10657 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
10658 with a mode for that.
10660 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
10661 additional commands:
10666 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
10667 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
10668 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
10669 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
10672 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
10673 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
10674 Insert the current date in numerical format
10675 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
10676 you were wondering.
10679 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
10680 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
10681 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
10682 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
10683 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
10688 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
10690 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
10691 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
10693 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
10694 e} to begin editing score files.
10697 @node Adaptive Scoring
10698 @section Adaptive Scoring
10699 @cindex adaptive scoring
10701 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
10702 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
10703 stupidity, to be precise.
10705 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
10706 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
10707 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
10708 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
10709 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
10710 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
10711 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
10712 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
10713 variable to @code{(word line)}.
10715 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
10716 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
10717 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
10718 might look something like this:
10721 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
10722 '((gnus-unread-mark)
10723 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
10724 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
10725 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
10726 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
10727 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
10728 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
10729 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
10730 (gnus-ancient-mark)
10731 (gnus-low-score-mark)
10732 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
10735 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
10736 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
10737 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
10738 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
10739 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
10740 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
10743 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
10744 will be applied to each article.
10746 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
10747 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
10748 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
10749 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
10751 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
10752 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
10753 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
10754 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
10756 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
10757 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
10758 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
10759 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
10760 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
10761 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
10763 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
10764 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
10765 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
10766 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
10767 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
10768 aspirins afterwards.)
10770 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
10771 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
10772 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
10774 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
10775 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
10776 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
10778 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
10779 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
10780 let you use different rules in different groups.
10782 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
10783 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
10784 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
10787 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
10788 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
10789 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
10790 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
10791 the length of the match is less than
10792 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
10793 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
10796 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
10797 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
10798 headers. If you adapt on words, the
10799 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
10800 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
10803 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
10804 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
10805 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
10806 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
10807 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
10810 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
10811 word that appears in subjects of articles that are marked with
10812 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
10813 score with 30 points.
10815 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
10816 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
10817 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
10818 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
10819 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
10821 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
10822 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
10823 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
10824 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
10826 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
10827 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
10828 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
10831 @node Home Score File
10832 @section Home Score File
10834 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
10835 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
10836 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
10837 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
10839 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
10840 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
10841 could perhaps use the same home score file.
10843 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
10844 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
10849 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
10853 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
10854 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
10858 A list. The elements in this list can be:
10862 @var{(regexp file-name)}. If the @var{regexp} matches the group name,
10863 the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
10866 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
10867 the home score file.
10870 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
10873 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
10878 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
10881 (setq gnus-home-score-file
10882 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
10885 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
10886 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
10889 (setq gnus-home-score-file
10890 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
10893 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
10895 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
10896 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
10897 their own home score files:
10900 (setq gnus-home-score-file
10901 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
10902 '("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
10903 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
10904 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE"))
10907 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
10908 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
10909 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
10910 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
10911 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
10913 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
10914 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
10915 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
10916 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
10917 precedence over this variable.
10920 @node Followups To Yourself
10921 @section Followups To Yourself
10923 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
10924 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
10925 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
10926 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
10927 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
10928 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
10932 @item gnus-score-followup-article
10933 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
10934 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
10937 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
10938 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
10939 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
10943 @vindex message-sent-hook
10944 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
10945 @code{message-sent-hook}.
10947 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
10948 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
10952 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
10953 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
10956 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
10957 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
10962 "<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf@@.*eyesore.no>" 1000 nil r)
10965 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
10966 is system-dependent.
10970 @section Scoring Tips
10971 @cindex scoring tips
10977 @cindex scoring crossposts
10978 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
10979 the @code{Xref} header.
10981 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
10984 @item Multiple crossposts
10985 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
10986 more than, say, 3 groups:
10988 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
10991 @item Matching on the body
10992 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
10993 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
10994 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
10995 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
10996 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
10997 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
10998 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
11001 @item Marking as read
11002 You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a certain
11003 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
11004 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
11008 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
11010 @item Negated character classes
11011 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
11012 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
11013 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
11017 @node Reverse Scoring
11018 @section Reverse Scoring
11019 @cindex reverse scoring
11021 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
11022 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
11023 like this in your score file:
11027 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
11032 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
11033 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
11036 @node Global Score Files
11037 @section Global Score Files
11038 @cindex global score files
11040 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
11041 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
11042 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
11044 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
11045 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
11046 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
11048 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
11049 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
11050 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
11051 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
11052 files are applicable to which group.
11054 Say you want to use the score file
11055 @file{/ftp@@ftp.ifi.uio.no:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
11056 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
11059 (setq gnus-global-score-files
11060 '("/ftp@@ftp.ifi.uio.no:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
11061 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
11064 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
11065 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
11066 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
11067 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
11068 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
11070 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
11071 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
11073 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
11074 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
11075 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
11076 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
11077 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
11078 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
11080 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
11086 Articles that are heavily crossposted are probably junk.
11088 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
11090 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
11092 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
11093 lowered out of existence.
11095 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
11096 articles completely.
11099 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
11100 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
11101 old articles for a long time.
11104 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
11105 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
11106 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
11107 holding our breath yet?
11111 @section Kill Files
11114 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
11115 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
11116 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
11118 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
11119 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
11120 files into score files.
11122 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
11123 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
11124 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
11125 that isn't a very good idea.
11127 Normal kill files look like this:
11130 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11131 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
11135 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove them from
11136 the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
11138 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
11139 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
11142 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
11147 @kindex M-k (Summary)
11148 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
11149 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
11152 @kindex M-K (Summary)
11153 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
11154 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
11157 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
11162 @kindex M-k (Group)
11163 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
11164 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
11167 @kindex M-K (Group)
11168 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
11169 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
11172 Kill file variables:
11175 @item gnus-kill-file-name
11176 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
11177 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
11178 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
11179 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
11180 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
11181 course) is called just @file{KILL}.
11183 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
11184 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
11185 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
11186 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
11189 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
11190 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
11191 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
11192 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
11193 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
11194 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
11195 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
11196 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
11197 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
11199 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
11200 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
11201 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
11210 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
11211 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
11212 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
11214 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
11215 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
11216 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
11217 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
11218 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
11219 Once it has found for you some people you agree with it tells you, in
11220 the form of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use
11221 this prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
11225 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
11226 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
11227 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
11228 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
11232 @node Using GroupLens
11233 @subsection Using GroupLens
11235 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
11237 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
11238 better bit in town is at the moment.
11240 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
11244 @item gnus-use-grouplens
11245 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
11246 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
11247 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
11249 @item grouplens-pseudonym
11250 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
11251 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
11252 with the Better Bit Bureau.
11254 @item grouplens-newsgroups
11255 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
11256 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
11260 Thats the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
11261 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
11262 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
11263 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
11264 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
11265 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
11268 @node Rating Articles
11269 @subsection Rating Articles
11271 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
11272 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
11273 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
11274 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
11277 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
11282 @kindex r (GroupLens)
11283 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
11284 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
11287 @kindex k (GroupLens)
11288 @findex grouplens-score-thread
11289 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
11290 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
11291 threads in rec.humor.
11295 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
11296 the score of the article you're reading.
11301 @kindex n (GroupLens)
11302 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
11303 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
11306 @kindex , (GroupLens)
11307 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
11308 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
11312 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
11313 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
11316 @node Displaying Predictions
11317 @subsection Displaying Predictions
11319 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
11320 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
11321 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
11322 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
11323 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
11325 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
11326 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
11327 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
11328 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
11329 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
11330 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
11331 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
11332 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
11333 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
11334 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
11335 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
11336 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
11337 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
11339 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
11340 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
11341 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
11342 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
11344 The following are legal values for that variable.
11347 @item prediction-spot
11348 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
11351 @item confidence-interval
11352 A numeric confidence interval.
11354 @item prediction-bar
11355 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
11357 @item confidence-bar
11358 Numerical confidence.
11360 @item confidence-spot
11361 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
11363 @item prediction-num
11364 Plain-old numeric value.
11366 @item confidence-plus-minus
11367 Prediction +/i confidence.
11372 @node GroupLens Variables
11373 @subsection GroupLens Variables
11377 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
11378 The summary line format used in summary buffers that are GroupLens
11379 enhanced. It accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format
11380 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). The default is
11381 @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
11383 @item grouplens-bbb-host
11384 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
11387 @item grouplens-bbb-port
11388 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
11390 @item grouplens-score-offset
11391 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
11392 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
11395 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
11396 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
11397 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
11402 @node Advanced Scoring
11403 @section Advanced Scoring
11405 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
11406 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
11407 about a particular subject? Or what about if you really don't want to
11408 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
11409 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
11411 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
11415 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
11416 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
11417 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
11421 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
11422 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
11424 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
11425 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
11426 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
11427 non-@code{nil} value.
11429 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
11430 operator, and various match operators.
11437 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
11438 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
11439 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
11444 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
11445 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
11446 then this operator will return @code{false}.
11451 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
11452 inverse of the value of its argument.
11456 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
11457 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
11458 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
11459 current article. @code{2-} will make score fules apply to the
11460 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
11461 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) say how far back into
11462 the ancestry you want to go.
11464 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
11465 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
11466 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
11467 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
11468 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
11471 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
11472 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
11474 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
11475 when he's talking about Gnus:
11479 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11480 ("subject" "Gnus"))
11486 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
11490 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11497 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
11498 really don't want to read what he's written:
11502 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11503 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
11507 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
11508 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
11509 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
11516 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
11517 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
11518 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
11519 ("body" "white.*socks"))
11523 The possibilities are endless.
11526 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
11527 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
11529 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
11530 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
11531 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
11532 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
11533 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
11534 (@samp{body}, @code{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
11535 @samp{subject}) first.
11537 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
11538 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
11549 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
11550 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
11556 ("subject" "Gnus")))
11563 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
11564 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
11569 @section Score Decays
11570 @cindex score decays
11573 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
11574 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
11575 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
11576 use them in any sensible way.
11578 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
11579 @findex gnus-decay-score
11580 @vindex gnus-score-decay-function
11581 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
11582 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
11583 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
11584 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
11585 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-score-decay-function}
11586 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
11587 definition of that function:
11590 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
11593 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
11595 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
11597 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
11600 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
11601 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
11602 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
11603 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
11607 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
11610 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
11613 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
11617 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
11618 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
11619 the new score, which should be an integer.
11621 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
11622 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
11629 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
11630 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
11631 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
11632 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
11633 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
11634 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
11635 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
11636 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
11637 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
11638 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
11639 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
11640 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
11641 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
11642 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
11643 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
11647 @node Process/Prefix
11648 @section Process/Prefix
11649 @cindex process/prefix convention
11651 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
11652 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
11654 This is a method for figuring out what articles that the user wants the
11655 command to be performed on.
11659 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
11660 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
11661 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
11662 with the current one.
11664 @vindex transient-mark-mode
11665 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
11666 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
11668 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
11669 process mark, perform the operation on the articles that are marked with
11672 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
11673 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
11675 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
11678 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
11679 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
11680 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
11681 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
11683 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
11684 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
11685 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
11686 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
11687 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
11688 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
11689 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
11690 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
11694 @section Interactive
11695 @cindex interaction
11699 @item gnus-novice-user
11700 @vindex gnus-novice-user
11701 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
11702 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
11703 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
11704 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
11707 @item gnus-expert-user
11708 @vindex gnus-expert-user
11709 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will never ever be asked any
11710 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
11711 matter how strange.
11713 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
11714 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
11715 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
11716 is @code{t} by default.
11718 @item gnus-interactive-exit
11719 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
11720 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
11725 @node Formatting Variables
11726 @section Formatting Variables
11727 @cindex formatting variables
11729 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables that
11730 are called things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
11731 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
11732 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
11733 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
11736 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
11737 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
11738 lots of percentages everywhere.
11741 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
11742 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
11743 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
11744 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
11747 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
11748 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
11749 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
11750 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
11751 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
11752 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
11753 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
11754 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
11756 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
11757 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
11759 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
11760 @findex gnus-update-format
11761 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
11762 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
11763 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
11764 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
11768 @node Formatting Basics
11769 @subsection Formatting Basics
11771 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
11772 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
11773 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
11775 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
11776 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
11777 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
11778 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
11779 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
11782 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
11783 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
11784 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
11785 less than 4 characters wide.
11788 @node Advanced Formatting
11789 @subsection Advanced Formatting
11791 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
11792 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
11793 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
11794 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
11796 These are the legal modifiers:
11801 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
11805 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
11810 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
11813 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
11818 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
11821 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
11824 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
11827 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
11831 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
11832 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
11833 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
11834 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
11835 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
11836 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
11837 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
11839 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
11840 last operation, padding.
11842 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
11843 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
11844 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
11845 @xref{Compilation}.
11848 @node User-Defined Specs
11849 @subsection User-Defined Specs
11851 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
11852 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
11853 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
11854 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
11855 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
11856 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
11857 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
11858 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
11859 should protect against that.
11861 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
11862 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
11863 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
11864 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
11868 @node Formatting Fonts
11869 @subsection Formatting Fonts
11871 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
11872 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
11873 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
11874 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
11877 Text inside the @samp{%[} and @samp{%]} specifiers will have their
11878 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
11879 default. If you say @samp{%1[} instead, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1}
11880 instead, and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes
11881 for the @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
11882 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
11884 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
11887 ;; Create three face types.
11888 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
11889 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
11891 ;; We want the article count to be in
11892 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
11893 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
11894 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
11896 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
11897 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
11899 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
11900 (setq gnus-group-line-format
11901 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
11904 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
11905 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
11907 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
11908 mode-line variables.
11911 @node Windows Configuration
11912 @section Windows Configuration
11913 @cindex windows configuration
11915 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
11917 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
11918 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
11919 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
11920 @code{t} by default.
11922 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
11923 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
11924 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
11927 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
11928 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
11929 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
11933 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
11934 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
11935 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
11936 possible names is listed below.
11938 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
11939 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
11942 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
11946 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
11947 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
11948 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
11949 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
11950 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
11951 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
11952 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
11953 size spec per split.
11955 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
11958 Here's a more complicated example:
11961 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
11962 (summary 0.25 point)
11963 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
11967 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
11968 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
11969 occupy, not a percentage.
11971 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
11972 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
11973 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
11974 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
11975 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
11978 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
11981 (article (horizontal 1.0
11986 (summary 0.25 point)
11991 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
11992 @code{horizontal} thingie?
11994 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
11995 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
11996 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
11997 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
11998 the screen is to be given to this strip.
12000 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
12001 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
12002 lines from the splits.
12004 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a legal split
12008 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
12009 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
12010 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
12011 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
12012 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] ")"
12013 size = number | frame-params
12014 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
12017 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
12018 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
12019 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
12020 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
12022 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
12023 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
12024 @cindex window height
12025 @cindex window width
12026 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
12027 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
12028 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
12029 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
12030 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
12031 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
12033 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
12034 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
12035 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
12036 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
12038 @findex gnus-configure-frame
12039 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
12040 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
12041 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
12042 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
12043 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
12044 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
12045 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
12046 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
12047 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
12048 configuration list.
12051 (gnus-configure-frame
12055 (article 0.3 point))
12063 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
12064 @code{frame} split:
12067 (gnus-configure-frame
12070 (summary 0.25 point)
12072 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
12073 (user-position . t)
12074 (left . -1) (top . 1))
12079 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
12080 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
12081 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
12082 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
12083 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
12084 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
12087 Here's a list of all possible keys for
12088 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration}:
12090 @code{group}, @code{summary}, @code{article}, @code{server},
12091 @code{browse}, @code{message}, @code{pick}, @code{info},
12092 @code{summary-faq}, @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server},
12093 @code{edit-score}, @code{post}, @code{reply}, @code{forward},
12094 @code{reply-yank}, @code{mail-bounce}, @code{draft},
12095 @code{pipe}, @code{bug}, @code{compose-bounce}.
12097 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
12098 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
12099 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
12103 (message (horizontal 1.0
12104 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
12106 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
12111 @findex gnus-add-configuration
12112 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
12113 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
12114 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
12115 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
12118 (gnus-add-configuration
12119 '(article (vertical 1.0
12121 (summary .25 point)
12125 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
12126 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
12127 Gnus has been loaded.
12129 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
12130 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
12131 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
12132 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
12133 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
12137 @section Compilation
12138 @cindex compilation
12139 @cindex byte-compilation
12141 @findex gnus-compile
12143 Remember all those line format specification variables?
12144 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
12145 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
12146 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
12147 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
12148 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
12151 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
12152 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
12153 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
12154 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
12155 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
12156 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
12157 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
12161 @section Mode Lines
12164 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
12165 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
12166 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
12167 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
12168 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
12169 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
12170 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
12173 @cindex display-time
12175 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
12176 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
12177 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
12178 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
12179 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
12180 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
12181 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
12182 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
12185 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
12187 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
12188 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
12190 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
12191 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
12192 (length display-time-string)))))
12195 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
12196 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either.
12199 @node Highlighting and Menus
12200 @section Highlighting and Menus
12202 @cindex highlighting
12205 @vindex gnus-visual
12206 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the prettifying Gnus
12207 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
12208 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
12211 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
12212 following elements are legal, and are all included by default:
12215 @item group-highlight
12216 Do highlights in the group buffer.
12217 @item summary-highlight
12218 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
12219 @item article-highlight
12220 Do highlights in the article buffer.
12222 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
12224 Create menus in the group buffer.
12226 Create menus in the summary buffers.
12228 Create menus in the article buffer.
12230 Create menus in the browse buffer.
12232 Create menus in the server buffer.
12234 Create menus in the score buffers.
12236 Create menus in all buffers.
12239 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
12240 buffers, you could say something like:
12243 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
12246 If you want only highlighting and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
12249 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
12252 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
12253 in all Gnus buffers.
12255 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
12258 @item gnus-mouse-face
12259 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
12260 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
12261 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
12263 @item gnus-display-type
12264 @vindex gnus-display-type
12265 This variable is symbol indicating the display type Emacs is running
12266 under. The symbol should be one of @code{color}, @code{grayscale} or
12267 @code{mono}. If Gnus guesses this display attribute wrongly, either set
12268 this variable in your @file{~/.emacs} or set the resource
12269 @code{Emacs.displayType} in your @file{~/.Xdefaults}.
12271 @item gnus-background-mode
12272 @vindex gnus-background-mode
12273 This is a symbol indicating the Emacs background brightness. The symbol
12274 should be one of @code{light} or @code{dark}. If Gnus guesses this
12275 frame attribute wrongly, either set this variable in your @file{~/.emacs} or
12276 set the resource @code{Emacs.backgroundMode} in your @file{~/.Xdefaults}.
12277 `gnus-display-type'.
12280 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
12284 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
12285 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
12286 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
12288 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
12289 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
12290 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
12292 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
12293 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
12294 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
12296 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
12297 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
12298 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
12300 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
12301 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
12302 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
12304 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
12305 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
12306 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
12317 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
12318 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
12319 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
12320 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
12321 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
12325 @vindex gnus-carpal
12326 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
12327 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
12328 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
12333 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
12334 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
12335 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
12337 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
12338 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
12339 Face used on buttons.
12341 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
12342 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
12343 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
12345 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
12346 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
12347 Buttons in the group buffer.
12349 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
12350 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
12351 Buttons in the summary buffer.
12353 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
12354 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
12355 Buttons in the server buffer.
12357 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
12358 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
12359 Buttons in the browse buffer.
12362 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
12363 is either a cons cell where the car contains a text to be displayed and
12364 the cdr contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
12372 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
12373 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
12374 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
12375 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
12376 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
12378 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
12379 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
12380 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
12382 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
12383 been idle for thirty minutes:
12386 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
12389 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
12393 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
12396 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter works together
12397 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
12398 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
12400 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
12401 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
12402 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
12403 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
12405 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
12406 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
12407 @var{idle} minutes.
12409 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
12410 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
12413 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
12414 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
12415 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
12417 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
12418 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
12419 seconds. This is @code{60} by default. If you change that variable,
12420 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
12422 @vindex gnus-use-demon
12423 To set the whole thing in motion, though, you have to set
12424 @code{gnus-use-demon} to @code{t}.
12426 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
12427 your @file{.gnus} file:
12429 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
12431 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
12434 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
12435 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
12436 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
12437 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
12438 Some ready-made functions to do this has been created:
12439 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
12440 @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just
12441 put those functions in your @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
12443 @findex gnus-demon-init
12444 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
12445 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
12446 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
12447 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
12448 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
12450 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you overdo it. Adding
12451 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
12452 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
12461 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
12462 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
12464 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
12465 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
12466 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
12467 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
12470 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
12471 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
12472 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
12473 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
12475 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
12476 this will make spam disappear.
12478 There are some variables to customize, of course:
12481 @item gnus-use-nocem
12482 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
12483 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
12486 @item gnus-nocem-groups
12487 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
12488 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
12489 default is @code{("alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
12491 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
12492 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
12493 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
12494 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
12495 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;" "jem@@xpat.com;" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
12496 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
12498 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
12501 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
12502 @cindex Chris Lewis
12503 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
12504 usenet abuse than anybody else.
12507 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
12508 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
12509 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
12511 @item jem@@xpat.com;
12513 Jem---Korean despammer who is getting very busy these days.
12515 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
12516 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
12517 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
12520 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
12521 ones you want to listen to.
12523 @item gnus-nocem-directory
12524 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
12525 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
12526 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
12528 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
12529 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
12530 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
12531 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
12532 might then see old spam.
12540 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
12541 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
12542 over your shoulder as you read news.
12545 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
12546 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
12547 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
12548 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
12549 * Picon Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
12554 @subsection Picon Basics
12556 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
12559 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
12560 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
12561 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
12562 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
12563 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
12564 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
12565 @code{GIF} formats.
12568 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases, point
12569 your Web browser at
12570 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
12572 @vindex gnus-picons-database
12573 Gnus expects picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
12574 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
12577 @node Picon Requirements
12578 @subsection Picon Requirements
12580 To use have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
12581 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
12584 Additionally, you must have @code{xpm} support compiled into XEmacs.
12586 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
12587 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you must have
12588 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
12589 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
12593 @subsection Easy Picons
12595 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
12596 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
12599 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
12600 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
12601 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-prepare-hook 'gnus-group-display-picons t)
12602 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-picons-article-display-x-face)
12607 @subsection Hard Picons
12609 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
12610 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
12611 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
12612 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
12613 feature, you need to first decide where to display them.
12617 @item gnus-picons-display-where
12618 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
12619 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
12620 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
12621 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
12622 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
12623 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
12624 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
12628 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
12629 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
12631 Now that you've made that decision, you need to add the following
12632 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get
12633 displayed at the right time.
12635 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
12636 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
12638 @item gnus-article-display-picons
12639 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
12640 Looks up and display the picons for the author and the author's domain
12641 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer. Should be added to
12642 the @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
12644 @item gnus-group-display-picons
12645 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
12646 Displays picons representing the current group. This function should
12647 be added to the @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook} or to the
12648 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} if @code{gnus-picons-display-where}
12649 is set to @code{article}.
12651 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
12652 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
12653 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present. This function
12654 should be added to @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
12658 Note: You must append them to the hook, so make sure to specify 't'
12659 to the append flag of @code{add-hook}:
12662 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
12666 @node Picon Configuration
12667 @subsection Picon Configuration
12669 The following variables offer further control over how things are
12670 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
12671 don't need to worry about.
12674 @item gnus-picons-database
12675 @vindex gnus-picons-database
12676 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
12677 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
12678 subdirectories. Defaults to @file{/usr/local/faces}.
12680 @item gnus-picons-news-directory
12681 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directory
12682 Sub-directory of the faces database containing the icons for
12685 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
12686 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
12687 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
12688 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc/MISC")} is the default.
12690 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
12691 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
12692 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
12693 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
12694 want to add @samp{unknown} to this list.
12696 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
12697 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
12698 The command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
12699 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
12700 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
12701 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
12703 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
12704 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
12705 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
12706 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
12708 @item gnus-picons-buffer
12709 @vindex gnus-picons-buffer
12710 The name of the buffer that @code{picons} points to. Defaults to
12711 @samp{*Icon Buffer*}.
12720 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
12721 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
12722 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
12724 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
12725 Gnus---it's all just data that is designed to look nice to the user.
12726 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
12727 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
12728 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
12729 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
12730 @code{undo} function.
12732 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
12733 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
12734 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
12735 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
12736 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
12737 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
12738 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
12739 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
12740 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
12741 never be totally undoable.
12743 @findex gnus-undo-mode
12744 @vindex gnus-use-undo
12746 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
12747 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
12748 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
12749 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
12754 @section Moderation
12757 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
12758 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
12759 @samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
12762 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
12766 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
12769 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
12771 If you are the moderation of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
12776 You split your incoming mail by matching on
12777 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
12778 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
12781 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
12782 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
12785 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
12786 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
12790 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
12793 (setq gnus-moderated-list
12794 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
12798 @node XEmacs Enhancements
12799 @section XEmacs Enhancements
12802 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
12803 advantage of that. Relevant variables include:
12806 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
12807 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
12808 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
12809 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
12810 unusual directory structure.
12812 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
12813 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
12814 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
12815 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
12817 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
12818 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
12819 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
12820 Legal values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
12821 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
12822 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
12824 @item gnus-use-toolbar
12825 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
12826 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
12827 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
12828 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
12830 @item gnus-group-toolbar
12831 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
12832 The toolbar in the group buffer.
12834 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
12835 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
12836 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
12838 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
12839 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
12840 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
12842 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
12843 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
12844 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
12850 @node Various Various
12851 @section Various Various
12857 @item gnus-directory
12858 @vindex gnus-directory
12859 All Gnus directories will be initialized from this variable, which
12860 defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or @file{~/News/}
12861 if that variable isn't set.
12863 @item gnus-default-directory
12864 @vindex gnus-default-directory
12865 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
12866 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
12867 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
12868 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
12869 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
12870 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
12873 @vindex gnus-verbose
12874 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
12875 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
12876 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
12877 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
12878 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
12880 @item gnus-verbose-backends
12881 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
12882 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
12883 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
12885 @item nnheader-max-head-length
12886 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
12887 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
12888 as little as possible. This variable (default @code{4096}) specifies
12889 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
12890 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
12891 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
12892 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
12893 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
12896 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
12897 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
12898 This variable says how big a piece of each article to read when doing
12899 the operation described above.
12901 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
12902 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
12904 @cindex illegal characters in file names
12905 @cindex characters in file names
12906 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
12907 For instance, if @samp{:} is illegal as a file character in file names
12908 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
12911 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
12915 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
12916 Windows (phooey) systems.
12918 @item gnus-hidden-properties
12919 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
12920 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
12921 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
12922 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
12924 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
12925 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
12926 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
12927 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
12928 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
12930 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
12931 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
12932 String used to separate to shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
12941 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
12942 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
12944 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
12946 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
12952 Not because of victories @*
12955 but for the common sunshine,@*
12957 the largess of the spring.
12961 but for the day's work done@*
12962 as well as I was able;@*
12963 not for a seat upon the dais@*
12964 but at the common table.@*
12969 @chapter Appendices
12972 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
12973 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
12974 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
12975 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
12976 * A Programmers Guide to Gnus:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
12977 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
12978 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
12986 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
12987 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
12989 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
12990 can point your (feh!) web browser to
12991 @file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
12992 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
12993 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
12995 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
12996 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
12997 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
12998 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
12999 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
13000 appropriate name, don't you think?)
13002 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
13003 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
13004 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
13005 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
13007 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
13008 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution.
13010 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'') was
13011 released under the name ``Gnus 5.2''.
13013 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun.
13016 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
13017 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
13018 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
13019 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
13020 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
13021 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
13022 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
13029 What's the point of Gnus?
13031 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
13032 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
13033 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
13034 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
13035 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
13036 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
13037 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
13038 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
13039 keep track of millions of people who post?
13041 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
13042 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
13043 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
13044 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
13045 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
13046 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
13047 everywhere I could imagine useful. By doing so, I'm inviting every one
13048 of you to explore and invent.
13050 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x hail-emacs}.
13053 @node Compatibility
13054 @subsection Compatibility
13056 @cindex compatibility
13057 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
13058 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
13059 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
13064 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
13068 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
13071 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @pxref{Decoding
13074 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
13075 buffers. All variables that are relevant while reading a group are
13076 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
13077 important variables have their values copied into their global
13078 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
13079 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
13081 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
13082 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
13083 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
13084 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
13085 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
13089 @cindex highlighting
13090 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
13091 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
13092 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
13093 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
13094 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
13095 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
13098 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
13099 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
13100 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
13101 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
13103 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
13104 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
13105 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
13106 to stop doing it the old way.
13108 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
13110 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
13112 @cindex reporting bugs
13114 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
13115 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
13116 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
13120 @subsection Conformity
13122 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
13123 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
13130 There are no known breaches of this standard.
13134 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
13136 @item Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval
13137 @cindex Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval
13138 Gnus has been through the Seal process and failed. I think it'll pass
13139 the next inspection.
13141 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
13142 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
13143 We do have some breaches to this one.
13148 Gnus does no MIME handling, and this standard-to-be seems to think that
13149 MIME is the bees' knees, so we have major breakage here.
13152 This is considered to be a ``vanity header'', while I consider it to be
13153 consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted articles
13154 coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use either of
13155 those for posting articles. I would not have known that if it wasn't
13156 for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
13159 Gnus does line breaking on this header. I infer from RFC1036 that being
13160 conservative in what you output is not creating 5000-character lines, so
13161 it seems like a good idea to me. However, this standard-to-be says that
13162 whitespace in the @code{References} header is to be preserved, so... It
13163 doesn't matter one way or the other to Gnus, so if somebody tells me
13164 what The Way is, I'll change it. Or not.
13169 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliantly with regards to the texts
13170 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
13175 @subsection Emacsen
13181 Gnus should work on :
13186 Emacs 19.30 and up.
13189 XEmacs 19.13 and up.
13192 Mule versions based on Emacs 19.30 and up.
13196 Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
13197 reliably, at least.
13199 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various platforms:
13204 The mouse-face on Gnus lines under Emacs and Mule is delimited to
13205 certain parts of the lines while they cover the entire line under
13209 The same with current-article marking---XEmacs puts an underline under
13210 the entire summary line while Emacs and Mule are nicer and kinder.
13213 XEmacs features more graphics---a logo and a toolbar.
13216 Citation highlighting us better under Emacs and Mule than under XEmacs.
13219 Emacs 19.26-19.28 have tangible hidden headers, which can be a bit
13226 @subsection Contributors
13227 @cindex contributors
13229 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
13230 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
13231 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
13232 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
13233 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
13234 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
13235 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
13236 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
13237 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
13238 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
13240 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
13246 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
13249 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
13250 well as numerous other things).
13253 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
13256 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
13257 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
13260 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
13261 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
13264 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
13267 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
13270 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
13273 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
13276 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinsky---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
13277 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
13280 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
13283 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
13286 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
13289 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
13293 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
13296 Ricardo Nassif, Mark Borges, and Jost Krieger---proof-reading.
13299 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
13302 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports.
13306 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
13315 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
13319 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
13328 Massimo Campostrini,
13332 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
13346 Francois Felix Ingrand,
13349 Thor Kristoffersen,
13384 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
13387 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
13388 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
13392 @subsection New Features
13393 @cindex new features
13396 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
13397 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
13398 * Red Gnus:: The future.
13401 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
13402 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
13403 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
13407 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
13409 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
13414 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
13415 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
13418 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
13419 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
13422 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
13425 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
13426 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
13427 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
13430 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
13431 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
13432 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
13433 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
13436 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
13437 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
13440 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
13441 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
13442 (@pxref{The Active File}).
13445 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
13446 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
13449 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
13450 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
13451 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
13454 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
13455 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
13456 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
13459 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
13460 the @file{.emacs} file.
13463 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
13464 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13467 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
13468 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
13471 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
13472 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
13475 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
13476 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
13479 Gnus can fetch articles asynchronously on a second connection to the
13480 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
13483 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
13486 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
13487 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
13490 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
13491 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
13494 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
13495 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
13498 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
13501 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
13502 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
13505 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
13509 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
13513 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
13514 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
13517 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
13523 @node September Gnus
13524 @subsubsection September Gnus
13526 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
13531 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
13532 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
13536 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
13537 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
13541 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
13545 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
13546 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
13549 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
13553 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
13556 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
13559 A @code{trn}-line tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
13562 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
13566 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
13567 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
13570 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
13574 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
13578 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
13582 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
13586 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
13589 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
13590 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
13593 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
13597 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
13598 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
13601 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
13604 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
13605 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
13606 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
13609 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
13613 The Gnus cache is much faster.
13616 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
13620 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-address and
13621 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13624 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
13625 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
13628 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
13629 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13632 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
13633 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
13634 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
13637 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
13638 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
13641 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
13644 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
13647 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
13648 'gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head)
13652 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
13655 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
13658 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
13659 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
13662 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
13666 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
13669 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
13672 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
13676 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
13679 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
13683 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
13686 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
13689 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
13690 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
13693 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
13694 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
13698 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
13699 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
13702 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
13706 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
13707 buffer to allow easier treatment.
13710 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
13713 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
13717 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
13721 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
13722 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
13725 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
13729 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
13730 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
13733 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
13734 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
13737 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
13741 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
13744 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
13745 'gnus-article-hide-boring-headers)
13749 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
13752 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
13758 @subsubsection Red Gnus
13760 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
13765 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
13768 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
13769 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
13772 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
13773 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
13777 Article washing status can be displayed in the
13778 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
13781 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
13784 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
13785 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
13788 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
13792 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
13793 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}).
13796 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
13797 Server Internals}).
13800 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
13804 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
13807 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
13808 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
13811 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
13812 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
13813 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
13816 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
13817 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
13820 A way to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed when
13821 generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
13824 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
13828 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
13829 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
13832 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
13833 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
13836 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
13840 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
13843 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
13847 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
13848 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
13851 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
13852 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
13855 A new command for reading collections of documents
13856 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
13857 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
13860 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
13864 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the NNTP
13865 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
13868 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
13869 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
13870 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
13873 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
13874 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
13878 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
13882 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
13886 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
13890 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
13894 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
13895 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
13900 @node Newest Features
13901 @subsection Newest Features
13904 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
13907 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
13911 Native @sc{mime} support is something that should be done.
13913 Really do unbinhexing.
13916 And much, much, much more. There is more to come than has already been
13917 implemented. (But that's always true, isn't it?)
13919 @file{<URL:http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/sgnus/todo>} is where the actual
13920 up-to-the-second todo list is located, so if you're really curious, you
13921 could point your Web browser over that-a-way.
13926 @section The Manual
13930 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
13931 either @code{texi2dvi}
13933 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
13934 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
13936 to get what you hold in your hands now.
13938 The following conventions have been used:
13943 This is a @samp{string}
13946 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
13949 This is a @file{file}
13952 This is a @code{symbol}
13956 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
13960 (setq flargnoze "yes")
13963 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
13966 (setq flumphel 'yes)
13969 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
13970 ever get them confused.
13974 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
13975 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
13976 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
13977 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
13978 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
13979 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
13980 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
13987 @section Terminology
13989 @cindex terminology
13994 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
13995 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
13996 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
13997 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
13998 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
14002 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
14003 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
14004 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
14005 not posting, and replying is not following up.
14009 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
14013 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
14018 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
14019 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
14020 is all done by the backends.
14024 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
14025 default, way of getting news.
14029 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
14030 These are groups that use different backends for getting news.
14034 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
14035 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
14039 A message that has been posted as news.
14042 @cindex mail message
14043 A message that has been mailed.
14047 A mail message or news article
14051 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
14056 The rest of an article. Everything that is not in the head is in the
14061 A line from the head of an article.
14065 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
14066 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
14070 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
14071 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
14072 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
14073 normal @sc{head} format.
14077 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
14078 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
14079 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
14080 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
14081 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
14082 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
14084 @item killed groups
14085 @cindex killed groups
14086 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
14087 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
14089 @item zombie groups
14090 @cindex zombie groups
14091 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
14094 @cindex active file
14095 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
14096 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
14097 is rather large, as you might surmise.
14100 @cindex bogus groups
14101 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
14102 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
14103 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
14107 A machine than one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
14109 @item select method
14110 @cindex select method
14111 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
14114 @item virtual server
14115 @cindex virtual server
14116 A named select method. Since a select methods defines all there is to
14117 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the things as a
14118 whole is a virtual server.
14122 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
14123 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
14126 @item ephemeral groups
14127 @cindex ephemeral groups
14128 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
14129 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
14130 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
14133 @cindex solid groups
14134 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
14135 group buffer are solid groups.
14140 @node Customization
14141 @section Customization
14142 @cindex general customization
14144 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
14145 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
14146 for some quite common situations.
14149 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
14150 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
14151 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
14152 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
14156 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
14157 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
14159 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
14160 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
14161 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
14165 @item gnus-read-active-file
14166 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
14167 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
14168 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-news} and
14169 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
14170 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
14172 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
14173 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
14174 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
14175 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
14179 @node Slow Terminal Connection
14180 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
14182 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that
14183 runs Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce the
14184 amount of data that is sent over the wires as much as possible.
14188 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
14189 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
14190 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
14191 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
14192 horizontal and vertical recentering.
14194 @item gnus-visible-headers
14195 Cut down on the headers that are included in the articles to the
14196 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
14197 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
14198 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
14200 @item gnus-article-display-hook
14201 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
14203 (setq gnus-article-display-hook
14204 '(gnus-article-hide-headers gnus-article-hide-signature
14205 gnus-article-hide-citation))
14208 @item gnus-use-full-window
14209 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
14210 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
14211 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
14212 want to read them anyway.
14214 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
14215 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
14218 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
14219 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
14220 lines, which might save some time.
14224 @node Little Disk Space
14225 @subsection Little Disk Space
14228 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
14229 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
14233 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
14234 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
14235 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
14236 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
14239 @item gnus-save-killed-list
14240 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
14241 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
14242 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
14243 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
14249 @subsection Slow Machine
14250 @cindex slow machine
14252 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
14253 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
14255 Set@code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
14256 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
14258 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
14259 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
14260 summary buffer faster.
14262 Set @code{gnus-article-display-hook} to @code{nil} to make article
14263 processing a bit faster.
14266 @node Troubleshooting
14267 @section Troubleshooting
14268 @cindex troubleshooting
14270 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
14278 Make sure your computer is switched on.
14281 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
14282 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
14286 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
14287 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
14288 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
14289 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
14292 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
14296 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
14297 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
14298 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
14299 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
14300 something like that.
14303 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
14306 @cindex reporting bugs
14308 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
14310 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
14311 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
14312 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
14313 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
14315 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
14316 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
14317 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
14318 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
14321 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
14322 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you send back
14323 just ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
14324 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
14325 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
14326 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
14328 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
14329 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
14330 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
14333 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
14334 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
14336 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
14337 @cindex ding mailing list
14338 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@ifi.uio.no}.
14339 Write to @samp{ding-request@@ifi.uio.no} to subscribe.
14342 @node A Programmers Guide to Gnus
14343 @section A Programmer@'s Guide to Gnus
14345 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
14346 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
14347 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
14348 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
14351 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
14352 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
14353 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
14354 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
14355 and general method of operations.
14358 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
14359 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
14360 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
14361 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
14362 * Group Info:: The group info format.
14363 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
14364 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
14368 @node Backend Interface
14369 @subsection Backend Interface
14371 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
14372 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
14373 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
14374 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
14375 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
14376 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
14378 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
14379 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
14380 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
14381 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
14382 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
14383 been opened, the function should fail.
14385 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
14386 name. Take this example:
14390 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
14391 (nntp-port-number 4324))
14394 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
14395 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
14397 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
14398 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
14399 server environments that it pulls down/pushes up when needed.
14401 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
14402 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
14403 always check whether are present before attempting to call.
14405 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
14406 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
14407 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
14408 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
14409 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
14410 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
14413 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
14414 some might be said to not be. The latter are backends that generally
14415 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
14416 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
14419 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
14422 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
14425 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
14426 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
14427 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
14428 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
14429 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
14433 @node Required Backend Functions
14434 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
14438 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
14440 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
14441 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
14442 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
14443 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
14445 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
14446 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
14447 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
14448 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
14450 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try to fetch "extra
14451 headers, in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
14452 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
14453 article number in @code{articles}, and fill in the gaps as well. The
14454 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
14455 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
14456 number, do maximum fetches.
14458 Here's an example HEAD:
14461 221 1056 Article retrieved.
14462 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
14463 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
14464 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
14465 Subject: Re: Something very droll
14466 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
14467 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
14469 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
14470 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
14471 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
14475 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
14476 these in the data buffer.
14478 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
14482 head = error / valid-head
14483 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
14484 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
14485 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
14486 header = <text> eol
14489 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
14490 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
14494 nov-buffer = *nov-line
14495 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
14496 field = <text except TAB>
14499 For a closer explanation what should be in those fields,
14503 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
14505 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
14506 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that defines this virtual server.
14508 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
14509 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
14510 server. In fact, it should do so.
14512 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
14513 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
14516 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
14518 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
14519 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
14522 There should be no data returned.
14525 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
14527 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
14528 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
14529 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
14530 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
14532 There should be no data returned.
14535 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
14537 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
14538 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
14539 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
14540 attempt to reconnect to a server that is has lost connection to.
14542 There should be no data returned.
14545 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
14547 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
14549 There should be no data returned.
14552 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
14554 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
14555 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
14556 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
14557 it would be nice if that were possible.
14559 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
14560 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
14561 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
14562 another, and Gnus mainly request articles to be inserted directly into
14563 its article buffer.
14565 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
14566 the car is the group name the article was fetched from, and the cdr is
14567 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
14568 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
14569 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
14570 on successful article retrievement.
14573 @item (nnchoke-open-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
14575 Make @var{group} the current group.
14577 There should be no data returned by this function.
14580 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
14582 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
14583 making @var{group} the current group.
14585 If @var{FAST}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
14588 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
14591 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
14594 The first number is the status, which should be @code{211}. Next is the
14595 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
14596 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
14597 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
14598 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
14599 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
14600 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
14601 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
14604 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
14605 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
14606 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
14610 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
14612 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
14613 a no-op on most backends.
14615 There should be no data returned.
14618 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
14620 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
14623 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
14626 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
14627 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
14630 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
14631 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
14634 active-file = *active-line
14635 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
14637 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
14640 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
14641 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
14642 (@samp{=other-group} or none of the above (@samp{y}).
14645 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
14647 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
14648 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
14649 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
14650 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
14651 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
14652 clear if the posting could not be completed.
14654 There should be no result data from this function.
14659 @node Optional Backend Functions
14660 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
14664 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
14666 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
14667 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
14668 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
14670 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
14671 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
14672 former is in the same format as the data from
14673 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
14674 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
14677 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
14681 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
14683 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
14684 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
14685 information (as is the case with virtual an imap groups). This function
14686 may alter the info in any manner it sees fit, and should return the
14687 (altered) group info. This function may alter the group info
14688 destructively, so no copying is needed before boogeying.
14690 There should be no result data from this function.
14693 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
14695 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
14696 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
14697 user is following up is news or mail. This function should return
14698 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
14699 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
14700 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
14701 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
14702 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
14704 There should be no result data from this function.
14707 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
14709 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
14710 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
14711 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
14712 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
14713 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
14715 The only use for this that I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
14716 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
14717 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
14720 There should be no result data from this function.
14723 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
14725 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
14726 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
14727 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
14728 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
14729 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
14730 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
14731 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
14733 There should be no result data from this function.
14736 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
14738 The result data from this function should be a description of
14742 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
14744 description = <text>
14747 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
14749 The result data from this function should be the description of all
14750 groups available on the server.
14753 description-buffer = *description-line
14757 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
14759 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
14760 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
14761 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
14764 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
14766 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
14768 There should be no return data.
14771 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
14773 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
14774 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
14775 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
14776 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
14777 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
14780 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
14783 There should be no result data returned.
14786 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
14789 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
14790 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
14792 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
14793 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
14794 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
14795 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
14796 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
14797 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
14799 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
14800 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
14803 The function should return a cons where the car is the group name and
14804 the cdr is the article number that the article was entered as.
14806 There should be no data returned.
14809 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
14811 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
14812 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
14813 this function in short order.
14815 The function should return a cons where the car is the group name and
14816 the cdr is the article number that the article was entered as.
14818 There should be no data returned.
14821 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
14823 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
14824 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
14826 There should be no data returned.
14829 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
14831 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
14832 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
14833 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
14835 There should be no data returned.
14838 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
14840 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
14841 articles that are in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
14843 There should be no data returned.
14848 @node Error Messaging
14849 @subsubsection Error Messaging
14851 @findex nnheader-report
14852 @findex nnheader-get-report
14853 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
14854 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
14855 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
14856 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
14857 there are many of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
14858 This function always returns @code{nil}.
14861 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
14863 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
14866 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
14867 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
14868 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
14869 takes one argument---the server symbol.
14871 Internally, these function access @var{backend}@code{-status-string}, so
14872 the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
14873 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
14876 @node Writing New Backends
14877 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
14879 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
14880 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
14881 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
14882 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
14883 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
14886 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
14887 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
14888 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
14890 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
14891 package called @code{nnoo}.
14893 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
14894 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
14901 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
14902 parameters. For instance:
14905 (nnoo-declare nndir
14909 @code{nndir} has here declared that it intends to inherit functions from
14910 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
14913 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
14914 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
14915 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
14917 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
14918 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
14919 a function in those backends.
14922 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
14923 "Where nndir will look for groups."
14924 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
14927 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
14928 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
14929 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
14931 @item nnoo-define-basics
14932 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
14936 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
14940 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
14941 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
14942 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
14944 @item nnoo-map-functions
14945 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
14946 functions from the parent backends.
14949 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
14950 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
14951 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
14954 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
14955 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
14956 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
14957 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
14960 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
14961 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
14962 haven't already been defined.
14968 nnmh-request-newgroups)
14972 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
14973 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
14974 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
14979 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
14982 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
14983 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
14987 (require 'nnheader)
14991 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
14993 (nnoo-declare nndir
14996 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
14997 "Where nndir will look for groups."
14998 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
15000 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
15001 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
15004 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
15005 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
15006 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
15008 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
15009 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
15011 ;;; Interface functions.
15013 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
15015 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
15016 (setq nndir-directory
15017 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
15019 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
15020 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
15021 (push `(nndir-current-group
15022 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
15024 (push `(nndir-top-directory
15025 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
15027 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
15029 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
15030 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
15031 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
15032 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
15033 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
15037 nnmh-status-message
15039 nnmh-request-newgroups))
15045 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
15046 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
15048 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
15049 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
15050 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
15051 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
15053 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
15054 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
15059 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
15062 The abilities can be:
15066 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
15068 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
15070 This backend supports both mail and news.
15072 This is neither a post or mail backend---it's something completely
15075 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
15076 articles and groups.
15078 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
15079 true for almost all backends.
15080 @item prompt-address
15081 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
15082 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
15083 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
15088 @node Score File Syntax
15089 @subsection Score File Syntax
15091 Score files are meant to be easily parsable, but yet extremely
15092 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
15093 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
15095 Here's a typical score file:
15099 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
15106 BNF definition of a score file:
15109 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
15110 element = rule / atom
15111 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
15112 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
15113 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
15114 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
15116 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
15117 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
15118 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
15119 date-header = "date"
15120 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
15121 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
15122 score = "nil" / <integer>
15123 date = "nil" / <natural number>
15124 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
15125 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
15126 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
15127 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
15128 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
15129 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
15130 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
15131 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
15132 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
15133 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
15134 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
15135 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
15136 exclude-files / read-only / touched
15137 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
15138 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
15139 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
15140 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
15141 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
15142 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
15143 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
15144 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
15145 adapt = "adapt" [ space "nil" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
15146 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
15147 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
15148 eval = "eval" space <form>
15149 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
15152 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
15155 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
15156 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
15157 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
15158 one looong line, then that's ok.
15160 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
15165 @subsection Headers
15167 Gnus uses internally a format for storing article headers that
15168 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
15169 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
15170 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
15172 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
15173 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
15174 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
15175 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
15176 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
15177 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
15178 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
15180 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
15181 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
15182 @code{xref}. There are macros for accessing and setting these
15183 slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
15184 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
15186 The @code{xref} slot is really a @code{misc} slot. Any extra info will
15193 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
15194 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
15196 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
15197 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
15198 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
15199 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
15201 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
15205 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
15208 is transformed into
15211 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
15214 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
15215 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
15218 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
15221 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
15222 is slightly tricky:
15225 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
15231 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
15234 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
15240 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
15247 and is equal to the previous range.
15249 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
15250 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
15251 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
15255 range = simple-range / normal-range
15256 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
15257 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
15258 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
15259 number *[ " " contents ]
15262 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
15263 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
15264 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
15265 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
15266 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
15271 @subsection Group Info
15273 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
15274 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
15275 describes the group.
15277 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
15278 second is a more complex one:
15281 ("no.group" 5 (1 . 54324))
15283 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
15284 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
15286 (auto-expire (to-address "ding@@ifi.uio.no")))
15289 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
15290 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
15291 normally is a small integer. The third element is a list of ranges of
15292 read articles. The fourth element is a list of lists of article marks
15293 of various kinds. The fifth element is the select method (or virtual
15294 server, if you like). The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group
15295 parameters}, which is what this section is about.
15297 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
15298 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
15299 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
15301 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
15304 info = "(" group space level space read
15305 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
15306 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
15307 group = quote <string> quote
15308 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
15310 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
15311 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
15312 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
15313 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
15316 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
15317 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
15321 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
15322 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
15326 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
15327 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
15328 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
15330 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
15331 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
15332 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
15333 Gnus, that's very useful.
15335 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
15336 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
15337 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
15338 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
15339 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
15340 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
15341 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
15342 following function:
15345 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
15349 (,function ,@@args))
15353 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
15354 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
15355 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
15358 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
15359 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
15360 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
15363 @node Various File Formats
15364 @subsection Various File Formats
15367 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
15368 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
15372 @node Active File Format
15373 @subsubsection Active File Format
15375 The active file lists all groups that are available on the server in
15376 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
15379 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
15382 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
15383 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
15384 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
15385 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
15386 no.general 1000 900 y
15389 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
15392 active = *group-line
15393 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
15394 group = <non-white-space string>
15396 high-number = <non-negative integer>
15397 low-number = <positive integer>
15398 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
15402 @node Newsgroups File Format
15403 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
15405 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
15406 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
15407 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
15410 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
15411 Here's the definition:
15415 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
15416 group = <non-white-space string>
15418 description = <string>
15422 @node Emacs for Heathens
15423 @section Emacs for Heathens
15425 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
15426 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
15427 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
15428 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
15429 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
15430 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
15431 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
15435 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
15436 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
15441 @subsection Keystrokes
15445 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
15448 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
15451 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
15452 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
15453 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
15454 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
15455 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
15456 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
15458 The shift key is normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
15459 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
15460 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
15461 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
15462 keyboards. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
15463 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
15464 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
15466 Now, us Emacs people doesn't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
15467 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
15468 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
15469 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
15470 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
15471 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
15472 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
15474 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
15475 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
15476 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
15477 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
15478 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
15484 @subsection Emacs Lisp
15486 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
15487 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
15488 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
15489 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
15491 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
15492 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
15493 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
15494 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
15495 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
15496 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
15497 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
15500 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
15501 write the following:
15504 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
15507 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
15508 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
15509 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
15512 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
15513 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
15514 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
15515 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
15516 previous ``form'', which here is a simple @code{setq} statement.
15518 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
15519 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
15520 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
15524 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
15528 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
15531 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
15532 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
15535 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
15538 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
15539 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
15542 @include gnus-faq.texi