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10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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280 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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289 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
290 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
293 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
294 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
295 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
296 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
297 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
298 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
299 License'' in the Emacs manual.
301 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
302 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
303 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
305 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
306 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
307 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
308 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
316 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
318 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
319 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
321 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
322 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
323 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
324 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
325 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
326 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
327 License'' in the Emacs manual.
329 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
330 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
331 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
333 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
334 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
335 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
336 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
344 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
347 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
348 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
349 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
351 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
352 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
353 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
354 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
355 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
356 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
357 License'' in the Emacs manual.
359 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
360 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
361 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
363 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
364 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
365 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
366 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
375 @top The Gnus Newsreader
379 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
380 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
381 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
384 This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v.
395 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
396 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
398 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
399 being accused of plagiarism:
401 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
402 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
403 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
404 can even read news with it!
406 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
407 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
408 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
409 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
410 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
416 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
417 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
418 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
419 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
420 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
421 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
422 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
423 * Various:: General purpose settings.
424 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
425 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
426 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
427 * Key Index:: Key Index.
430 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
434 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
435 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
436 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
437 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
438 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
439 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
440 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
441 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
442 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
443 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
444 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
448 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
449 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
450 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
454 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
455 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
456 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
457 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
458 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
459 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
460 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
461 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
462 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
463 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
464 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
465 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
466 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
467 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
468 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
469 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
470 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
474 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
475 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
476 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
480 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
481 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
482 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
483 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
484 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
488 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
489 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
490 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
491 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
492 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
496 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
497 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
498 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
499 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
500 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
502 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
503 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
504 * Threading:: How threads are made.
505 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
506 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
507 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
508 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
509 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
510 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
511 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
512 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
513 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
514 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
515 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
516 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
517 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
518 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
519 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
520 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
521 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
522 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
523 or reselecting the current group.
524 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
525 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
526 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
527 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
529 Summary Buffer Format
531 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
532 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
533 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
534 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
538 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
539 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
541 Reply, Followup and Post
543 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
544 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
545 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
546 * Canceling and Superseding::
550 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
551 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
552 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
554 * Generic Marking Commands::
555 * Setting Process Marks::
559 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
560 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
561 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
565 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
566 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
568 Customizing Threading
570 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
571 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
572 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
573 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
577 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
578 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
579 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
580 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
581 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
582 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
586 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
587 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
588 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
592 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
593 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
594 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
595 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
596 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
597 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
598 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
599 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
601 Alternative Approaches
603 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
604 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
606 Various Summary Stuff
608 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
609 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
610 * Summary Generation Commands::
611 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
615 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
616 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
617 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
618 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
619 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
623 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
624 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
625 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
626 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
627 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
628 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
629 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
630 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
634 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
635 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
636 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
637 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
638 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
639 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
640 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
641 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
645 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
646 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
647 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
648 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
649 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
650 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
651 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
655 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
656 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
660 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
661 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
662 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
666 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
667 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
668 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
669 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
670 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
671 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
672 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
673 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
674 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
675 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
676 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
677 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
678 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
679 * Archiving Mail:: How to backup your mail.
683 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
684 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
685 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
687 Choosing a Mail Back End
689 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
690 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
691 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
692 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
693 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
694 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
698 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
699 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
700 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
701 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
702 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
703 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
707 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
708 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
709 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
713 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
714 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
715 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
716 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
717 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
721 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
725 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
726 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
727 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
731 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
732 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
736 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
737 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
738 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
739 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
740 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
741 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
742 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
743 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
744 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
745 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
749 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
750 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
751 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
755 * Group Agent Commands::
756 * Summary Agent Commands::
757 * Server Agent Commands::
761 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
762 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
763 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
764 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
765 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
766 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
767 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
768 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
769 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
770 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
771 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
772 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
773 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
774 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
775 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
776 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
777 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
781 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
782 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
783 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
784 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
788 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
789 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
790 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
794 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
795 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
796 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
797 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
798 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
799 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
800 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
801 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
802 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
803 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
804 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
805 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
806 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
807 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
808 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
809 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
810 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
811 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
815 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
816 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
817 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
818 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
819 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
820 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
821 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
822 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
826 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
827 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
828 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
829 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
833 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
834 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
835 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
836 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
837 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
841 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
842 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
843 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
844 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
845 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
846 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
847 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
851 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
852 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
853 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
854 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
855 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
856 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
857 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
858 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
859 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
863 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
864 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
865 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
866 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
867 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
871 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
872 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
873 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
874 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
878 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
879 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
880 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
881 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
882 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
883 * Group Info:: The group info format.
884 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
885 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
886 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
890 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
891 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
892 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
893 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
894 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
895 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
899 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
900 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
904 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
905 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
911 @chapter Starting Gnus
916 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
917 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
920 @findex gnus-other-frame
921 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
922 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
923 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
925 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
926 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
927 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
929 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
930 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
933 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
934 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
935 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
936 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
937 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
938 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
939 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
940 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
941 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
942 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
943 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
947 @node Finding the News
948 @section Finding the News
951 @vindex gnus-select-method
953 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
954 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
955 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
956 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
959 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
960 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
963 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
966 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
969 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
972 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
973 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
974 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
976 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
978 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
979 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
980 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
981 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
982 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
983 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
985 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
986 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
987 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
988 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
990 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
991 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
992 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
993 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
994 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
995 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
996 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
997 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
998 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1001 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1003 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1004 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1005 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1006 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1007 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1008 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1010 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1012 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1013 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1014 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1015 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1016 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1017 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1020 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1021 you would typically set this variable to
1024 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1028 @node The First Time
1029 @section The First Time
1030 @cindex first time usage
1032 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
1033 be subscribed by default.
1035 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1036 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1037 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1038 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1041 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1042 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1043 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1045 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1046 help you with most common problems.
1048 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1049 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1053 @node The Server is Down
1054 @section The Server is Down
1055 @cindex server errors
1057 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1058 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1059 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1061 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1062 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1063 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1064 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1065 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1066 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1067 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1069 @findex gnus-no-server
1070 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1072 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1073 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1074 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1075 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1076 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1077 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1078 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1082 @section Slave Gnusae
1085 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1086 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1087 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1088 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1090 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1091 @code{.newsrc} file.
1093 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1094 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1095 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1096 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1097 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1098 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1099 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1101 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1102 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1103 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1104 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1105 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1106 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1107 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1108 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1110 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1111 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1114 @node Fetching a Group
1115 @section Fetching a Group
1116 @cindex fetching a group
1118 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1119 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1120 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1121 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1122 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1123 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1129 @cindex subscription
1131 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1132 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1133 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1134 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1135 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1136 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1137 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1138 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1139 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1142 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1143 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1144 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1148 @node Checking New Groups
1149 @subsection Checking New Groups
1151 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1152 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1153 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1154 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1155 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1156 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1157 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1158 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1159 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1160 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1162 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1163 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1164 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1165 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1166 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1167 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1168 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1169 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1170 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1171 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1172 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1174 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1175 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1176 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1177 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1178 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1179 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1182 @node Subscription Methods
1183 @subsection Subscription Methods
1185 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1186 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1187 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1189 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1190 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1192 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1196 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1197 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1198 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1199 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1200 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1202 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1203 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1204 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1205 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1207 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1208 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1209 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1211 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1212 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1213 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1214 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1215 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1216 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1217 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1218 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1219 up. Or something like that.
1221 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1222 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1223 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1224 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1225 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1227 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1228 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1229 Kill all new groups.
1231 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1232 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1233 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1234 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1235 topic parameter that looks like
1241 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1244 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1249 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1250 A closely related variable is
1251 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1252 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1253 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1254 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1257 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1258 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1259 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1260 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1263 @node Filtering New Groups
1264 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1266 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1267 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1268 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1271 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1274 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1275 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1276 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1277 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1278 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1279 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1280 subscribing these groups.
1281 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1282 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1284 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1285 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1286 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1287 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1288 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1289 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1290 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1291 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1293 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1294 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1295 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1296 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1297 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1298 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1299 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1300 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1301 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1302 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1304 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1305 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1308 @node Changing Servers
1309 @section Changing Servers
1310 @cindex changing servers
1312 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1313 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1314 very flaky and you want to use another.
1316 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1317 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1321 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1322 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1323 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1324 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1327 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1328 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1329 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1330 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1332 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1333 @findex gnus-change-server
1334 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1335 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1336 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1337 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1338 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1340 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1341 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1342 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1343 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1344 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1346 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1347 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1348 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1349 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1350 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1351 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1353 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1354 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1355 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1359 @section Startup Files
1360 @cindex startup files
1365 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1366 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1368 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1369 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1370 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1371 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1372 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1373 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1374 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1376 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1377 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1378 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1379 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1380 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1381 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1383 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1384 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1385 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1386 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1387 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1388 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1389 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1390 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1391 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1392 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1394 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1395 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1396 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1397 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1398 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1399 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1400 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1401 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1402 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1403 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1404 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1405 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1407 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1408 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1409 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1410 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1412 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1413 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1414 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1415 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1416 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1417 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1418 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1419 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1420 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1421 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1424 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1425 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1427 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1428 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1431 @vindex gnus-init-file
1432 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1433 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1434 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1435 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1436 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1437 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1438 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1439 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1440 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1446 @cindex dribble file
1449 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1450 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1451 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1452 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1453 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1456 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1457 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1460 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1461 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1462 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1464 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1465 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1466 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1467 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1468 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1469 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1471 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1472 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1473 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1476 @node The Active File
1477 @section The Active File
1479 @cindex ignored groups
1481 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1482 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1483 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1485 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1486 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1487 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1488 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1489 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1490 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1491 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1494 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1495 @c if you set it to anything else.
1497 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1499 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1500 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1501 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1503 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1504 you actually subscribe to.
1506 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1507 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1508 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1509 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1511 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1512 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1513 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1514 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1515 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1516 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1518 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1519 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1520 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1523 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1524 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1525 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1526 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1527 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1528 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1530 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1531 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1533 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1534 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1536 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1537 secondary select methods.
1540 @node Startup Variables
1541 @section Startup Variables
1545 @item gnus-load-hook
1546 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1547 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1548 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1549 times you start Gnus.
1551 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1552 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1553 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1555 @item gnus-startup-hook
1556 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1557 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1559 @item gnus-started-hook
1560 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1561 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1564 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1565 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1566 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1567 generating the group buffer.
1569 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1570 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1571 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1572 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1573 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1574 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1575 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1576 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1578 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1579 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1580 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1581 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1582 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1583 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1585 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1586 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1587 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1589 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1590 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1591 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1593 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1594 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1595 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1596 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1602 @chapter Group Buffer
1603 @cindex group buffer
1605 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1607 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1608 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1609 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1610 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1611 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1612 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1613 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1614 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1615 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1616 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1617 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1618 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1619 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1620 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1621 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1622 @c human rights at 9...
1625 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1626 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1627 long as Gnus is active.
1631 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1632 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1633 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1634 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1635 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1636 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1637 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1638 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1644 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1645 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1646 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1647 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1648 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1649 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1650 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1651 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1652 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1653 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1654 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1655 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1656 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1657 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1658 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1659 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1660 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1664 @node Group Buffer Format
1665 @section Group Buffer Format
1668 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1669 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1670 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1674 @node Group Line Specification
1675 @subsection Group Line Specification
1676 @cindex group buffer format
1678 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1679 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1681 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1684 25: news.announce.newusers
1685 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1690 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1691 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1692 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1693 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1695 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1696 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1697 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1698 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1699 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1700 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1702 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1704 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1705 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1706 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1707 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1708 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1710 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1711 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1712 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1714 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1719 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1722 Whether the group is subscribed.
1725 Level of subscribedness.
1728 Number of unread articles.
1731 Number of dormant articles.
1734 Number of ticked articles.
1737 Number of read articles.
1740 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1741 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1743 Gnus uses this estimation because the NNTP protocol provides efficient
1744 access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting the true
1745 unread message count is not possible efficiently. For hysterical
1746 raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of unread
1747 messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1748 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the
1749 back end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1750 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1753 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1756 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1765 Newsgroup description.
1768 @samp{m} if moderated.
1771 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1780 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1784 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1787 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1788 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1789 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1790 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1791 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1794 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1796 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1800 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1803 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1807 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1808 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1809 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1810 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1811 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1812 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1817 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1818 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1819 group, or a bogus native group.
1822 @node Group Modeline Specification
1823 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1824 @cindex group modeline
1826 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1827 The mode line can be changed by setting
1828 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1829 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1833 The native news server.
1835 The native select method.
1839 @node Group Highlighting
1840 @subsection Group Highlighting
1841 @cindex highlighting
1842 @cindex group highlighting
1844 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1845 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1846 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1847 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1848 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1850 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1854 (cond (window-system
1855 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1856 (defface my-group-face-1
1857 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1858 (defface my-group-face-2
1859 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1860 (defface my-group-face-3
1861 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1862 (defface my-group-face-4
1863 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1864 (defface my-group-face-5
1865 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1867 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1868 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1869 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1870 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1871 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1872 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1875 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1877 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1884 The number of unread articles in the group.
1888 Whether the group is a mail group.
1890 The level of the group.
1892 The score of the group.
1894 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1896 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1897 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1899 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1900 topic being inserted.
1903 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1904 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1905 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1907 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1908 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1909 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1910 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1911 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1914 @node Group Maneuvering
1915 @section Group Maneuvering
1916 @cindex group movement
1918 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1919 expected, hopefully.
1925 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1926 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1927 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1933 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1934 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1935 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1939 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1940 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1944 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1945 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1949 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1950 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1951 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1955 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1956 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1957 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1960 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1966 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1967 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1968 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1973 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1974 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1975 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1979 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1980 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1981 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1984 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1985 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1986 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1987 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1991 @node Selecting a Group
1992 @section Selecting a Group
1993 @cindex group selection
1998 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1999 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2000 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2001 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2002 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2003 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2004 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2005 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2006 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2007 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2009 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2010 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2011 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2013 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2014 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2019 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2020 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2021 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2022 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2023 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2027 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2028 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2029 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2030 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2031 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2032 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2033 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2034 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2035 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2036 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2039 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2040 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2041 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2042 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2043 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2046 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2047 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2048 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2049 doing any processing of its contents
2050 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2051 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2052 manner will have no permanent effects.
2056 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2057 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
2058 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2059 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2060 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2061 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2062 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2063 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2066 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2067 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2068 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
2069 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2074 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
2075 full summary buffer.
2078 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
2081 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
2086 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2087 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
2088 Useful functions include:
2091 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2092 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2093 don't select the article.
2095 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2096 Select the first unread article.
2098 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2099 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2103 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2104 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2105 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2109 @node Subscription Commands
2110 @section Subscription Commands
2111 @cindex subscription
2119 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2120 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2121 Toggle subscription to the current group
2122 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2128 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2129 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2130 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2131 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2137 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2138 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2139 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2145 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2146 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2149 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2150 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2151 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2152 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2153 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2159 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2160 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2164 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2165 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2168 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2169 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2170 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2171 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2172 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2173 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2174 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2175 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2176 @file{.newsrc} file.
2180 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2190 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2191 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2192 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2193 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2194 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2195 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2200 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2201 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2202 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2206 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2207 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2208 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2210 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2211 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2212 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2213 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2214 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2215 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2222 @section Group Levels
2226 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2227 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2228 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2229 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2230 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2232 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2238 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2239 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2240 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2241 prompted for a level.
2244 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2245 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2246 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2247 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2248 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2249 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2250 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2251 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2252 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2253 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2254 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2255 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2256 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2257 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2258 reasons of efficiency.
2260 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2261 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2263 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2264 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2265 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2266 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2267 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2268 groups are hidden, in a way.
2270 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2271 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2272 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2273 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2274 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2275 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2277 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2278 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2279 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2280 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2281 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2282 list of killed groups.)
2284 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2285 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2286 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2288 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2289 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2290 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2291 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2292 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2293 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2294 relevant valid ranges.
2296 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2297 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2298 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2299 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2300 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2301 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2304 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2305 one with the best level.
2307 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2308 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2309 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2312 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2313 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2314 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2315 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2318 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2319 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2320 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2321 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2323 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2324 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2325 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2326 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2327 to 5. The default is 6.
2331 @section Group Score
2336 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2337 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2338 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2341 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2342 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2343 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2344 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2345 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2346 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2347 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2348 least significant part.))
2350 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2351 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2352 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2353 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2354 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2355 action after each summary exit, you can add
2356 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2357 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2358 slow things down somewhat.
2361 @node Marking Groups
2362 @section Marking Groups
2363 @cindex marking groups
2365 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2366 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2367 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2368 bidding on those groups.
2370 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2371 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2372 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2380 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2381 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2387 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2388 Remove the mark from the current group
2389 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2393 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2394 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2398 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2399 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2403 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2404 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2408 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2409 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2410 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2413 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2415 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2416 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2417 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2418 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2419 the command to be executed.
2422 @node Foreign Groups
2423 @section Foreign Groups
2424 @cindex foreign groups
2426 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2427 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2428 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2429 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2436 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2437 @cindex making groups
2438 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2439 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2440 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2444 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2445 @cindex renaming groups
2446 Rename the current group to something else
2447 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2448 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2454 @findex gnus-group-customize
2455 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2459 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2460 @cindex renaming groups
2461 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2462 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2466 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2467 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2468 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2472 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2473 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2474 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2478 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2480 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2481 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2486 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2487 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2491 @cindex (ding) archive
2492 @cindex archive group
2493 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2494 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2495 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2496 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2497 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2498 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2499 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2503 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2505 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2506 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2507 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2508 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2512 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2514 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2515 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2516 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2520 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2521 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2523 Make a group based on some file or other
2524 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2525 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2526 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2527 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2528 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2529 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2530 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2531 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2532 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2536 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2537 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2538 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2539 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2543 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2548 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2549 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2550 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2551 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2552 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2553 @xref{Web Searches}.
2555 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2556 to a particular group by using a match string like
2557 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2560 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2561 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2562 This function will delete the current group
2563 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2564 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2565 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2566 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2567 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2571 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2572 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2573 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2577 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2578 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2579 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2582 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2585 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2586 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2587 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2588 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2589 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2590 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2594 @node Group Parameters
2595 @section Group Parameters
2596 @cindex group parameters
2598 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2599 Here's an example group parameter list:
2602 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2606 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2607 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2608 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2609 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2611 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2612 is an alist of regexps and values.
2614 The following group parameters can be used:
2619 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2622 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2625 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2626 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2627 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2628 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2629 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2631 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2632 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2633 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2634 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2635 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2636 list address instead.
2638 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2642 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2645 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2648 It is totally ignored
2649 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2650 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2652 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2653 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2654 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2655 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2656 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2658 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2659 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2660 sending the message.
2662 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2663 @cindex Mail List Groups
2664 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2665 entering summary buffer.
2667 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2671 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2672 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2673 of whether it has any unread articles.
2675 @item broken-reply-to
2676 @cindex broken-reply-to
2677 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2678 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2679 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2680 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2681 broken behavior. So there!
2685 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2686 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2690 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2691 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2692 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2697 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2698 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2699 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2700 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2701 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2702 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2703 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2707 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2708 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2709 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2711 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2714 @cindex total-expire
2715 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2716 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2717 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2718 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2721 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2725 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2726 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2727 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2728 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2729 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2730 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2733 @cindex score file group parameter
2734 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2735 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2736 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2739 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2740 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2741 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2742 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2745 @cindex admin-address
2746 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2747 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2748 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2749 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2753 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2754 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2758 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2761 Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
2762 entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
2765 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2769 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2771 Here are some examples:
2775 Display only read articles.
2778 Display everything except expirable articles.
2780 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2781 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2785 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2786 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2787 @code{read}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2788 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2789 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{seen} and @code{recent}.
2793 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2794 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2795 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2799 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2800 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2801 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2806 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2807 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2808 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2810 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2812 @item ignored-charsets
2813 @cindex ignored-charset
2814 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2815 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2816 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2818 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2821 @cindex posting-style
2822 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2823 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2824 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2825 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2826 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2828 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2829 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2830 like this in the group parameters:
2835 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2840 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2841 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2845 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2846 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2847 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2848 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2849 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2853 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2854 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2855 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2856 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2858 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2859 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2860 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2861 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2864 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2865 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2869 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2872 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2873 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2874 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2875 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2876 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2877 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2878 @code{eval}ed there.
2880 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2881 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2882 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2883 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2884 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2888 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2889 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2890 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2891 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2892 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2894 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2895 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2899 (setq gnus-parameters
2901 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2902 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2903 (gnus-summary-line-format
2904 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2908 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2912 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2916 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2919 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2920 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2923 @node Listing Groups
2924 @section Listing Groups
2925 @cindex group listing
2927 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2935 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2936 List all groups that have unread articles
2937 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2938 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2939 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2940 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2947 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2948 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2949 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2950 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2951 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2952 unsubscribed groups).
2956 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2957 List all unread groups on a specific level
2958 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2959 with no unread articles.
2963 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2964 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2965 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2966 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2971 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2972 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2976 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2977 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2978 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2982 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2983 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2987 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2988 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2989 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2990 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2991 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2992 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2993 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2994 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2998 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2999 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3000 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3004 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3005 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3006 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3010 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3011 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3015 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3016 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3020 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3021 List groups limited within the current selection
3022 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3026 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3027 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3031 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3032 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3036 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3037 @cindex visible group parameter
3038 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3039 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3040 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3041 get the same effect.
3043 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3044 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3045 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3046 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3047 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3050 @node Sorting Groups
3051 @section Sorting Groups
3052 @cindex sorting groups
3054 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3055 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3056 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3057 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3058 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3059 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3064 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3065 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3066 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3068 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3069 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3070 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3072 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3073 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3074 Sort by group level.
3076 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3077 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3078 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3080 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3081 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3082 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3083 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3085 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3086 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3087 Sort by number of unread articles.
3089 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3090 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3091 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3093 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3094 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3095 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3100 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3101 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3105 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3106 some sorting criteria:
3110 @kindex G S a (Group)
3111 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3112 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3113 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3116 @kindex G S u (Group)
3117 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3118 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3119 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3122 @kindex G S l (Group)
3123 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3124 Sort the group buffer by group level
3125 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3128 @kindex G S v (Group)
3129 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3130 Sort the group buffer by group score
3131 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3134 @kindex G S r (Group)
3135 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3136 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3137 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3140 @kindex G S m (Group)
3141 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3142 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3143 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3147 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3148 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3150 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3151 commands will sort in reverse order.
3153 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3157 @kindex G P a (Group)
3158 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3159 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3160 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3163 @kindex G P u (Group)
3164 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3165 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3166 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3169 @kindex G P l (Group)
3170 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3171 Sort the groups by group level
3172 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3175 @kindex G P v (Group)
3176 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3177 Sort the groups by group score
3178 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3181 @kindex G P r (Group)
3182 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3183 Sort the groups by group rank
3184 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3187 @kindex G P m (Group)
3188 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3189 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3190 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3194 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3198 @node Group Maintenance
3199 @section Group Maintenance
3200 @cindex bogus groups
3205 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3206 Find bogus groups and delete them
3207 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3211 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3212 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3213 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3214 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3215 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3219 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3220 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3221 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3222 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3223 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3224 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3227 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3228 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3229 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3230 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3235 @node Browse Foreign Server
3236 @section Browse Foreign Server
3237 @cindex foreign servers
3238 @cindex browsing servers
3243 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3244 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3245 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3246 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3249 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3250 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3251 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3252 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3254 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3259 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3260 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3264 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3265 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3268 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3269 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3270 Enter the current group and display the first article
3271 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3274 @kindex RET (Browse)
3275 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3276 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3280 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3281 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3282 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3288 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3289 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3293 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3294 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3295 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3300 @section Exiting Gnus
3301 @cindex exiting Gnus
3303 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3308 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3309 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3310 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3311 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3315 @findex gnus-group-exit
3316 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3317 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3321 @findex gnus-group-quit
3322 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3323 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3326 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3327 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3328 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3329 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3330 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3335 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3336 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3337 trying to customize meta-variables.
3342 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3343 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3344 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3350 @section Group Topics
3353 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3354 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3355 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3356 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3357 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3358 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3362 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3363 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3374 2: alt.religion.emacs
3377 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3379 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3380 13: comp.sources.unix
3383 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3385 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3386 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3387 is a toggling command.)
3389 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3390 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3391 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3392 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3395 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3396 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3397 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3400 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3404 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3405 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3406 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3407 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3408 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3412 @node Topic Commands
3413 @subsection Topic Commands
3414 @cindex topic commands
3416 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3417 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3418 definitions slightly.
3420 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3421 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3422 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3423 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3424 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3425 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3427 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3434 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3435 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3436 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3440 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3442 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3443 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3444 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3445 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3448 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3449 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3450 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3451 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3455 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3456 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3457 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3458 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3464 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3465 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3466 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3470 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3471 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3472 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3475 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3476 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3477 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3478 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3479 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3481 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3482 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3486 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3487 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3494 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3496 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3497 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3498 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3499 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3500 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3501 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3505 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3511 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3512 Move the current group to some other topic
3513 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3514 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3518 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3519 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3523 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3524 Copy the current group to some other topic
3525 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3526 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3530 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3531 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3532 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3536 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3537 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3538 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3542 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3543 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3544 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3545 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3546 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3547 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3548 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3551 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3552 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3556 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3557 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3558 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3562 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3563 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3564 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3568 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3569 Toggle hiding empty topics
3570 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3574 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3575 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3576 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3579 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3580 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3581 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3582 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3585 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3586 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3587 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3588 expiry process (if any)
3589 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3593 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3594 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3597 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3598 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3599 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3603 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3604 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3605 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3609 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3610 @cindex group parameters
3611 @cindex topic parameters
3613 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3614 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3619 @node Topic Variables
3620 @subsection Topic Variables
3621 @cindex topic variables
3623 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3624 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3626 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3627 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3628 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3641 Number of groups in the topic.
3643 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3645 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3648 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3649 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3650 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3653 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3654 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3656 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3657 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3658 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3662 @subsection Topic Sorting
3663 @cindex topic sorting
3665 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3671 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3672 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3673 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3674 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3677 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3678 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3679 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3680 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3683 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3684 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3685 Sort the current topic by group level
3686 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3689 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3690 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3691 Sort the current topic by group score
3692 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3695 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3696 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3697 Sort the current topic by group rank
3698 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3701 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3702 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3703 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3704 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3707 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3708 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3709 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3710 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3714 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3717 @node Topic Topology
3718 @subsection Topic Topology
3719 @cindex topic topology
3722 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3728 2: alt.religion.emacs
3731 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3733 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3734 13: comp.sources.unix
3737 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3738 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3739 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3744 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3745 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3749 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3750 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3751 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3752 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3753 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3754 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3756 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3757 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3758 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3761 @node Topic Parameters
3762 @subsection Topic Parameters
3763 @cindex topic parameters
3765 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3766 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3767 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3769 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3774 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3775 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3776 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3781 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3782 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3783 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3784 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3790 2: alt.religion.emacs
3794 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3796 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3797 13: comp.sources.unix
3801 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3802 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3803 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3804 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3805 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3806 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3808 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3809 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3810 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3811 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3812 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3814 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3815 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3816 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3817 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3818 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3819 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3820 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3821 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3824 @node Misc Group Stuff
3825 @section Misc Group Stuff
3828 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3829 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3830 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3831 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3832 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3839 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3840 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3841 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3845 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3846 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3847 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3848 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3852 @findex gnus-group-mail
3853 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). @xref{Composing Messages}.
3857 Variables for the group buffer:
3861 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3862 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3863 is called after the group buffer has been
3866 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3867 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3868 is called after the group buffer is
3869 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3872 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3873 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3874 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3875 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3877 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3878 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3879 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3880 whether they are empty or not.
3882 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3883 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3884 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3885 non-ASCII group names.
3889 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3890 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3893 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3894 @cindex UTF-8 group names
3895 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3896 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
3897 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
3898 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is nil.
3902 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3903 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3908 @node Scanning New Messages
3909 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3910 @cindex new messages
3911 @cindex scanning new news
3917 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3918 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3919 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3920 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3921 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3922 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3927 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3928 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3929 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3930 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3931 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3932 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3933 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3935 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3936 @cindex activating groups
3938 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3939 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3944 @findex gnus-group-restart
3945 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3946 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3947 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
3951 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3952 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3954 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3955 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3959 @node Group Information
3960 @subsection Group Information
3961 @cindex group information
3962 @cindex information on groups
3969 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3970 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3973 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3974 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3975 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3976 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3977 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3978 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3979 for fetching the file.
3981 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
3982 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3986 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3988 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3989 @cindex describing groups
3990 @cindex group description
3991 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3992 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3993 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3997 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3998 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3999 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4006 @findex gnus-version
4007 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4011 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4012 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4015 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4018 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4019 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4023 @node Group Timestamp
4024 @subsection Group Timestamp
4026 @cindex group timestamps
4028 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4029 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4030 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4033 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4036 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4038 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4039 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4042 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4043 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4046 This will result in lines looking like:
4049 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4050 0: custom 19961002T012713
4053 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4054 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4058 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4059 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4064 @subsection File Commands
4065 @cindex file commands
4071 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4072 @vindex gnus-init-file
4073 @cindex reading init file
4074 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4075 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4079 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4080 @cindex saving .newsrc
4081 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4082 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4083 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4086 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4087 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4088 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4093 @node Sieve Commands
4094 @subsection Sieve Commands
4095 @cindex group sieve commands
4097 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4098 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4099 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4100 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4101 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4103 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4104 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4105 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4106 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4107 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4108 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4109 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4110 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4111 regenerate the Sieve script.
4113 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4114 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4115 is generated. If it is non-nil (the default) articles is placed in
4116 all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article is only
4117 placed in the group with the first matching rule. For example, the
4118 group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4119 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4120 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is nil. (When
4121 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-nil, it looks the same except that
4122 the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4125 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4126 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4131 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4137 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4138 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4139 @cindex generating sieve script
4140 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4141 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4145 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4146 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4147 @cindex updating sieve script
4148 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4149 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4150 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4155 @node Summary Buffer
4156 @chapter Summary Buffer
4157 @cindex summary buffer
4159 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4160 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4162 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4163 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4165 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4168 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4169 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4170 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4171 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4172 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4173 * Delayed Articles::
4174 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4175 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4176 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4177 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4178 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4179 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4180 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4181 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4182 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4183 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4184 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4185 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4186 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4187 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4188 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4189 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4190 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4191 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4192 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4193 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4194 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4195 or reselecting the current group.
4196 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4197 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4198 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4199 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4203 @node Summary Buffer Format
4204 @section Summary Buffer Format
4205 @cindex summary buffer format
4209 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4210 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4211 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4217 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4218 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4219 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4220 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4223 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4224 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4225 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4226 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4227 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4228 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4229 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4230 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4231 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4232 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4233 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4236 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4237 'mail-extract-address-components)
4240 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4241 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4242 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4243 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4246 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4247 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4249 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4250 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4251 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4252 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4253 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4255 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4256 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4257 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4258 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4259 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4260 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4262 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%) %s\n}.
4264 The following format specification characters and extended format
4265 specification(s) are understood:
4271 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4272 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4274 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4275 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4276 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4278 Full @code{From} header.
4280 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4282 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
4283 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
4285 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4286 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4287 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4288 may be more thorough.
4290 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4293 Number of lines in the article.
4295 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4296 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4298 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4300 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4303 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4304 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4306 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4307 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4309 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4310 for adopted articles.
4312 One space for each thread level.
4314 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4319 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4320 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4324 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4326 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4327 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4328 default level. If the difference between
4329 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4330 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4338 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4340 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4346 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4347 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4349 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4350 article has any children.
4356 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4357 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4359 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4360 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4361 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4362 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4363 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4364 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4367 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4368 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4369 There can only be one such area.
4371 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4372 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4373 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4374 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4375 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4376 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4378 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4379 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4381 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4384 @node To From Newsgroups
4385 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4389 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4390 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4391 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4392 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4393 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4397 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4398 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4399 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4403 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4404 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4407 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4408 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4411 @findex gnus-extra-header
4412 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4413 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4414 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4417 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4421 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4422 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4423 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4424 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4425 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4426 headers are used instead.
4430 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4431 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4432 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4433 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4436 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4437 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4438 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4439 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4441 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4445 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4447 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4448 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4449 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4450 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4454 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4455 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4462 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4463 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4466 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4467 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4469 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4470 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4471 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4472 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4474 Here are the elements you can play with:
4480 Unprefixed group name.
4482 Current article number.
4484 Current article score.
4488 Number of unread articles in this group.
4490 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4493 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4494 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4495 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4496 and no unselected ones.
4498 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4499 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4501 Subject of the current article.
4503 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4505 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4507 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4509 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4511 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4513 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4517 @node Summary Highlighting
4518 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4522 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4523 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4524 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4525 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4526 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4528 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4529 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4530 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4531 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4533 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4534 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4535 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4536 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4538 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4539 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4540 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4541 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4542 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4543 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4546 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4547 ((> score default) . bold))
4549 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4550 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4554 @node Summary Maneuvering
4555 @section Summary Maneuvering
4556 @cindex summary movement
4558 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4559 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4561 None of these commands select articles.
4566 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4567 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4568 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4569 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4570 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4574 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4575 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4576 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4577 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4578 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4581 @kindex G g (Summary)
4582 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4583 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4584 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4587 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4588 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4589 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4590 to the group buffer.
4592 Variables related to summary movement:
4596 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4597 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4598 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4599 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4600 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4601 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4602 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4603 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4604 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
4605 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4606 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4607 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4608 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4609 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4611 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4612 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4613 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4614 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4615 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4616 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4617 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4619 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4621 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4622 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4623 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4624 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4625 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4627 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4628 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4629 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4630 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4631 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4632 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4633 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4634 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4637 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4638 the given number of lines from the top.
4643 @node Choosing Articles
4644 @section Choosing Articles
4645 @cindex selecting articles
4648 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4649 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4653 @node Choosing Commands
4654 @subsection Choosing Commands
4656 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4657 and they all select and display an article.
4659 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4660 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4664 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4665 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4666 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4667 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4672 @kindex G n (Summary)
4673 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4674 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4675 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4680 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4681 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4682 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4687 @kindex G N (Summary)
4688 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4689 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4694 @kindex G P (Summary)
4695 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4696 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4699 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4700 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4701 Go to the next article with the same subject
4702 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4705 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4706 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4707 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4708 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4712 @kindex G f (Summary)
4714 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4715 Go to the first unread article
4716 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4720 @kindex G b (Summary)
4722 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4723 Go to the article with the highest score
4724 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4729 @kindex G l (Summary)
4730 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4731 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4734 @kindex G o (Summary)
4735 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4737 @cindex article history
4738 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4739 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4740 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4741 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4742 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4743 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4748 @kindex G j (Summary)
4749 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4750 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4751 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4756 @node Choosing Variables
4757 @subsection Choosing Variables
4759 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4762 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4763 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4764 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4765 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4766 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4767 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4769 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4770 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4771 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4772 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4774 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4775 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4776 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4777 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4778 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4779 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4780 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4781 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4782 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4783 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4784 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4785 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4786 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4787 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4792 @node Paging the Article
4793 @section Scrolling the Article
4794 @cindex article scrolling
4799 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4800 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4801 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4802 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4803 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4806 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4807 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4808 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4811 @kindex RET (Summary)
4812 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4813 Scroll the current article one line forward
4814 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4817 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4818 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4819 Scroll the current article one line backward
4820 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4824 @kindex A g (Summary)
4826 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4827 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4828 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4829 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4830 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4831 the way it came from the server.
4833 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4834 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4835 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4838 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4843 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4848 @kindex A < (Summary)
4849 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4850 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4851 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4856 @kindex A > (Summary)
4857 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4858 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4862 @kindex A s (Summary)
4864 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4865 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4866 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4870 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4871 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4876 @node Reply Followup and Post
4877 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4880 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4881 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4882 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4883 * Canceling and Superseding::
4887 @node Summary Mail Commands
4888 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4890 @cindex composing mail
4892 Commands for composing a mail message:
4898 @kindex S r (Summary)
4900 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4901 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4902 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4903 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4904 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4909 @kindex S R (Summary)
4910 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4911 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4912 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4913 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4914 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4917 @kindex S w (Summary)
4918 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4919 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4920 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4921 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4922 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4925 @kindex S W (Summary)
4926 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4927 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4928 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4929 the process/prefix convention.
4932 @kindex S v (Summary)
4933 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
4934 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
4935 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
4936 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4937 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
4938 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
4942 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4943 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
4944 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4945 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4946 Forward the current article to some other person
4947 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
4948 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
4949 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
4950 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
4951 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
4952 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
4953 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
4954 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
4955 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
4960 @kindex S m (Summary)
4961 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4962 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4963 Send a mail to some other person
4964 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4967 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4968 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4969 @cindex bouncing mail
4970 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4971 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4972 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4973 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4974 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4975 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
4976 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4977 very well fail, though.
4980 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4981 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4982 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4983 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4984 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4985 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4986 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4987 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4988 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4989 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4991 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4992 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4993 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4994 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4995 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4997 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4998 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5001 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5002 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5003 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5004 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5005 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5008 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5009 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5010 @cindex crossposting
5011 @cindex excessive crossposting
5012 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5013 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5015 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5016 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5017 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5018 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5019 command understands the process/prefix convention
5020 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5024 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5025 Manual}, for more information.
5028 @node Summary Post Commands
5029 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5031 @cindex composing news
5033 Commands for posting a news article:
5039 @kindex S p (Summary)
5040 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5041 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5042 Post an article to the current group
5043 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
5048 @kindex S f (Summary)
5049 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5050 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5051 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5055 @kindex S F (Summary)
5057 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5058 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5059 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5060 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5061 process/prefix convention.
5064 @kindex S n (Summary)
5065 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5066 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5067 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5070 @kindex S N (Summary)
5071 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5072 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5073 message through mail and include the original message
5074 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5075 the process/prefix convention.
5078 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5079 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5080 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5081 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5082 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5083 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5084 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5085 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5086 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5087 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5088 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5089 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5090 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
5093 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5094 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5096 @cindex making digests
5097 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5098 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
5099 process/prefix convention.
5102 @kindex S u (Summary)
5103 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5104 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5105 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5106 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5109 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5110 Manual}, for more information.
5113 @node Summary Message Commands
5114 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5118 @kindex S y (Summary)
5119 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5120 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5121 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5122 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5123 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5128 @node Canceling and Superseding
5129 @subsection Canceling Articles
5130 @cindex canceling articles
5131 @cindex superseding articles
5133 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5134 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5136 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5138 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5140 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5141 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5142 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5143 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5144 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5145 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5147 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5148 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5151 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5152 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5153 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5155 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5156 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5157 your original article.
5159 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5161 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5162 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5163 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5166 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5167 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5168 have posted almost the same article twice.
5170 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5171 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5172 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5173 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5174 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5175 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5176 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5177 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5178 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5179 canceled/superseded.
5181 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5183 @node Delayed Articles
5184 @section Delayed Articles
5185 @cindex delayed sending
5186 @cindex send delayed
5188 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5189 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5190 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5191 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5194 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5197 @findex gnus-delay-article
5198 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5199 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5200 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5201 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5205 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5206 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5207 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5208 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5211 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5212 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5213 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5216 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5217 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5218 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5219 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5220 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5221 that means a time tomorrow.
5224 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5225 couple of variables:
5228 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5229 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5230 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5231 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5233 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5234 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5235 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5236 formats described above.
5238 @item gnus-delay-group
5239 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5240 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5241 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5242 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5244 @item gnus-delay-header
5245 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5246 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5247 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5248 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5251 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5252 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5253 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5254 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5255 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5257 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5258 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts}
5259 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5260 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5261 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5262 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts} function.
5265 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5266 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5267 By default, this function installs the @kbd{C-c C-j} key binding in
5268 Message mode and @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts} in
5269 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts two optional arguments,
5270 @code{no-keymap} and @code{no-check}. If @code{no-keymap} is non-nil,
5271 the @kbd{C-c C-j} binding is not intalled. If @code{no-check} is
5272 non-nil, @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed.
5274 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to change the
5275 keymap but not to change @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. Presumably, you
5276 want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles. Just don't
5277 forget to set that up :-)
5281 @node Marking Articles
5282 @section Marking Articles
5283 @cindex article marking
5284 @cindex article ticking
5287 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5289 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5290 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5291 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5293 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5296 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5297 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5298 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5302 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5306 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5307 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5308 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5312 @node Unread Articles
5313 @subsection Unread Articles
5315 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5320 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5321 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5323 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5324 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5325 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5326 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5327 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5328 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5329 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5332 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5333 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5335 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5336 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5337 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5338 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5342 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5343 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5345 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5350 @subsection Read Articles
5351 @cindex expirable mark
5353 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5358 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5359 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5360 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5363 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5364 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5367 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5368 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5369 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5372 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5373 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5376 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5377 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5380 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5381 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5384 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5385 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5388 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5389 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5392 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5393 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5396 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5397 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5401 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5402 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5403 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5407 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5408 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5410 One more special mark, though:
5414 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5415 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5417 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5418 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5419 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5420 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5426 @subsection Other Marks
5427 @cindex process mark
5430 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5436 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5437 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5438 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5439 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5440 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5443 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5444 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5445 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5446 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5448 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5449 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5450 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5452 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5453 Articles that are ``recently'' arrived in the group will be marked
5454 with an @samp{N} in the second column (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Most
5455 back end doesn't support the mark, in which case it's not shown.
5458 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5459 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5460 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5463 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5464 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5465 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5466 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5469 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5470 Articles that according to the back end haven't been seen by the user
5471 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5472 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all back ends support this
5473 mark, in which case it simply never appear.
5476 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5477 Articles that haven't been seen by the user before are marked with a
5478 @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5481 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5482 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5483 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5484 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5485 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5488 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5489 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5490 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5491 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5492 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5493 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5497 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5498 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5499 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5501 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5502 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5503 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5507 @subsection Setting Marks
5508 @cindex setting marks
5510 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5515 @kindex M c (Summary)
5516 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5517 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5518 @cindex mark as unread
5519 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5520 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5526 @kindex M t (Summary)
5527 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5528 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5529 @xref{Article Caching}.
5534 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5535 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5536 Mark the current article as dormant
5537 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5541 @kindex M d (Summary)
5543 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5544 Mark the current article as read
5545 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5549 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5550 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5551 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5556 @kindex M k (Summary)
5557 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5558 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5559 and then select the next unread article
5560 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5564 @kindex M K (Summary)
5565 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5566 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5567 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5568 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5571 @kindex M C (Summary)
5572 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5573 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5574 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5577 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5578 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5579 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5580 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5583 @kindex M H (Summary)
5584 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5585 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5586 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5589 @kindex M h (Summary)
5590 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5591 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5592 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5595 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5596 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5597 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5598 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5601 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5602 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5603 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5604 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5608 @kindex M e (Summary)
5610 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5611 Mark the current article as expirable
5612 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5615 @kindex M b (Summary)
5616 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5617 Set a bookmark in the current article
5618 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5621 @kindex M B (Summary)
5622 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5623 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5624 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5627 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5628 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5629 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5630 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5633 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5634 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5635 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5636 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5639 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5640 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5641 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5642 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5643 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5646 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5647 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5648 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5649 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5650 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5651 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5652 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5653 The default is @code{t}.
5656 @node Generic Marking Commands
5657 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5659 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5660 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5661 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5662 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5663 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5666 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5667 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5670 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5671 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5672 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5673 to list in this manual.
5675 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5676 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5677 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5678 article, you could say something like:
5681 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5682 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5683 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5689 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5690 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5694 @node Setting Process Marks
5695 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5696 @cindex setting process marks
5703 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5704 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5705 Mark the current article with the process mark
5706 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5707 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5711 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5712 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5713 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5714 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5717 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5718 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5719 Remove the process mark from all articles
5720 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5723 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5724 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5725 Invert the list of process marked articles
5726 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5729 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5730 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5731 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5732 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5735 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5736 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5737 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5738 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5741 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5742 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5743 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5746 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5747 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5748 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5749 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5752 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5753 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5754 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5755 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5758 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5759 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5760 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5761 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5764 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5765 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5766 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5769 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5770 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5771 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5772 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5775 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5776 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5777 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5780 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5781 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5782 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5783 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5786 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5787 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5788 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5789 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5792 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5793 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5794 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5795 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5798 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5799 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5800 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5801 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5805 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5806 set process marks based on article body contents.
5813 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5814 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5815 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5818 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5819 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5820 additional articles.
5826 @kindex / / (Summary)
5827 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5828 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5829 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
5833 @kindex / a (Summary)
5834 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5835 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5836 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
5840 @kindex / x (Summary)
5841 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5842 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5843 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5844 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
5849 @kindex / u (Summary)
5851 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5852 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5853 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5854 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5855 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5858 @kindex / m (Summary)
5859 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5860 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5861 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5864 @kindex / t (Summary)
5865 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5866 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5867 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5868 articles younger than that number of days.
5871 @kindex / n (Summary)
5872 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5873 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5874 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5875 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5878 @kindex / w (Summary)
5879 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5880 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5881 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5885 @kindex / v (Summary)
5886 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5887 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5888 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5891 @kindex / p (Summary)
5892 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter
5893 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
5894 group parameter predicate
5895 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter}). See @pxref{Group
5896 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
5900 @kindex M S (Summary)
5901 @kindex / E (Summary)
5902 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5903 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5904 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5907 @kindex / D (Summary)
5908 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5909 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5910 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5913 @kindex / * (Summary)
5914 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5915 Include all cached articles in the limit
5916 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5919 @kindex / d (Summary)
5920 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5921 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5922 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5925 @kindex / M (Summary)
5926 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5927 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5930 @kindex / T (Summary)
5931 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5932 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5935 @kindex / c (Summary)
5936 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5937 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5938 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5941 @kindex / C (Summary)
5942 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5943 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5944 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5945 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5948 @kindex / N (Summary)
5949 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
5950 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
5951 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
5954 @kindex / o (Summary)
5955 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
5956 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
5957 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
5965 @cindex article threading
5967 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
5968 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
5969 hierarchical fashion.
5971 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
5972 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
5973 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
5974 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
5975 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
5976 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
5977 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
5979 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
5983 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
5986 A tree-like article structure.
5989 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
5992 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
5993 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
5994 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
5995 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
5996 called loose threads.
5998 @item thread gathering
5999 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6001 @item sparse threads
6002 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6003 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6009 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6010 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6014 @node Customizing Threading
6015 @subsection Customizing Threading
6016 @cindex customizing threading
6019 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6020 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6021 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6022 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
6027 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6030 @cindex loose threads
6033 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6034 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6035 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6036 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6037 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6038 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6040 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6041 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6042 There are four possible values:
6046 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6047 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6048 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6049 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6050 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6055 @cindex adopting articles
6060 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6061 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6062 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6063 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6066 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6067 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6068 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6069 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6070 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6071 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6072 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6075 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6076 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6077 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6081 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6082 display them after one another.
6085 Don't gather loose threads.
6088 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6089 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6090 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6091 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6092 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6093 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6094 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6095 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6096 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6097 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6098 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6100 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6101 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6102 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6105 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6106 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6107 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6108 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6109 simplification is used.
6111 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6112 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6113 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6114 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6116 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6118 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6124 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6125 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6126 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6127 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6132 (mapconcat 'identity
6133 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6135 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6138 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6141 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6142 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6143 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6144 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6145 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6146 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6148 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6151 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6152 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6153 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6155 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6156 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6159 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6160 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6161 Remove excessive whitespace.
6164 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6167 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6168 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6169 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6170 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6171 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6172 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6173 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6174 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6176 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6177 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6178 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6179 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6180 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6181 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6182 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6183 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6184 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6188 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6189 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6190 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6191 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6193 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6194 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6195 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6198 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6202 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6203 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6209 @node Filling In Threads
6210 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6213 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6214 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6215 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6216 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6217 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6218 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6219 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6220 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6221 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6222 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
6223 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
6224 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
6226 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6227 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6228 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6230 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6231 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6232 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6233 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6234 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6235 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6236 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6237 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6238 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6239 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6240 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6241 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6242 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6243 @code{nil} by default.
6245 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6246 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6247 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6248 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6249 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6250 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6251 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6253 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6254 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6255 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6260 @node More Threading
6261 @subsubsection More Threading
6264 @item gnus-show-threads
6265 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6266 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6267 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6268 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6269 slower and more awkward.
6271 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6272 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6273 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6276 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6277 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6278 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6279 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6280 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6281 threads are expunged.
6283 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6284 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6285 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6288 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6289 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6290 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6291 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6292 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6293 result in a new thread.
6295 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6296 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6297 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6300 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6301 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6302 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6303 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6304 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6305 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6306 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6307 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6308 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6309 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6310 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6315 @node Low-Level Threading
6316 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6320 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6321 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6322 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6324 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6325 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6326 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6327 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6328 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6329 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6330 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6331 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6332 meaningful. Here's one example:
6335 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6337 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6338 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6340 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6342 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6349 @node Thread Commands
6350 @subsection Thread Commands
6351 @cindex thread commands
6357 @kindex T k (Summary)
6358 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6359 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6360 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6361 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6362 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6367 @kindex T l (Summary)
6368 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6369 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6370 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6371 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6374 @kindex T i (Summary)
6375 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6376 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6377 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6380 @kindex T # (Summary)
6381 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6382 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6383 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6386 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6387 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6388 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6389 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6392 @kindex T T (Summary)
6393 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6394 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6397 @kindex T s (Summary)
6398 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6399 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6400 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6403 @kindex T h (Summary)
6404 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6405 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6408 @kindex T S (Summary)
6409 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6410 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6413 @kindex T H (Summary)
6414 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6415 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6418 @kindex T t (Summary)
6419 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6420 Re-thread the current article's thread
6421 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6422 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6425 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6426 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6427 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6428 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6432 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6433 understand the numeric prefix.
6438 @kindex T n (Summary)
6440 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6442 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6443 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6444 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6447 @kindex T p (Summary)
6449 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6451 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6452 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6453 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6456 @kindex T d (Summary)
6457 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6458 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6461 @kindex T u (Summary)
6462 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6463 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6466 @kindex T o (Summary)
6467 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6468 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6471 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6472 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6473 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6474 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6475 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6476 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6477 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6478 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6479 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6480 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6481 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6482 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6486 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6487 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6489 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6490 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6491 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6492 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6493 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6494 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6495 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6496 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6497 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6498 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6499 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6501 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6502 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6503 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6504 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
6505 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6507 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6508 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6509 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6511 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6512 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6513 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6514 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6515 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6516 ascending article order.
6518 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6519 by number, you could do something like:
6522 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6523 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6524 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6525 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6528 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6529 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6530 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6531 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6532 which the articles arrived.
6534 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6538 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6540 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6541 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6544 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6545 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6546 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6547 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6550 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6551 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6552 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6553 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6554 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6555 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6556 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6557 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6558 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6559 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6560 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6561 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6562 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6564 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6568 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6569 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6570 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6575 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6576 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6577 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6578 @cindex article pre-fetch
6581 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6582 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6583 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6584 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6585 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6587 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6588 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
6590 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6591 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6592 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6593 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6594 connection is blocked.
6596 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6597 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6598 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6599 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
6601 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6602 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6603 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6604 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6607 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6610 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6611 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6612 happen automatically.
6614 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6615 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6616 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6617 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6618 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6619 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6620 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6622 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6623 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6624 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6625 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6626 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6627 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6628 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6629 data structure as the only parameter.
6631 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6634 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6635 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6636 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6637 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6640 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6643 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6644 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
6645 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6647 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6648 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6649 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6650 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6654 Remove articles when they are read.
6657 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6660 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6662 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6663 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6664 @c from the next group.
6667 @node Article Caching
6668 @section Article Caching
6669 @cindex article caching
6672 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6673 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6674 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6675 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6676 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6678 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6680 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6681 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6682 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6683 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6684 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6685 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6686 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6687 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6689 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6690 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6691 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6692 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6693 as dormant, and don't worry.
6695 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6697 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6698 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6699 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6700 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6701 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6702 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6703 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6704 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6705 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6706 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6708 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6709 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6710 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6711 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6712 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6713 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6714 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6715 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6716 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6717 not then be downloaded by this command.
6719 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6720 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6721 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6722 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6723 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6724 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6726 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6727 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6728 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6729 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6730 variables, the group is not cached.
6732 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6733 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6734 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6735 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6736 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6737 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
6738 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6739 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6740 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6744 @node Persistent Articles
6745 @section Persistent Articles
6746 @cindex persistent articles
6748 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6749 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6750 useful in my opinion.
6752 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6753 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6754 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6755 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6756 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6757 the expiry going on at the news server.
6759 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6760 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6761 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6767 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6768 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6771 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6772 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6773 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6774 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6778 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6780 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6781 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6782 interested in persistent articles:
6785 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6789 @node Article Backlog
6790 @section Article Backlog
6792 @cindex article backlog
6794 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6795 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6796 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
6797 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6798 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6799 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6800 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
6801 increase memory usage some.
6803 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6804 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
6805 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6806 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
6807 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6808 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6809 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6811 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6814 @node Saving Articles
6815 @section Saving Articles
6816 @cindex saving articles
6818 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6819 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6820 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6821 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6822 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6824 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6825 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
6826 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6828 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6829 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6830 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6831 deleted before saving.
6837 @kindex O o (Summary)
6839 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6840 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6841 Save the current article using the default article saver
6842 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6845 @kindex O m (Summary)
6846 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6847 Save the current article in mail format
6848 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6851 @kindex O r (Summary)
6852 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6853 Save the current article in rmail format
6854 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6857 @kindex O f (Summary)
6858 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6859 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6860 Save the current article in plain file format
6861 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6864 @kindex O F (Summary)
6865 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6866 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6867 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6870 @kindex O b (Summary)
6871 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6872 Save the current article body in plain file format
6873 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6876 @kindex O h (Summary)
6877 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6878 Save the current article in mh folder format
6879 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6882 @kindex O v (Summary)
6883 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6884 Save the current article in a VM folder
6885 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6889 @kindex O p (Summary)
6891 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6892 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6893 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6896 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6897 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6898 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6899 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6900 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6901 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6902 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6903 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6904 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6905 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6906 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6907 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6911 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6912 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6913 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6914 functions below, or you can create your own.
6918 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6919 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6920 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6921 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6922 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6923 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6924 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6926 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6927 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6928 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6929 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6930 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6931 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6933 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6934 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6935 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6936 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6937 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6938 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6939 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6941 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
6942 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
6943 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
6944 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
6945 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6946 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6948 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6949 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6950 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6951 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6952 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6954 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6955 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6956 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
6957 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
6958 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
6961 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
6962 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
6963 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
6964 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
6965 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
6967 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6968 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6969 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
6970 reader to use this setting.
6973 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
6974 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
6975 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
6976 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
6979 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
6980 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
6981 available functions that generate names:
6985 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
6986 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
6987 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6989 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
6990 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6991 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6993 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
6994 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
6995 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6997 @item gnus-plain-save-name
6998 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6999 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7001 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7002 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7003 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7006 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7007 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7008 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7009 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7010 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7014 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7015 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7016 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7017 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7020 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7021 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7022 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7023 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7024 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7025 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7026 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7027 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7028 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7030 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7031 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7032 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7033 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7035 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7036 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7037 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7040 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7041 lots of mail groups called things like
7042 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7043 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7044 following will do just that:
7047 (defun my-save-name (group)
7048 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7049 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7051 (setq gnus-split-methods
7052 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7057 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7058 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7059 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7060 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7061 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7062 all the files in the top level directory
7063 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7064 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7065 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7066 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7068 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7069 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7070 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7071 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7072 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7075 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7079 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7080 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7081 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7084 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7085 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7086 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7087 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7090 @node Decoding Articles
7091 @section Decoding Articles
7092 @cindex decoding articles
7094 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7095 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7098 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7099 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7100 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7101 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7102 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7103 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7107 @cindex article series
7108 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7109 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7110 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7111 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7112 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7114 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7115 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7116 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7118 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7119 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7120 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7122 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7123 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7124 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7127 @node Uuencoded Articles
7128 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7130 @cindex uuencoded articles
7135 @kindex X u (Summary)
7136 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7137 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7138 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7141 @kindex X U (Summary)
7142 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7143 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7144 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7147 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7148 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7149 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7152 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7153 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7154 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7155 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7159 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7160 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7161 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7162 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7163 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7165 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7166 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7167 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7168 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7171 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7172 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7173 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7174 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7175 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7176 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7180 @node Shell Archives
7181 @subsection Shell Archives
7183 @cindex shell archives
7184 @cindex shared articles
7186 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7187 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7188 some commands to deal with these:
7193 @kindex X s (Summary)
7194 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7195 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7198 @kindex X S (Summary)
7199 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7200 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7203 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7204 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7205 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7208 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7209 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7210 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7211 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7215 @node PostScript Files
7216 @subsection PostScript Files
7222 @kindex X p (Summary)
7223 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7224 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7227 @kindex X P (Summary)
7228 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7229 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7230 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7233 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7234 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7235 View the current PostScript series
7236 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7239 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7240 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7241 View and save the current PostScript series
7242 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7247 @subsection Other Files
7251 @kindex X o (Summary)
7252 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7253 Save the current series
7254 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7257 @kindex X b (Summary)
7258 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7259 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7260 doesn't really work yet.
7264 @node Decoding Variables
7265 @subsection Decoding Variables
7267 Adjective, not verb.
7270 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7271 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7272 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7276 @node Rule Variables
7277 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7278 @cindex rule variables
7280 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7281 variables are of the form
7284 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7291 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7292 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7294 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7295 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7298 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7299 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7302 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7303 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7304 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7305 user and default view rules.
7307 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7308 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7309 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7314 @node Other Decode Variables
7315 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7318 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7320 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7321 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7322 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7323 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7324 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7328 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7329 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7332 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7333 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7334 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7337 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7338 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7339 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7340 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7341 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7344 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7345 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7346 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7348 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7349 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7350 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7351 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7352 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7355 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7356 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7357 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7359 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7360 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7361 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7362 looking for files to display.
7364 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7365 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7366 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7369 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7370 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7371 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7374 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7375 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7376 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7379 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7380 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7381 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7384 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7385 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7386 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7387 decoded articles as unread.
7389 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7390 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7391 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7392 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7394 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7395 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7396 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7398 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7399 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7401 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7402 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7403 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7404 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7406 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7407 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7408 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7409 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7410 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7411 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7412 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7413 simply dropped them.
7418 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7419 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7423 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7424 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7425 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7426 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7427 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7428 for you when you post the article.
7430 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7431 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7432 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7433 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7435 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7436 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7437 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7438 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7439 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7440 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7441 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7443 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7444 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7445 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7446 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7447 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7448 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7449 Default is @code{t}.
7455 @subsection Viewing Files
7456 @cindex viewing files
7457 @cindex pseudo-articles
7459 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7460 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7461 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7462 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7463 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7464 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7465 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7467 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7468 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7469 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7470 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7472 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7473 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7474 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7476 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7477 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7478 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7479 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7480 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7482 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7483 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7484 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7485 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7486 a list of parameters to that command.
7488 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7489 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7490 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7492 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7493 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7494 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7497 @node Article Treatment
7498 @section Article Treatment
7500 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7501 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7502 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7503 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7504 these articles easier.
7507 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7508 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7509 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7510 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7511 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7512 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7513 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7514 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7518 @node Article Highlighting
7519 @subsection Article Highlighting
7520 @cindex highlighting
7522 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7523 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7528 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7529 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7530 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7531 Do much highlighting of the current article
7532 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7533 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7536 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7537 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7538 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7539 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7540 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7541 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7542 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7543 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7544 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7545 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7546 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7547 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7550 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7551 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7552 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7554 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7557 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7559 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7560 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7561 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7563 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7564 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7565 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7567 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7568 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7569 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7570 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7571 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7572 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7574 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7575 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7576 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7578 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7579 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7580 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7582 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7583 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7584 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7585 that it's a citation.
7587 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7588 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7589 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7591 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7592 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7593 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7595 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7596 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7597 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7598 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7604 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7605 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7606 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7607 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7608 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7609 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7610 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7611 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7616 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7619 @node Article Fontisizing
7620 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7622 @cindex article emphasis
7624 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7625 @kindex W e (Summary)
7626 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7627 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7628 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7629 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7631 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7632 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7633 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7634 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7635 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7636 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7637 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7638 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7642 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7643 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7644 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7653 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7654 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7655 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7656 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7657 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7658 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7659 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7660 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7661 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7662 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7663 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7664 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7665 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7667 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7668 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7669 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7673 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7676 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7678 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7679 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7680 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7681 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7683 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7686 @node Article Hiding
7687 @subsection Article Hiding
7688 @cindex article hiding
7690 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7691 too much cruft in most articles.
7696 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7697 @findex gnus-article-hide
7698 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7699 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7700 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7703 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7704 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
7705 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7709 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7710 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7711 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7712 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7715 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7716 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7717 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7721 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7722 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7723 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7724 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7725 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7726 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7727 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7728 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7732 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7733 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7734 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7735 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7740 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7741 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7742 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7743 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7744 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7745 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7746 articles that have signatures in them do:
7748 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7750 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7752 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7753 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7755 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7758 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7763 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7764 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7765 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7766 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7769 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7770 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7773 @cindex stripping advertisements
7774 @cindex advertisements
7775 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7776 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7777 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7778 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7779 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7780 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7781 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7782 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7783 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7784 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7788 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7789 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7790 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7791 customizing the hiding:
7795 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7796 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7797 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7798 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7799 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7800 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7801 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7806 Starting point of the hidden text.
7808 Ending point of the hidden text.
7810 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7812 Number of lines of hidden text.
7815 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7816 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7817 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7818 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7819 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7824 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7825 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7827 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7828 following two variables:
7831 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7832 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7833 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7834 50), hide the cited text.
7836 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7837 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7838 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7843 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7844 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7845 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7846 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7847 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7848 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7852 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7853 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7854 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7856 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7857 citation customization.
7859 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7863 @node Article Washing
7864 @subsection Article Washing
7866 @cindex article washing
7868 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7869 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7871 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7872 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7875 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
7876 articles by default.
7881 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
7882 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
7886 @kindex W l (Summary)
7887 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7888 Remove page breaks from the current article
7889 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7893 @kindex W r (Summary)
7894 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7895 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7896 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7897 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7898 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7899 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7901 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7902 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7903 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7904 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7908 @kindex W t (Summary)
7910 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
7911 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7912 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
7915 @kindex W v (Summary)
7916 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7917 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7918 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7921 @kindex W o (Summary)
7922 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7923 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7926 @kindex W d (Summary)
7927 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7928 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7930 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
7932 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7933 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7934 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7935 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7938 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
7939 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
7940 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
7941 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
7944 @kindex W w (Summary)
7945 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7946 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7948 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7952 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7953 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7954 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
7957 @kindex W C (Summary)
7958 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
7959 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
7960 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
7963 @kindex W c (Summary)
7964 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
7965 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
7966 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
7967 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
7968 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
7971 @kindex W q (Summary)
7972 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
7973 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
7974 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
7975 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
7976 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
7977 readable to me. Note that the this is usually done automatically by
7978 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
7979 header that says that this encoding has been done.
7980 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
7983 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
7984 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
7985 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
7986 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
7987 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
7988 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
7989 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
7991 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
7994 @kindex W Z (Summary)
7995 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
7996 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
7997 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
7998 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8001 @kindex W h (Summary)
8002 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8003 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
8004 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
8005 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
8007 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8010 @kindex W f (Summary)
8012 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8013 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
8014 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
8015 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
8022 Look for and display any X-Face headers
8023 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
8024 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
8025 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
8026 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
8027 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
8028 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
8029 The default action under Emacs is to fork off the @code{display}
8030 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
8031 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
8032 like `compface' or `faces-xface' on a GNU/Linux system.} to view the
8033 face. Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the
8034 default action is to display the face before the @code{From} header.
8035 (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face support---that will
8036 make display somewhat faster. If there's no native X-Face support, Gnus
8037 will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using external programs
8038 from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux
8039 system look for packages with names like @code{netpbm} or
8040 @code{libgr-progs}.}) If you want to have this function in the display
8041 hook, it should probably come last.
8042 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not @code{xface}).
8045 @kindex W b (Summary)
8046 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8047 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8048 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8051 @kindex W B (Summary)
8052 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8053 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8054 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8057 @kindex W p (Summary)
8058 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8059 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8060 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8061 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8062 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8063 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8064 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8067 @kindex W s (Summary)
8068 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8069 Verify a signed (PGP, PGP/MIME or S/MIME) message
8070 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}).
8073 @kindex W W H (Summary)
8074 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
8075 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8076 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
8079 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8080 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8081 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8082 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8085 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8086 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8087 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8088 lines with a single empty line.
8089 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8092 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8093 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8094 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8095 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8098 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8099 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8100 Do all the three commands above
8101 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8104 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8105 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8106 Remove all blank lines
8107 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8110 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8111 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8112 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8113 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8116 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8117 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8118 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8119 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8123 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8126 @node Article Buttons
8127 @subsection Article Buttons
8130 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8131 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8132 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8133 button on these references.
8135 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8136 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
8137 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
8142 @item gnus-button-alist
8143 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8144 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8147 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8153 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
8154 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
8155 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
8158 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8159 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8160 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8163 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8164 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8165 avoid false matches.
8168 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8171 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8172 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8176 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8179 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8182 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8183 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8184 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8185 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8186 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8189 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8192 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8194 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8195 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8196 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8197 default values of the variables above.
8199 @item gnus-article-button-face
8200 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8201 Face used on buttons.
8203 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8204 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8205 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8209 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8213 @subsection Article Date
8215 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8216 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8217 when the article was sent.
8222 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8223 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8224 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8225 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8228 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8229 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8231 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8232 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8235 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8236 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8237 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8240 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8241 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8242 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8243 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8246 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8247 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8248 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8249 @findex format-time-string
8250 Display the date using a user-defined format
8251 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8252 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8253 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8254 for a list of possible format specs.
8257 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8258 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8259 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8260 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8261 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8262 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8265 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8268 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8269 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8272 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8273 into wonderful absurdities.
8275 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8278 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8281 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8282 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8286 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8287 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8288 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8289 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8290 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8291 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8292 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8296 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8297 preferred format automatically.
8300 @node Article Signature
8301 @subsection Article Signature
8303 @cindex article signature
8305 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8306 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8307 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8308 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8309 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8310 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8311 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8312 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8313 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8316 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8317 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8318 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8319 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8320 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8321 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8322 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8323 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8326 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8329 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8330 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8331 signature when displaying articles.
8335 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8338 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8341 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8342 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8344 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8345 in question is not a signature.
8348 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8349 listed above. Here's an example:
8352 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8353 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8356 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8357 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8358 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8359 signature after all.
8362 @node Article Miscellania
8363 @subsection Article Miscellania
8367 @kindex A t (Summary)
8368 @findex gnus-article-babel
8369 Translate the article from one language to another
8370 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8376 @section @sc{mime} Commands
8377 @cindex MIME decoding
8379 @cindex viewing attachments
8381 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8382 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8388 @kindex K v (Summary)
8389 View the @sc{mime} part.
8392 @kindex K o (Summary)
8393 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8396 @kindex K c (Summary)
8397 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8400 @kindex K e (Summary)
8401 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8404 @kindex K i (Summary)
8405 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8408 @kindex K | (Summary)
8409 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8412 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8417 @kindex K b (Summary)
8418 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8419 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8423 @kindex K m (Summary)
8424 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8425 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8426 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8427 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8428 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8431 @kindex X m (Summary)
8432 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8433 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8434 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8435 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8438 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8439 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
8440 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8441 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8444 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8445 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8446 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8449 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8450 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8451 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8453 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8454 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8455 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8456 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
8457 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
8458 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8461 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8462 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8463 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8470 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8471 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8472 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8473 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8476 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8479 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8483 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8484 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8485 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8486 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8487 displayed or this variable is overriden by
8488 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8491 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8492 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8493 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8494 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8495 displayed. This variable overrides
8496 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8498 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8499 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8500 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} to the default value.
8502 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8503 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8504 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8505 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8506 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8507 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8508 save all jpegs into some directory).
8510 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8513 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8514 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8516 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8517 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8518 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8519 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8520 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8523 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8524 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8525 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8527 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8528 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8529 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8530 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8532 Ready-made functions include@*
8533 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8534 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8535 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8536 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8537 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8538 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8539 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8540 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8541 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8542 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8543 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8544 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8546 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8547 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8549 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8550 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8551 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8554 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8555 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8556 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8557 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
8561 to your @file{.gnus} file.
8570 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8571 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8572 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8573 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8574 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8575 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8576 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8578 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8579 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8580 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
8581 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8583 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8584 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
8585 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
8586 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
8587 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
8588 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
8589 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
8590 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
8592 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8593 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8594 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8595 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8596 quoted-printable header encoding.
8598 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8599 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8600 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8604 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8607 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8608 means encode all charsets),
8610 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8611 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8612 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8619 @cindex coding system aliases
8620 @cindex preferred charset
8622 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8624 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8625 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8628 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8629 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8632 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8633 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8635 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8638 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8641 This will almost do the right thing.
8643 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8647 (codepage-setup 1251)
8648 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8652 @node Article Commands
8653 @section Article Commands
8660 @kindex A P (Summary)
8661 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8662 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8663 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8664 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
8665 run just before printing the buffer.
8670 @node Summary Sorting
8671 @section Summary Sorting
8672 @cindex summary sorting
8674 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8675 can't really see why you'd want that.
8680 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8681 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8682 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8685 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8686 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8687 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8690 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8691 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8692 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8695 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8696 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8697 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8700 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8701 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8702 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8705 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8706 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8707 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8710 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8711 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8712 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8715 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
8716 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
8717 Sort using the default sorting method
8718 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
8721 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8722 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8723 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8724 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8725 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8729 @node Finding the Parent
8730 @section Finding the Parent
8731 @cindex parent articles
8732 @cindex referring articles
8737 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8738 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8739 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8740 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8741 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8742 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8743 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8744 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8745 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8747 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8748 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8749 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
8750 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8751 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8755 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8756 @kindex A R (Summary)
8757 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8758 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8761 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8762 @kindex A T (Summary)
8763 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8764 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8765 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8766 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8767 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8768 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8769 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8771 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8772 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8773 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8774 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8775 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8776 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8779 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8780 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8782 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8783 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8784 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8785 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8786 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8787 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8788 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8791 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8792 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8793 by giving this command a prefix.
8795 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8796 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
8797 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8798 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8799 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8800 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8803 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8804 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8805 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8808 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8809 then ask Deja if that fails:
8812 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8814 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8817 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
8818 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox}
8819 and @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8820 @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder} and @code{nnimap}1 are only able to locate
8821 articles that have been posted to the current group. (Anything else
8822 would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at
8826 @node Alternative Approaches
8827 @section Alternative Approaches
8829 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8830 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8833 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8834 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8839 @subsection Pick and Read
8840 @cindex pick and read
8842 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8843 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8844 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8845 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8847 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8848 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8849 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8850 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8851 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8852 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8854 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8859 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8860 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8861 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8862 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8863 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8864 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8865 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8866 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8869 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8870 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8871 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8872 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8876 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8877 Unpick the thread or article
8878 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8879 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8880 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8881 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8882 the thread or article at that line.
8886 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8887 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8888 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8889 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8890 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8891 will still be visible when you are reading.
8895 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8896 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8897 which is mapped to the same function
8898 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8900 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8903 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8906 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8907 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8909 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8910 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8911 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8913 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8914 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8915 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8916 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8917 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8918 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8919 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8923 @subsection Binary Groups
8924 @cindex binary groups
8926 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8927 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8928 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8929 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8930 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8931 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8932 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8935 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8936 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8937 command, when you have turned on this mode
8938 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8940 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8941 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8945 @section Tree Display
8948 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8949 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
8950 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8951 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8954 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
8957 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
8958 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
8959 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
8961 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8962 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8963 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
8964 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
8965 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
8967 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
8968 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
8969 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
8970 default is @code{modeline}.
8972 @item gnus-tree-line-format
8973 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
8974 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
8975 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
8976 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
8977 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
8978 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
8984 The name of the poster.
8986 The @code{From} header.
8988 The number of the article.
8990 The opening bracket.
8992 The closing bracket.
8997 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
8999 Variables related to the display are:
9002 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9003 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9004 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9005 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9006 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9007 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9009 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9010 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9011 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9012 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9016 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9017 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9018 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
9019 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
9020 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9021 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9022 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9023 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9024 other windows displayed next to it.
9026 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9027 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9028 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9029 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9030 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9031 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9032 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9036 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9039 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9049 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9053 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9054 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9056 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9058 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9063 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9064 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9065 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9068 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9069 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9070 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9071 (gnus-add-configuration
9075 (summary 0.75 point)
9080 @xref{Window Layout}.
9083 @node Mail Group Commands
9084 @section Mail Group Commands
9085 @cindex mail group commands
9087 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9088 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9090 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9091 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9096 @kindex B e (Summary)
9097 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9098 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9099 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9100 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9101 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9104 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9105 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9106 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9107 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9108 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9109 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9112 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9113 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9114 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9115 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9116 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9117 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9120 @kindex B m (Summary)
9122 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9123 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9124 Move the article from one mail group to another
9125 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9126 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9129 @kindex B c (Summary)
9131 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9132 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9133 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9134 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9135 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9138 @kindex B B (Summary)
9139 @cindex crosspost mail
9140 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9141 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9142 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9143 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9144 be properly updated.
9147 @kindex B i (Summary)
9148 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9149 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9150 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9151 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9154 @kindex B r (Summary)
9155 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9156 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9157 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9158 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9159 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9160 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9161 (which is the default).
9165 @kindex B w (Summary)
9167 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9168 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9169 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9170 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9171 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9172 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9175 @kindex B q (Summary)
9176 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9177 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9178 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9179 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9182 @kindex B t (Summary)
9183 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9184 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9185 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9188 @kindex B p (Summary)
9189 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9190 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9191 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9192 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9193 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9194 article from your news server (or rather, from
9195 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9196 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9197 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9198 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9199 just not have arrived yet.
9203 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9204 @cindex moving articles
9205 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
9206 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9207 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9208 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9209 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9210 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9211 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9214 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9215 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9216 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9217 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9221 @node Various Summary Stuff
9222 @section Various Summary Stuff
9225 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9226 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9227 * Summary Generation Commands::
9228 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9232 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9233 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9234 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9236 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9237 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9238 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9239 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9240 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9241 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9244 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9245 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9246 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9247 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9248 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9250 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9251 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9252 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9255 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9256 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9257 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9258 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9259 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9260 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9261 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
9262 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9263 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9264 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9266 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9267 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9268 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9269 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9270 list of articles to be selected.
9272 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9273 the list in one particular group:
9276 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9277 (if (string= group "some.group")
9278 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9282 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9283 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9284 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9285 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9286 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9287 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9288 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9289 buffers. For example:
9292 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9293 '(message-use-followup-to
9294 (gnus-visible-headers .
9295 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9301 @node Summary Group Information
9302 @subsection Summary Group Information
9307 @kindex H f (Summary)
9308 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9309 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9310 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9311 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9312 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9313 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9314 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9315 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9316 be used for fetching the file.
9319 @kindex H d (Summary)
9320 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9321 Give a brief description of the current group
9322 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9323 rereading the description from the server.
9326 @kindex H h (Summary)
9327 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9328 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9329 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9332 @kindex H i (Summary)
9333 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9334 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9338 @node Searching for Articles
9339 @subsection Searching for Articles
9344 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9345 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9346 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9347 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9350 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9351 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9352 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9353 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9357 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9358 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9359 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9360 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9361 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9362 search backward instead.
9364 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9365 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9368 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9369 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9370 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9371 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9374 @node Summary Generation Commands
9375 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9380 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9381 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9382 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9385 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9386 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9387 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9388 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9393 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9394 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9400 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9401 @kindex A D (Summary)
9402 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9403 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9404 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9405 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9406 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9407 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9408 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9409 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9413 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
9414 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9415 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9416 several documents into one biiig group
9417 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9418 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9419 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9420 command understands the process/prefix convention
9421 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9424 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9425 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9426 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9427 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9428 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9429 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9433 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9434 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9435 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9438 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
9439 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9440 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9441 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9444 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
9445 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9446 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9447 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9452 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9453 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9454 @cindex summary exit
9455 @cindex exiting groups
9457 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9458 group and return you to the group buffer.
9464 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9466 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9467 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9468 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9469 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9470 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9471 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9472 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9473 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9474 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9475 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9476 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9480 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9482 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9483 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9484 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9488 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9490 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9491 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9492 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9493 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9496 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9497 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9498 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9499 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9502 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9503 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9504 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9505 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9508 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9509 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9510 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9511 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9512 all articles, both read and unread.
9516 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9517 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9518 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9519 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9520 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9521 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9522 articles, both read and unread.
9525 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9526 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9527 Exit the group and go to the next group
9528 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9531 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9532 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9533 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9534 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9537 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9538 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9539 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9540 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9541 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9542 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9545 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9546 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9547 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9548 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9550 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9551 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
9552 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
9553 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
9554 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
9555 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
9556 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
9557 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
9558 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
9559 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
9560 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
9561 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
9563 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
9565 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
9566 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
9567 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
9568 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
9569 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
9570 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
9571 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
9572 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
9573 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
9576 @node Crosspost Handling
9577 @section Crosspost Handling
9581 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
9582 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
9583 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
9584 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
9585 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
9586 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
9589 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
9590 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
9591 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
9592 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
9593 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
9595 @cindex cross-posting
9598 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
9599 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
9600 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
9601 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
9602 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
9603 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
9604 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
9605 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
9606 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
9607 the cross reference mechanism.
9609 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
9610 @cindex overview.fmt
9611 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
9612 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
9613 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
9614 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
9615 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
9616 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9619 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9620 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9621 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9626 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9629 @node Duplicate Suppression
9630 @section Duplicate Suppression
9632 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9633 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9634 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9635 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9640 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9641 is evil and not very common.
9644 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9645 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9648 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9649 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9652 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9655 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9656 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9658 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9659 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9660 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9661 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9662 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9663 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9664 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9667 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9668 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9669 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9670 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9671 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9675 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9676 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9677 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9679 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9680 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9681 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9682 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9683 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
9684 session are suppressed.
9686 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9687 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9688 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9689 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9691 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9692 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9693 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9694 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9697 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
9698 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9699 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9700 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9701 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
9702 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9703 to you to figure out, I think.
9708 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
9709 The formats that are supported are PGP (plain text, RFC 1991 format),
9710 PGP/MIME (RFC 2015/3156) and S/MIME, however you need some external
9711 programs to get things to work:
9715 To verify or decrypt PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or
9716 gpg.el as well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG). @xref{Using GPG}.
9719 To verify or decrypt S/MIME message, you need to install OpenSSL.
9720 OpenSSL 0.9.6 or newer is recommended.
9724 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
9725 manual. @xref{Security, ,Security, message, The Message Manual}.
9728 @item mm-verify-option
9729 @vindex mm-verify-option
9730 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9731 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9732 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9734 @item mm-decrypt-option
9735 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9736 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9737 @code{always}, always decrypt @code{known}, only decrypt known
9738 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9743 @section Mailing List
9745 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
9746 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
9747 possibly using @kbd{A M} in the summary buffer, or say:
9750 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
9753 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
9758 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
9759 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
9760 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
9763 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
9764 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
9765 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
9768 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
9769 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
9770 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
9774 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
9775 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
9776 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
9779 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
9780 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9781 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
9784 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
9785 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9786 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
9790 @node Article Buffer
9791 @chapter Article Buffer
9792 @cindex article buffer
9794 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
9795 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
9796 tell Gnus otherwise.
9799 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
9800 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
9801 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
9802 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
9803 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
9807 @node Hiding Headers
9808 @section Hiding Headers
9809 @cindex hiding headers
9810 @cindex deleting headers
9812 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9813 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9815 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9816 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9817 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9818 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9819 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9820 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9821 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9822 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9823 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9825 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
9829 @item gnus-visible-headers
9830 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
9831 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
9832 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
9833 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
9835 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
9836 the article and the subject, you'd say:
9839 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
9842 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9845 @item gnus-ignored-headers
9846 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
9847 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
9848 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
9849 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
9850 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
9852 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
9853 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
9856 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
9859 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9862 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
9863 variable will have no effect.
9867 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
9868 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
9869 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
9870 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
9871 the headers are to be displayed.
9873 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
9874 and then the subject, you might say something like:
9877 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
9880 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
9881 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
9883 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9884 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
9885 You can hide further boring headers by setting
9886 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
9887 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
9888 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
9889 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
9892 These conditions are:
9895 Remove all empty headers.
9897 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
9898 @code{Newsgroups} header.
9900 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
9903 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
9906 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
9907 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
9909 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
9912 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
9914 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
9917 To include these three elements, you could say something like;
9920 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
9921 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9924 This is also the default value for this variable.
9931 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9932 while people stand around yawning.
9934 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9935 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9937 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9938 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9939 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9941 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
9942 @findex gnus-display-mime
9943 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
9944 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
9945 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
9946 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
9948 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
9952 @findex gnus-article-press-button
9954 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
9955 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
9956 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}).
9958 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
9959 @item M-RET (Article)
9961 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
9962 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
9964 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
9966 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
9967 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
9969 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
9971 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
9972 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
9974 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
9976 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
9977 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
9979 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
9981 Prompt for a file name, then save the @sc{mime} object and strip it from
9982 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
9983 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
9984 like. The stripped @sc{mime} object will be referred via the
9985 message/external-body @sc{mime} type.
9986 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
9988 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
9990 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
9991 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
9993 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
9995 Insert the contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
9996 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
9997 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
9998 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
9999 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @pxref{Paging the
10002 @findex gnus-mime-internalize-part
10004 View the @sc{mime} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
10005 viewer is available, use an external viewer
10006 (@code{gnus-mime-internalize-part}).
10008 @findex gnus-mime-externalize-part
10010 View the @sc{mime} object with an external viewer.
10011 (@code{gnus-mime-externalize-part}).
10013 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
10015 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
10017 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
10019 Interactively run an action on the @sc{mime} object
10020 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
10024 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
10025 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs MIME
10028 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
10029 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
10030 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
10031 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
10032 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
10033 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
10034 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
10035 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
10036 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
10038 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10040 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10043 @node Customizing Articles
10044 @section Customizing Articles
10045 @cindex article customization
10047 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10048 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
10049 called automatically when you select the articles.
10051 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10052 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10053 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10054 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10056 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10057 for sensible values.
10061 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10064 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10067 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10070 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10073 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10077 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10078 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10079 regexps in the list.
10082 A list where the first element is not a string:
10084 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10085 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10086 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10090 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10095 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10096 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10097 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10098 considered to contain just a single part.
10100 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10101 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10102 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10103 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10104 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10105 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10106 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10108 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10109 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10110 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10111 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10114 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10115 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10116 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10117 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10118 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10119 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10120 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10121 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10122 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10123 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10124 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
10125 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10126 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10127 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10128 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10129 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10130 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10131 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10132 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10133 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10134 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10135 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10136 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10137 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10138 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10139 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10140 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10141 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10142 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10143 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10144 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10145 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
10146 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10147 @item gnus-treat-translate
10148 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10151 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10152 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10153 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10154 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10155 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10159 @node Article Keymap
10160 @section Article Keymap
10162 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10163 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10164 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10165 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10168 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10173 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10174 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10175 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10178 @kindex DEL (Article)
10179 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10180 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10183 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10184 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10185 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10186 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10187 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10190 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10191 @findex gnus-article-mail
10192 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10193 given a prefix, include the mail.
10196 @kindex s (Article)
10197 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10198 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10199 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10202 @kindex ? (Article)
10203 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10204 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10205 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10208 @kindex TAB (Article)
10209 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10210 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10211 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10214 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10215 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10216 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10222 @section Misc Article
10226 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10227 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10228 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10229 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10232 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10233 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10235 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10236 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10238 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10239 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10240 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10241 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10242 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10243 the contents of the article buffer.
10245 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10246 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10247 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10249 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10250 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10251 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10252 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10254 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10255 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10256 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10257 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10258 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10264 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10265 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10266 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10271 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10274 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10277 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10278 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10279 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10282 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10285 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10288 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10293 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10297 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10299 @item gnus-break-pages
10300 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10301 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10302 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10303 paging will not be done.
10305 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10306 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10307 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10312 @node Composing Messages
10313 @chapter Composing Messages
10314 @cindex composing messages
10317 @cindex sending mail
10323 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10324 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10325 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10326 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
10327 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10328 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10331 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10332 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
10333 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10334 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10335 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10336 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10337 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10338 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
10341 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10342 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10348 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10351 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10352 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10353 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10354 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
10356 @item gnus-add-to-list
10357 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10358 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10359 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10364 @node Posting Server
10365 @section Posting Server
10367 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10368 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10370 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10372 @vindex gnus-post-method
10374 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will post using the same
10375 select method as you're reading from (which might be convenient if
10376 you're reading lots of groups from different private servers).
10377 However. If the server you're reading from doesn't allow posting,
10378 just reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
10379 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
10380 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10383 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10386 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10387 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10388 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10389 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10391 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10392 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10394 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10395 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10398 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10399 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
10402 @node Mail and Post
10403 @section Mail and Post
10405 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10409 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10410 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10411 @cindex mailing lists
10413 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
10414 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
10415 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
10416 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
10417 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
10418 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
10419 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
10420 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
10421 still a pain, though.
10425 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
10426 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
10427 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
10430 @findex ispell-message
10432 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
10435 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
10436 you're in, you could say something like the following:
10439 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
10443 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
10444 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
10446 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
10449 Modify to suit your needs.
10452 @node Archived Messages
10453 @section Archived Messages
10454 @cindex archived messages
10455 @cindex sent messages
10457 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
10458 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
10459 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
10460 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
10463 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
10464 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
10465 use to store sent messages. The default is:
10468 (nnfolder "archive"
10469 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
10470 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
10471 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
10472 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
10475 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
10476 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
10477 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
10478 directory chosen, you could say something like:
10481 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
10482 '(nnfolder "archive"
10483 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
10484 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
10485 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
10488 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
10490 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
10491 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
10492 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
10494 This variable can be used to do the following:
10499 Messages will be saved in that group.
10501 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
10502 message will not be stored in the select method given by
10503 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
10504 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
10505 has the default value shown above. Then setting
10506 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
10507 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
10508 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
10512 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
10514 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
10515 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
10518 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
10523 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
10525 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
10528 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
10530 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
10533 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
10535 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10536 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
10537 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
10538 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
10541 More complex stuff:
10543 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10544 '((if (message-news-p)
10549 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
10550 messages in one file per month:
10553 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10554 '((if (message-news-p)
10556 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
10559 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
10560 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
10562 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
10563 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
10564 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
10565 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
10566 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
10567 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
10568 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
10569 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
10570 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
10571 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
10573 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
10574 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
10575 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
10576 this will disable archiving.
10579 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
10580 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
10581 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
10582 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
10583 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
10586 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
10587 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
10588 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
10591 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
10592 but the latter is the preferred method.
10594 @item gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10595 @vindex gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10596 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
10601 @node Posting Styles
10602 @section Posting Styles
10603 @cindex posting styles
10606 All them variables, they make my head swim.
10608 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
10609 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
10610 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
10613 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
10614 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
10615 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
10616 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
10617 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
10622 (signature "Peace and happiness")
10623 (organization "What me?"))
10625 (signature "Death to everybody"))
10626 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
10627 (organization "Emacs is it")))
10630 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
10631 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
10632 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
10633 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
10634 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
10635 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
10636 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
10637 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
10639 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
10640 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
10641 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header (the
10642 next element in the match) in the original article , and compare that to
10643 the last regexp in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function
10644 will be called with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the
10645 variable will be referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be
10646 @code{eval}ed. In any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value,
10647 then the style is said to @dfn{match}.
10649 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
10650 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
10651 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
10652 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
10653 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
10654 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
10655 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
10656 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
10657 result is thrown away.
10659 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
10660 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
10661 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
10662 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
10663 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
10664 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
10666 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
10667 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
10668 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
10670 @findex message-mail-p
10671 @findex message-news-p
10673 So here's a new example:
10676 (setq gnus-posting-styles
10678 (signature-file "~/.signature")
10680 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
10681 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
10683 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
10684 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
10685 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
10687 (signature my-news-signature))
10688 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
10689 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
10690 ((posting-from-work-p)
10691 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
10692 (address "user@@bar.foo")
10693 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
10694 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
10696 (From (save-excursion
10697 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
10698 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
10700 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
10703 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
10704 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
10705 if you fill many roles.
10712 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
10713 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
10714 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
10715 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
10716 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
10718 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
10719 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
10720 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
10721 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
10722 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
10726 @vindex nndraft-directory
10727 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
10728 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
10729 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
10730 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
10731 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
10732 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
10734 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
10735 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
10738 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
10739 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
10740 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
10741 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
10742 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
10743 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
10744 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
10745 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
10746 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
10747 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
10748 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
10749 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
10750 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
10751 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
10753 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
10754 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
10755 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
10757 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
10758 @kindex D e (Draft)
10759 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
10760 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
10761 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
10763 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
10766 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
10767 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
10768 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
10769 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
10770 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
10771 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
10772 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
10775 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
10776 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
10777 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
10780 @node Rejected Articles
10781 @section Rejected Articles
10782 @cindex rejected articles
10784 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
10785 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
10786 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
10787 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
10789 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
10790 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
10791 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
10792 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
10793 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
10795 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
10796 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
10797 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
10803 Gnus has an ALPHA support to GPG that's provided by @file{gpg.el}. See
10804 @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} to enable Gnus to
10805 verify or decrypt messages accordingly.
10807 To use this correctly with GPG, you'll need the following lisp code in your
10808 @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10812 (setq mml2015-use 'gpg)
10813 (setq mml1991-use 'gpg)
10814 (setq gpg-temp-directory (expand-file-name "~/.gnupg/tmp"))
10817 The @code{gpg-temp-directory} need to point to a directory with permissions set
10818 to 700, for your own safety.
10820 If you want to benefit of PGP2.6 compatibility, you might create a script named
10821 @file{gpg-2comp} with these instructions:
10825 exec gpg --rfc1991 "$@@"
10828 If you don't want to use such compatibility, you can add the following line to
10829 your @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10832 (setq gpg-command-default-alist (quote ((gpg . "gpg") (gpg-2comp . "gpg"))))
10835 To sign or encrypt your message you may choose to use the MML Security
10836 menu or @kbd{C-c C-m s p} to sign your message using PGP/MIME,
10837 @kbd{C-c C-m s s} to sign your message using S/MIME. There's also
10838 @kbd{C-c C-m c p} to encrypt your message with PGP/MIME and @kbd{C-c
10839 C-m c s} to encrypt using S/MIME. @xref{Security, ,Security, message,
10840 The Message Manual}.
10842 Gnus will ask for your passphrase and then it will send your message, if
10843 you've typed it correctly.
10845 @node Select Methods
10846 @chapter Select Methods
10847 @cindex foreign groups
10848 @cindex select methods
10850 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
10851 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
10852 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
10853 personal mail group.
10855 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
10856 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
10857 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
10858 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
10859 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
10860 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
10862 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
10863 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
10865 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
10868 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
10869 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
10870 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
10871 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
10872 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
10874 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
10877 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
10878 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
10879 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
10880 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
10881 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
10882 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
10883 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
10884 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
10888 @node Server Buffer
10889 @section Server Buffer
10891 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
10892 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
10893 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
10894 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
10895 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
10896 back end represents a virtual server.
10898 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
10899 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
10900 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
10901 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
10903 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
10904 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
10905 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
10906 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
10907 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
10908 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
10909 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
10911 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
10912 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
10915 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
10916 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
10917 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
10918 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
10919 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
10920 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
10921 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
10924 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
10925 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
10928 @node Server Buffer Format
10929 @subsection Server Buffer Format
10930 @cindex server buffer format
10932 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
10933 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
10934 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
10935 variable, with some simple extensions:
10940 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
10943 The name of this server.
10946 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
10949 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
10952 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
10953 The mode line can also be customized by using the
10954 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
10955 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
10965 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
10968 @node Server Commands
10969 @subsection Server Commands
10970 @cindex server commands
10976 @findex gnus-server-add-server
10977 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
10981 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
10982 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
10985 @kindex SPACE (Server)
10986 @findex gnus-server-read-server
10987 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
10991 @findex gnus-server-exit
10992 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
10996 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
10997 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11001 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11002 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11006 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11007 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11011 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11012 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11016 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11017 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11018 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11023 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11024 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11025 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11026 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11031 @node Example Methods
11032 @subsection Example Methods
11034 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11037 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11040 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11046 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11047 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11050 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11051 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11053 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11054 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11058 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11061 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11062 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11064 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11065 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11066 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11070 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11073 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11076 Here's the method for a public spool:
11080 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11081 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11087 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11088 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11089 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11090 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11091 should probably look something like this:
11095 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11096 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11097 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11098 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11101 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11102 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11103 configuration to the example above:
11106 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11109 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11110 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11111 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11115 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11116 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11117 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11118 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11121 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11122 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11123 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11124 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11127 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11128 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11130 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11131 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11133 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11134 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11135 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11137 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11139 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11140 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11141 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11142 will contain the following:
11152 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11153 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11154 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11157 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11158 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11159 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11162 @node Server Variables
11163 @subsection Server Variables
11165 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11166 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11167 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11168 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11169 won't change the "derived" variables.
11171 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11172 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11173 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11174 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11175 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11176 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11177 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11178 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11179 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11183 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11184 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11185 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11189 @node Servers and Methods
11190 @subsection Servers and Methods
11192 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11193 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11194 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11195 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11199 @node Unavailable Servers
11200 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11202 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11203 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11204 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11205 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11206 actually the case or not.
11208 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11209 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11210 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11211 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11212 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11213 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11214 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11215 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11217 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11218 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11220 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11221 with the following commands:
11227 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11228 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11229 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11233 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11234 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11235 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11239 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11240 Mark the current server as unreachable
11241 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11244 @kindex M-o (Server)
11245 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11246 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11247 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11250 @kindex M-c (Server)
11251 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11252 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11253 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11257 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11258 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11259 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11265 @section Getting News
11266 @cindex reading news
11267 @cindex news back ends
11269 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11270 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11271 or it can read from a local spool.
11274 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11275 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11280 @subsection @sc{nntp}
11283 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11284 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11285 server as the, uhm, address.
11287 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11288 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11289 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11290 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11292 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11293 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11294 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11296 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11301 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11302 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11303 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11305 @cindex authentification
11306 @cindex nntp authentification
11307 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11308 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11309 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11310 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11311 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11312 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11313 present in this hook.
11315 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11316 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11317 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11318 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11319 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11320 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11321 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11322 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11323 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11324 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11325 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11326 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11330 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11333 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11335 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11336 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
11337 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
11338 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
11339 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
11340 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
11341 @samp{force} is explained below.
11345 Here's an example file:
11348 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
11349 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
11352 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
11353 have to be first, for instance.
11355 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
11356 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
11357 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
11358 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
11359 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
11360 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
11361 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
11363 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
11364 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
11370 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
11371 previously mentioned.
11373 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
11375 @item nntp-server-action-alist
11376 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
11377 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
11378 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
11379 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
11382 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
11383 '(("innd" (ding))))
11386 You probably don't want to do that, though.
11388 The default value is
11391 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
11392 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
11393 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
11396 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
11397 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
11399 @item nntp-maximum-request
11400 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
11401 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
11402 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
11403 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
11404 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
11405 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
11406 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
11408 @item nntp-connection-timeout
11409 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
11410 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
11411 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
11412 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
11413 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
11414 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
11415 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
11416 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
11417 no timeouts are done.
11419 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
11420 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
11421 @c @cindex PPP connections
11422 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
11423 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
11424 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
11425 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
11426 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
11427 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
11428 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
11429 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
11430 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
11431 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
11433 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
11434 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
11435 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
11436 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
11437 @c described above.
11439 @item nntp-server-hook
11440 @vindex nntp-server-hook
11441 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
11444 @item nntp-buggy-select
11445 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
11446 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
11448 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
11449 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
11450 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
11451 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
11454 @item nntp-xover-commands
11455 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
11458 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
11459 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
11463 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
11464 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
11465 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
11466 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
11467 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
11468 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
11469 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
11470 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
11471 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
11472 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
11473 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
11475 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
11476 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
11477 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
11479 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11480 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11481 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
11482 server closes connection.
11484 @item nntp-record-commands
11485 @vindex nntp-record-commands
11486 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
11487 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
11488 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
11489 that doesn't seem to work.
11491 @item nntp-open-connection-function
11492 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
11493 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
11494 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
11495 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
11496 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
11497 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
11498 indirect ones (two pre-made).
11500 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
11501 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
11502 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
11503 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
11504 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
11505 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
11506 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
11509 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
11514 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
11515 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
11516 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
11520 @node Direct Functions
11521 @subsubsection Direct Functions
11522 @cindex direct connection functions
11524 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
11525 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
11526 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
11527 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11530 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
11531 @item nntp-open-network-stream
11532 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
11535 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
11536 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
11537 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
11538 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
11539 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
11540 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
11541 define a server as follows:
11544 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
11546 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
11548 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
11549 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
11550 (nntp-port-number "snews")
11551 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
11554 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
11555 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
11556 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
11557 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
11558 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
11559 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
11560 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
11561 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
11565 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11566 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
11567 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
11570 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
11571 session, which is not a good idea.
11575 @node Indirect Functions
11576 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
11577 @cindex indirect connection functions
11579 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
11580 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
11581 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
11582 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
11583 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
11584 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11587 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11588 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11589 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
11590 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
11591 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
11593 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11596 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
11597 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
11598 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
11599 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
11602 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11603 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11604 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
11605 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
11607 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11610 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
11611 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
11612 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
11615 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
11616 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
11617 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
11618 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
11620 @item nntp-via-user-password
11621 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
11622 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
11624 @item nntp-via-envuser
11625 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
11626 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
11627 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
11628 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
11630 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
11631 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
11632 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
11633 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
11640 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
11645 @item nntp-via-user-name
11646 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
11647 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
11649 @item nntp-via-address
11650 @vindex nntp-via-address
11651 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
11656 @node Common Variables
11657 @subsubsection Common Variables
11659 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
11660 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
11665 @item nntp-pre-command
11666 @vindex nntp-pre-command
11667 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
11668 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
11669 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
11670 wrapper for instance.
11673 @vindex nntp-address
11674 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
11676 @item nntp-port-number
11677 @vindex nntp-port-number
11678 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
11680 @item nntp-end-of-line
11681 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
11682 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
11683 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
11684 using a non native connection function.
11686 @item nntp-telnet-command
11687 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
11688 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
11689 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
11690 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
11692 @item nntp-telnet-switches
11693 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
11694 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
11701 @subsection News Spool
11705 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
11706 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
11707 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
11710 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
11711 anything else) as the address.
11713 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
11714 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
11715 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
11716 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
11720 @item nnspool-inews-program
11721 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
11722 Program used to post an article.
11724 @item nnspool-inews-switches
11725 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
11726 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
11728 @item nnspool-spool-directory
11729 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
11730 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
11731 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
11733 @item nnspool-nov-directory
11734 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
11735 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
11736 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
11738 @item nnspool-lib-dir
11739 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
11740 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
11742 @item nnspool-active-file
11743 @vindex nnspool-active-file
11744 The path to the active file.
11746 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
11747 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
11748 The path to the group descriptions file.
11750 @item nnspool-history-file
11751 @vindex nnspool-history-file
11752 The path to the news history file.
11754 @item nnspool-active-times-file
11755 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
11756 The path to the active date file.
11758 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
11759 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
11760 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
11763 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11764 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11766 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
11767 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
11768 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
11774 @section Getting Mail
11775 @cindex reading mail
11778 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
11782 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
11783 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
11784 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
11785 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
11786 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
11787 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
11788 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
11789 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
11790 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
11791 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
11792 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
11793 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
11794 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
11795 * Archiving Mail:: How to backup your mail.
11799 @node Mail in a Newsreader
11800 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
11802 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
11803 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
11804 of a culture shock.
11806 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
11807 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
11809 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
11810 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
11811 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
11812 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
11814 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
11816 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
11817 deleted? How awful!
11819 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
11820 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
11821 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
11822 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
11825 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
11826 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
11827 they want to treat a message.
11829 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
11830 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
11831 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
11832 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
11833 archived somewhere else.
11835 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
11836 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
11837 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
11838 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
11839 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
11841 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
11842 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
11843 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
11845 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
11846 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
11849 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
11850 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
11851 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
11852 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
11853 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
11855 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
11856 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
11857 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
11858 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
11859 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
11860 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
11864 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
11865 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
11867 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
11868 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
11869 and things will happen automatically.
11871 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
11872 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
11875 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
11878 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
11879 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
11880 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
11881 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
11882 like any other group.
11884 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
11887 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11888 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11889 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11893 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
11894 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
11895 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
11898 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
11899 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
11900 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
11903 @node Splitting Mail
11904 @subsection Splitting Mail
11905 @cindex splitting mail
11906 @cindex mail splitting
11908 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
11909 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
11910 to be split into groups.
11913 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11914 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11915 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11916 ("mail.other" "")))
11919 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
11920 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
11921 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
11922 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
11923 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
11924 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
11925 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
11928 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
11931 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
11932 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
11933 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
11934 mail belongs in that group.
11936 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
11937 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
11938 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
11939 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
11940 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
11941 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
11943 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
11944 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
11945 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
11946 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
11947 thinks should carry this mail message.
11949 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
11950 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
11951 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
11952 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
11954 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
11955 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
11956 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
11957 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
11958 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
11960 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
11963 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
11964 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
11965 links. If that's the case for you, set
11966 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
11967 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
11969 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
11970 @kindex nnmail-split-history
11971 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
11972 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
11973 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
11974 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
11977 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
11978 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
11979 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
11980 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
11981 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
11982 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
11983 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
11984 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
11985 month's rent money.
11989 @subsection Mail Sources
11991 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
11992 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
11996 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
11997 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
11998 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12002 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12003 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12005 @cindex mail server
12008 @cindex mail source
12010 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12011 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12016 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12019 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12020 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12021 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12024 The following mail source types are available:
12028 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12034 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12035 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
12038 An example file mail source:
12041 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12044 Or using the default path:
12050 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12051 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12052 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12055 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12059 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12062 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12066 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12069 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12071 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12074 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12078 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
12079 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
12080 That is, mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in the
12081 group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12082 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12083 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus
12084 to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you
12085 want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12091 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12095 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12099 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12100 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12101 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12102 predicate are considered.
12106 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12110 An example directory mail source:
12113 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
12118 Get mail from a POP server.
12124 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
12125 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12128 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
12129 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
12130 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
12131 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
12132 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
12135 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
12139 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
12143 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
12144 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
12147 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12150 The valid format specifier characters are:
12154 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12155 included in this string.
12158 The name of the server.
12161 The port number of the server.
12164 The user name to use.
12167 The password to use.
12170 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12171 corresponding keywords.
12174 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12175 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12178 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12179 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12182 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
12183 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
12186 @item :authentication
12187 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
12188 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
12193 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
12194 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
12196 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
12197 default user name, and default fetcher:
12203 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
12206 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
12207 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
12210 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
12213 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
12217 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
12218 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
12219 contains exactly one mail.
12225 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12226 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12229 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12230 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12232 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12233 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12234 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
12237 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
12238 from locking problems).
12242 Two example maildir mail sources:
12245 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
12246 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
12250 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
12255 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
12256 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
12257 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
12258 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
12261 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
12262 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
12268 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
12269 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12272 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12273 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
12276 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
12280 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
12284 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
12285 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
12286 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
12287 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
12289 @item :authentication
12290 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
12291 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
12292 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
12293 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
12296 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
12297 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
12298 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
12304 The valid format specifier characters are:
12308 The name of the server.
12311 User name from `imap-default-user'.
12314 The port number of the server.
12317 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12318 corresponding keywords.
12321 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
12322 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
12325 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
12326 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
12327 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
12328 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
12329 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
12330 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
12333 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
12334 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
12335 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
12336 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
12339 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
12340 after finishing the fetch.
12344 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
12347 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
12349 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
12353 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
12354 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
12356 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
12359 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
12360 required for url "4.0pre.46".
12362 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
12368 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
12369 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
12372 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
12376 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
12380 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
12381 folder after finishing the fetch.
12385 An example webmail source:
12388 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
12390 :password "secret")
12395 @item Common Keywords
12396 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
12402 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
12403 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
12407 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
12412 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
12413 useful when you use local mail and news.
12418 @subsubsection Function Interface
12420 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
12421 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
12422 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
12423 consider the following mail-source setting:
12426 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
12427 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
12430 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
12431 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
12432 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
12433 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
12434 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
12436 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
12439 @node Mail Source Customization
12440 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
12442 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
12443 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
12447 @item mail-source-crash-box
12448 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
12449 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
12450 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
12452 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
12453 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
12454 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
12456 @item mail-source-directory
12457 @vindex mail-source-directory
12458 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
12459 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
12460 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
12463 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12464 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12465 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
12466 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
12467 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
12468 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
12470 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
12471 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
12472 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
12474 @item mail-source-movemail-program
12475 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
12476 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
12477 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
12482 @node Fetching Mail
12483 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
12485 @vindex mail-sources
12486 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
12487 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
12488 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
12489 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
12491 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
12492 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
12495 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
12496 mail server, you'd say something like:
12501 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12502 :password "secret")))
12505 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
12509 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
12510 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12513 :password "secret")))
12517 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
12518 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
12519 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
12520 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
12521 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
12522 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
12526 @node Mail Back End Variables
12527 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
12529 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
12533 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12534 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12535 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
12536 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
12538 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
12539 @item nnmail-split-hook
12540 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
12541 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
12542 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
12543 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
12544 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
12545 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
12546 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
12547 in the buffer will show up in any files.
12548 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
12551 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12552 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12553 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12554 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12555 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
12556 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
12557 starting to handle the new mail) and
12558 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
12559 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
12560 default file modes the new mail files get:
12563 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12564 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
12566 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12567 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
12570 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
12571 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
12572 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
12573 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
12574 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
12575 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
12576 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
12578 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
12579 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
12580 @findex delete-file
12581 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
12583 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12584 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12585 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
12586 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
12587 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
12592 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
12593 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
12594 @cindex mail splitting
12595 @cindex fancy mail splitting
12597 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
12598 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
12599 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
12600 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
12601 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
12602 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
12604 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
12607 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
12608 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
12609 ;; from real errors.
12610 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
12612 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
12613 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
12614 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
12615 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
12616 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
12617 ;; Other mailing lists...
12618 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
12619 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
12620 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
12621 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
12622 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
12623 ;; message was really cross-posted.
12624 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
12625 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
12627 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
12628 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
12632 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
12633 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
12634 the five possible split syntaxes:
12639 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
12640 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
12644 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
12645 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
12646 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
12647 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
12648 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
12649 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
12650 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
12651 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
12654 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12655 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
12656 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
12657 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
12660 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12661 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
12664 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
12665 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
12668 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
12669 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
12670 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
12671 function should return a @var{split}.
12674 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
12675 body of the messages:
12678 (defun split-on-body ()
12680 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
12681 (goto-char (point-min))
12682 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
12686 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
12687 when the @code{:} function is run.
12690 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12691 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
12692 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
12696 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
12700 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
12701 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
12702 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
12703 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
12704 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
12706 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
12707 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
12708 are expanded as specified by the variable
12709 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
12710 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
12713 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
12714 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
12715 when all this splitting is performed.
12717 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
12718 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
12719 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
12722 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
12725 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
12726 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
12728 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
12729 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
12730 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
12731 groupings 1 through 9.
12733 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
12734 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
12735 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
12736 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
12737 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
12738 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
12739 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
12740 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
12741 it once per thread.
12743 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
12744 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
12745 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
12748 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12749 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
12750 ;; other splits go here
12754 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
12755 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
12756 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
12757 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
12758 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
12759 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
12760 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
12761 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
12762 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
12763 unless the group name matches the regexp
12764 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
12765 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
12766 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
12767 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
12768 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12769 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
12770 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
12771 messages goes into the new group.
12774 @node Group Mail Splitting
12775 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
12776 @cindex mail splitting
12777 @cindex group mail splitting
12779 @findex gnus-group-split
12780 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
12781 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
12782 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
12783 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
12784 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
12785 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
12786 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
12787 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
12789 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
12790 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
12791 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
12792 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
12794 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
12795 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
12796 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
12797 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
12798 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
12799 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
12800 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
12802 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
12803 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
12804 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
12805 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
12806 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
12807 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
12808 @code{gnus-group-split}.
12810 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
12811 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
12812 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
12813 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
12814 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
12815 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
12816 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
12817 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
12818 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
12819 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
12820 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
12821 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
12822 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
12824 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
12829 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
12830 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
12832 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
12833 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
12834 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
12835 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
12837 ((split-spec . catch-all))
12840 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
12841 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
12842 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
12845 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
12846 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
12847 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
12851 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
12852 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
12853 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
12857 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
12860 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
12861 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
12862 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
12863 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
12864 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
12865 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
12866 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
12867 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
12868 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
12870 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
12871 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
12872 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
12873 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
12874 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
12875 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
12876 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
12877 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
12878 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
12880 @findex gnus-group-split-update
12881 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
12882 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
12883 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
12884 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
12885 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
12888 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
12891 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
12892 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
12893 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
12894 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
12895 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
12898 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
12899 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
12900 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
12901 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
12903 @node Incorporating Old Mail
12904 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
12905 @cindex incorporating old mail
12906 @cindex import old mail
12908 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
12909 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
12910 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
12913 Doing so can be quite easy.
12915 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
12916 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
12917 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
12918 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
12919 your @code{nnml} groups.
12925 Go to the group buffer.
12928 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
12929 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12932 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
12935 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
12936 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
12939 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
12940 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
12943 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
12944 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
12945 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
12946 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
12947 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
12949 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
12950 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
12951 using the new mail back end.
12954 @node Expiring Mail
12955 @subsection Expiring Mail
12956 @cindex article expiry
12958 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
12959 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
12960 different approach to mail reading.
12962 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
12963 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
12964 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
12965 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
12966 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
12967 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
12970 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
12971 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
12972 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
12973 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
12974 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
12975 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
12976 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
12977 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
12979 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12980 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
12981 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
12982 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
12983 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
12984 column in the summary buffer.
12986 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
12987 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
12988 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
12989 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
12992 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
12994 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
12995 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
12996 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
12999 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13000 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13001 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13002 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13003 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13005 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13006 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13009 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13010 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13013 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13014 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13016 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13017 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13018 don't really mix very well.
13020 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13021 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13022 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13023 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13026 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13027 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13028 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13029 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13032 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13034 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13036 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13038 ((string= group "mail.junk")
13040 ((string= group "important")
13046 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
13047 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
13049 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
13050 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
13051 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
13054 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
13055 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13057 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
13058 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
13059 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them to
13060 other groups instead of deleting them. The variable @code{nnmail-expiry-target}
13061 (and the @code{expiry-target} group parameter) controls this. The
13062 variable supplies a default value for all groups, which can be
13063 overridden for specific groups by the group parameter.
13064 default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a string (which
13065 should be the name of the group the message should be moved to), or a
13066 function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to the message in
13067 question, and with the name of the group being moved from as its
13068 parameter) which should return a target -- either a group name or
13071 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
13073 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
13076 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13077 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13078 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
13079 expire mail to groups according to the variable
13080 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
13083 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13084 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13085 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
13086 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
13087 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
13090 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
13091 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
13092 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
13093 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
13094 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
13095 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
13097 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
13098 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
13099 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
13100 easier for procmail users.
13102 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
13103 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
13104 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
13105 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
13106 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
13107 caution. Even more dangerous is the
13108 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
13109 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
13110 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
13111 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
13112 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
13113 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
13114 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
13117 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
13119 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
13120 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
13121 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
13122 auto-expire turned on.
13126 @subsection Washing Mail
13127 @cindex mail washing
13128 @cindex list server brain damage
13129 @cindex incoming mail treatment
13131 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
13132 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
13133 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
13134 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
13135 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
13136 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
13138 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
13139 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
13140 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
13143 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
13144 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
13145 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
13146 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
13149 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13150 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13151 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
13152 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
13153 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
13156 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13157 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13158 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
13159 Emacs running on MS machines.
13163 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13164 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13165 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
13166 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
13169 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13170 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13171 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
13172 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
13174 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13175 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13176 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
13177 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
13178 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
13179 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
13180 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
13183 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
13184 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
13187 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
13188 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
13191 This can also be done non-destructively with
13192 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
13194 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
13195 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
13196 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
13198 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13199 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13201 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
13202 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
13203 @code{References} headers.
13207 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13208 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13209 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
13213 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
13214 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
13215 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
13222 @subsection Duplicates
13224 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
13225 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
13226 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
13227 @cindex duplicate mails
13228 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
13229 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
13230 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
13231 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
13232 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
13233 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
13234 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
13235 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
13236 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
13237 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
13238 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
13239 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
13240 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
13242 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
13243 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
13244 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
13245 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
13247 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
13250 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
13251 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
13255 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13256 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
13257 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
13258 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
13259 (any mail "mail.misc")
13266 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13267 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
13272 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
13273 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
13274 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
13275 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
13276 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
13279 @node Not Reading Mail
13280 @subsection Not Reading Mail
13282 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
13283 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
13284 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
13286 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
13287 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
13288 mail, which should help.
13290 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13291 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13292 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13293 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13294 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13295 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
13296 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
13297 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
13298 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
13299 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
13300 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
13302 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
13303 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
13307 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
13308 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
13310 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
13311 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
13312 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
13314 There are five different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
13315 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
13316 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
13317 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
13320 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
13321 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
13322 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
13323 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
13324 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
13325 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
13329 @node Unix Mail Box
13330 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
13332 @cindex unix mail box
13334 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13335 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13336 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
13337 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
13338 which group it belongs in.
13340 Virtual server settings:
13343 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
13344 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13345 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
13348 @item nnmbox-active-file
13349 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13350 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
13351 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
13353 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
13354 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13355 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
13356 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
13361 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
13365 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13366 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13367 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
13368 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
13369 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
13371 Virtual server settings:
13374 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
13375 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13376 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
13378 @item nnbabyl-active-file
13379 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13380 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
13381 @file{~/.rmail-active}
13383 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13384 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13385 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
13391 @subsubsection Mail Spool
13393 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
13395 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
13396 format. It should be used with some caution.
13398 @vindex nnml-directory
13399 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
13400 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
13401 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
13402 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
13404 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
13407 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
13408 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
13409 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
13410 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
13411 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
13412 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
13413 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
13414 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
13416 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
13417 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
13418 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
13419 back end when it comes to reading mail.
13421 @cindex self contained nnml servers
13422 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
13423 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13424 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13425 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
13426 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
13427 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
13428 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
13429 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
13432 Virtual server settings:
13435 @item nnml-directory
13436 @vindex nnml-directory
13437 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
13438 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
13441 @item nnml-active-file
13442 @vindex nnml-active-file
13443 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
13444 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
13446 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
13447 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
13448 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13449 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
13451 @item nnml-get-new-mail
13452 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13453 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
13456 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
13457 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
13458 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13459 default is @code{nil}.
13461 @item nnml-nov-file-name
13462 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
13463 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
13465 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13466 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13467 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
13469 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
13470 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
13471 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13472 default is @code{nil}.
13474 @item nnml-marks-file-name
13475 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
13476 The name of the @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
13480 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
13481 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
13482 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
13483 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
13484 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
13485 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
13486 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
13491 @subsubsection MH Spool
13493 @cindex mh-e mail spool
13495 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
13496 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
13497 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
13498 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
13500 Virtual server settings:
13503 @item nnmh-directory
13504 @vindex nnmh-directory
13505 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
13506 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13509 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
13510 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13511 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
13515 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
13516 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
13517 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
13518 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
13519 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
13520 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
13521 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
13526 @subsubsection Mail Folders
13528 @cindex mbox folders
13529 @cindex mail folders
13531 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
13532 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
13533 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
13536 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
13537 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
13538 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13539 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13540 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
13541 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
13542 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
13543 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
13544 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
13545 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
13546 @code{nnfolder} directory).
13548 Virtual server settings:
13551 @item nnfolder-directory
13552 @vindex nnfolder-directory
13553 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
13554 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13557 @item nnfolder-active-file
13558 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
13559 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
13561 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13562 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13563 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13564 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
13566 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
13567 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13568 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
13571 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13572 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13573 @cindex backup files
13574 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
13575 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
13576 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
13577 your @file{.emacs} file:
13580 (defun turn-off-backup ()
13581 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
13583 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
13586 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13587 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13588 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
13589 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
13590 extract some information from it before removing it.
13592 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13593 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13594 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13595 default is @code{nil}.
13597 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13598 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13599 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
13601 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
13602 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
13603 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
13604 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
13606 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13607 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13608 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13609 default is @code{nil}.
13611 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13612 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13613 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
13615 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
13616 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
13617 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
13618 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
13623 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
13624 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
13625 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
13626 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
13627 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
13628 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
13631 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
13632 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
13634 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
13635 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
13636 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
13637 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
13638 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
13640 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
13641 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
13642 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
13643 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
13644 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
13645 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
13646 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
13647 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
13650 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
13651 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
13652 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
13653 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
13658 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
13659 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
13660 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
13661 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
13662 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
13663 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
13664 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
13665 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
13666 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
13667 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
13668 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
13669 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
13670 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
13675 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
13676 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
13677 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
13678 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
13679 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
13680 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
13681 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
13682 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
13683 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
13684 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
13685 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
13686 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
13687 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
13688 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
13690 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
13691 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
13696 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
13697 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
13698 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
13699 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
13700 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
13701 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
13702 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
13703 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
13704 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
13705 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
13706 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
13707 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
13708 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
13709 provided by the active file and overviews.
13711 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
13712 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
13713 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
13714 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
13715 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
13718 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
13719 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
13724 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
13725 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
13726 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
13727 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
13728 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
13729 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
13730 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
13734 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
13735 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
13736 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
13737 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
13738 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
13739 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
13740 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
13741 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
13742 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
13744 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
13745 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
13746 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
13747 friendly mail back end all over.
13752 @node Browsing the Web
13753 @section Browsing the Web
13755 @cindex browsing the web
13759 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
13760 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
13761 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
13762 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
13763 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
13764 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
13765 even know what a news group is.
13767 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
13768 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
13769 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
13770 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
13771 you mad in the end.
13773 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
13776 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
13777 interfaces to these sources.
13780 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
13781 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
13782 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
13783 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
13784 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
13785 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
13788 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
13790 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
13791 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
13792 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
13793 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
13794 though, you should be ok.
13796 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
13797 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
13798 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
13799 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
13800 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
13802 @node Archiving Mail
13803 @subsection Archiving Mail
13804 @cindex archiving mail
13805 @cindex backup of mail
13807 Some of the back ends, notably nnml and nnfolder, now actually store
13808 the article marks with each group. For these servers, archiving and
13809 restoring a group while preserving marks is fairly simple.
13811 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
13812 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @code{.newsrc.eld} deity
13815 To archive an entire @code{nnml} or @code{nnfolder} server, take a
13816 recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need to shut down
13817 Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or similar. You
13818 restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and adding a server
13819 definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The @ref{Article
13820 Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things might interfer
13821 with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus before you
13824 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml} or
13825 @code{nnfolder} groups, while preserving marks. For @code{nnml}, you
13826 copy all files in the group's directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need
13827 to copy both the base folder file itself (@code{FOO}, say), and the
13828 marks file (@code{FOO.mrk} in this example). Restoring the group is
13829 done with @kbd{G m} from the Group buffer. The last step makes Gnus
13830 notice the new directory.
13833 @subsection Web Searches
13837 @cindex InReference
13838 @cindex Usenet searches
13839 @cindex searching the Usenet
13841 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
13842 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
13843 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
13844 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
13845 searches without having to use a browser.
13847 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
13848 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
13849 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
13850 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
13851 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
13853 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
13854 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
13855 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
13856 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
13857 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
13858 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
13859 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
13860 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
13861 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
13862 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
13865 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
13866 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
13867 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
13868 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
13869 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
13870 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
13872 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
13873 to use @code{nnweb}.
13875 Virtual server variables:
13880 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
13881 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
13885 @vindex nnweb-search
13886 The search string to feed to the search engine.
13888 @item nnweb-max-hits
13889 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
13890 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
13893 @item nnweb-type-definition
13894 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
13895 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
13896 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
13901 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
13905 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
13908 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
13911 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
13915 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
13922 @subsection Slashdot
13926 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
13927 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
13928 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
13930 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
13931 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
13934 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
13935 '((nnslashdot "")))
13938 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
13939 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
13940 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
13941 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
13942 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
13945 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
13946 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13948 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
13949 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
13950 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
13951 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
13952 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
13953 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
13956 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
13959 @item nnslashdot-threaded
13960 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
13961 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
13962 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
13963 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
13964 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
13965 but much, much slower than untreaded.
13967 @item nnslashdot-login-name
13968 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
13969 The login name to use when posting.
13971 @item nnslashdot-password
13972 @vindex nnslashdot-password
13973 The password to use when posting.
13975 @item nnslashdot-directory
13976 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
13977 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
13978 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
13980 @item nnslashdot-active-url
13981 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
13982 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
13983 news articles and comments. The default is
13984 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
13986 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
13987 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
13988 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
13990 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
13992 @item nnslashdot-article-url
13993 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
13994 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
13996 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
13998 @item nnslashdot-threshold
13999 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
14000 The score threshold. The default is -1.
14002 @item nnslashdot-group-number
14003 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
14004 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
14005 updated. The default is 0.
14012 @subsection Ultimate
14014 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
14016 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
14017 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
14018 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
14019 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
14021 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
14022 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
14023 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
14024 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
14025 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
14026 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
14027 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
14029 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
14032 @item nnultimate-directory
14033 @vindex nnultimate-directory
14034 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
14035 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
14040 @subsection Web Archive
14042 @cindex Web Archive
14044 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
14045 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
14046 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
14047 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14050 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
14051 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
14052 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
14053 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
14054 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
14055 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
14056 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
14058 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
14061 @item nnwarchive-directory
14062 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
14063 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
14064 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
14066 @item nnwarchive-login
14067 @vindex nnwarchive-login
14068 The account name on the web server.
14070 @item nnwarchive-passwd
14071 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
14072 The password for your account on the web server.
14080 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
14081 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
14082 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14085 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
14086 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
14089 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
14092 @item nnrss-directory
14093 @vindex nnrss-directory
14094 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
14095 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
14099 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
14100 the summary buffer.
14103 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
14104 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
14106 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
14108 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
14109 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
14112 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
14115 (require 'browse-url)
14117 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
14119 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
14122 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
14123 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
14125 (browse-url (cdr url))
14126 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
14128 (eval-after-load "gnus"
14129 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
14130 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
14131 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
14134 @node Customizing w3
14135 @subsection Customizing w3
14141 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
14142 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
14143 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
14145 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
14146 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
14147 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
14150 (eval-after-load "w3"
14152 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
14153 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
14154 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
14155 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
14157 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
14160 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
14161 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
14169 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
14170 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
14171 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
14172 specify the network address of the server.
14174 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
14175 POP can, it can hence be viewed as POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
14176 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
14177 protocol. (@sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp} because news
14178 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.)
14180 If you want to use @sc{imap} as POP++, use an imap entry in
14181 mail-sources. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the @sc{imap}
14182 server and store them on the local disk. This is not the usage
14183 described in this section. @xref{Mail Sources}.
14185 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
14186 entry in gnus-secondary-select-methods. With this, Gnus will
14187 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
14188 usage explained in this section.
14190 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
14191 might look something like this:
14194 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14195 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
14196 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
14198 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14199 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
14200 ; a UW server running on localhost
14202 (nnimap-server-port 143)
14203 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14204 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
14205 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
14206 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
14207 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
14208 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
14209 (nnimap-stream network))
14210 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
14212 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
14213 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
14214 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
14217 (Note that for SSL/TLS to work, you need the external library
14218 @samp{ssl.el}, see below.)
14220 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
14225 @item nnimap-address
14226 @vindex nnimap-address
14228 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
14229 server name if not specified.
14231 @item nnimap-server-port
14232 @vindex nnimap-server-port
14233 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
14235 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
14238 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14239 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
14242 @item nnimap-list-pattern
14243 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
14244 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
14245 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
14246 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
14247 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
14248 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
14250 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
14251 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
14252 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
14255 Example server specification:
14258 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14259 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
14260 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
14263 @item nnimap-stream
14264 @vindex nnimap-stream
14265 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
14266 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
14267 of SSL/TLS. (IMAP over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
14268 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
14270 Example server specification:
14273 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14274 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14277 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
14281 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Requires the
14282 @samp{imtest} program.
14284 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
14286 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
14287 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
14290 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
14291 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
14292 library @samp{ssl.el}.
14294 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
14296 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
14299 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
14300 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
14301 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
14302 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
14303 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
14304 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
14305 restrictions on IMAP commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
14306 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
14307 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
14310 @vindex imap-ssl-program
14311 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
14312 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
14313 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
14314 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
14315 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
14316 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
14317 to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
14318 distribution, for instance).
14320 @vindex imap-shell-program
14321 @vindex imap-shell-host
14322 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
14323 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
14325 @item nnimap-authenticator
14326 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
14328 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
14329 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
14331 Example server specification:
14334 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14335 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
14338 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
14342 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
14343 external program @code{imtest}.
14345 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
14348 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
14349 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14351 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14353 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14355 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14358 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14360 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14361 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14362 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14363 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14364 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14365 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
14368 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14369 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14370 running in circles yet?
14372 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14373 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14376 The possible options are:
14381 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14384 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14385 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14386 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14387 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14389 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14394 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
14395 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
14397 If non-nil, marks dormant articles as ticked (as well), for other IMAP
14398 clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will naturally still (only) be
14399 marked as ticked. This is to make dormant articles stand out, just
14400 like ticked articles, in other IMAP clients. (In other words, Gnus has
14401 two ``Tick'' marks and IMAP has only one.)
14403 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
14404 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
14407 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
14408 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14409 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
14410 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14413 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
14414 as ticked for other users.
14416 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
14418 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
14420 This variable contain the IMAP search command sent to server when
14421 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
14422 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
14423 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
14425 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
14426 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
14427 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
14428 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
14430 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
14431 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
14433 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
14434 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
14435 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14441 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14442 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14443 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14448 @node Splitting in IMAP
14449 @subsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
14450 @cindex splitting imap mail
14452 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14453 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14454 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14455 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14456 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14460 Here are the variables of interest:
14464 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14465 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14467 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14469 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14470 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14472 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14474 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14475 @cindex splitting, inbox
14477 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14479 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14480 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14484 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14485 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14488 No nnmail equivalent.
14490 @item nnimap-split-rule
14491 @cindex Splitting, rules
14492 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14494 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14497 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14498 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14499 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14500 Neither did I, we need examples.
14503 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14505 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14506 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14507 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14510 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14511 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14512 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
14514 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14515 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14519 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14522 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14523 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14524 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14525 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14527 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14528 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14529 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14530 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
14531 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14532 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14534 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
14535 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
14536 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
14538 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
14539 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
14540 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14542 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
14544 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
14545 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
14546 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
14549 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14550 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
14551 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
14552 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
14553 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
14554 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
14557 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
14558 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
14559 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
14560 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
14561 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
14562 group/function elements.
14564 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
14566 @item nnimap-split-predicate
14568 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
14570 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
14571 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
14573 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
14574 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
14575 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
14578 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14579 @cindex splitting, fancy
14580 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
14581 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
14583 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14584 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
14585 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14587 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
14588 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14589 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
14590 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14595 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
14596 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
14599 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14603 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
14604 @subsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14605 @cindex editing imap acls
14606 @cindex Access Control Lists
14607 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14609 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
14611 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
14612 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
14613 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
14616 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
14617 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
14618 editing window with detailed instructions.
14620 Some possible uses:
14624 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
14625 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
14626 follow the list without subscribing to it.
14628 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
14629 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
14630 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
14634 @node Expunging mailboxes
14635 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
14639 @cindex Manual expunging
14641 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
14643 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
14644 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
14645 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
14647 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
14652 @node Other Sources
14653 @section Other Sources
14655 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
14656 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
14660 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
14661 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
14662 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
14663 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
14664 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
14668 @node Directory Groups
14669 @subsection Directory Groups
14671 @cindex directory groups
14673 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
14674 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
14677 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
14678 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
14679 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
14680 back end to read directories. Big deal.
14682 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
14683 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
14684 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
14685 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
14686 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
14688 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
14690 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
14691 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
14692 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
14693 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
14696 @node Anything Groups
14697 @subsection Anything Groups
14700 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
14701 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
14702 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
14705 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
14706 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
14707 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
14708 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
14709 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
14710 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
14711 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
14712 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
14713 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
14714 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
14717 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
14718 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
14719 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
14720 in the article buffer, just as usual.
14722 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
14723 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
14724 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
14725 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
14727 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
14728 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
14729 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
14730 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
14731 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
14732 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
14733 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
14734 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
14739 @item nneething-map-file-directory
14740 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
14741 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
14742 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
14744 @item nneething-exclude-files
14745 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
14746 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
14747 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
14749 @item nneething-include-files
14750 @vindex nneething-include-files
14751 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
14752 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
14754 @item nneething-map-file
14755 @vindex nneething-map-file
14756 Name of the map files.
14760 @node Document Groups
14761 @subsection Document Groups
14763 @cindex documentation group
14766 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
14767 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
14774 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
14779 The standard Unix mbox file.
14781 @cindex MMDF mail box
14783 The MMDF mail box format.
14786 Several news articles appended into a file.
14789 @cindex rnews batch files
14790 The rnews batch transport format.
14791 @cindex forwarded messages
14794 Forwarded articles.
14797 Netscape mail boxes.
14800 MIME multipart messages.
14802 @item standard-digest
14803 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
14806 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
14809 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
14810 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
14811 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
14814 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
14815 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
14816 group. And that's it.
14818 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
14819 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
14820 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
14821 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
14822 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
14823 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
14824 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
14825 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
14826 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
14827 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
14829 Virtual server variables:
14832 @item nndoc-article-type
14833 @vindex nndoc-article-type
14834 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
14835 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
14836 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
14837 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail},
14838 @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman} or @code{guess}.
14840 @item nndoc-post-type
14841 @vindex nndoc-post-type
14842 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
14843 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
14848 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
14852 @node Document Server Internals
14853 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
14855 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
14856 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
14857 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
14858 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
14860 First, here's an example document type definition:
14864 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
14865 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
14868 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
14869 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
14870 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
14871 types can be defined with very few settings:
14874 @item first-article
14875 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
14876 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
14879 @item article-begin
14880 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
14881 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
14883 @item head-begin-function
14884 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
14887 @item nndoc-head-begin
14888 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
14891 @item nndoc-head-end
14892 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
14893 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
14895 @item body-begin-function
14896 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
14900 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
14903 @item body-end-function
14904 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
14908 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
14911 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
14912 regexp will be totally ignored.
14916 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
14917 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
14918 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
14919 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
14920 something that's palatable for Gnus:
14923 @item prepare-body-function
14924 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
14925 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
14926 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
14928 @item article-transform-function
14929 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
14930 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
14931 body of the article.
14933 @item generate-head-function
14934 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
14935 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
14936 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
14937 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
14941 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
14946 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
14947 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
14948 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
14949 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
14950 (head-end . "^ ?$")
14951 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
14952 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
14953 (subtype digest guess))
14956 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
14957 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
14958 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
14959 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
14960 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
14962 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
14963 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
14964 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
14965 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
14966 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
14967 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
14968 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
14969 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
14970 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
14971 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
14979 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
14980 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
14981 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
14983 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
14984 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
14985 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
14988 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
14989 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
14990 that interested in doing things properly.
14992 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
14993 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
14996 First some terminology:
15001 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
15002 get news and/or mail from.
15005 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
15006 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
15009 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
15013 @item message packets
15014 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
15015 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
15016 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15018 @item response packets
15019 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
15020 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
15021 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15031 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
15032 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
15033 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
15034 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
15037 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
15040 You put the packet in your home directory.
15043 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
15044 the native or secondary server.
15047 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
15048 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
15051 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
15055 You transfer this packet to the server.
15058 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
15061 You then repeat until you die.
15065 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
15066 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
15069 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
15070 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
15071 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
15075 @node SOUP Commands
15076 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
15078 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
15082 @kindex G s b (Group)
15083 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
15084 Pack all unread articles in the current group
15085 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
15086 process/prefix convention.
15089 @kindex G s w (Group)
15090 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
15091 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
15094 @kindex G s s (Group)
15095 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
15096 Send all replies from the replies packet
15097 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
15100 @kindex G s p (Group)
15101 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
15102 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
15105 @kindex G s r (Group)
15106 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
15107 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
15110 @kindex O s (Summary)
15111 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
15112 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
15113 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
15114 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15119 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
15124 @item gnus-soup-directory
15125 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
15126 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
15127 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
15129 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
15130 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
15131 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
15132 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
15134 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
15135 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
15136 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
15137 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
15139 @item gnus-soup-packer
15140 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
15141 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15142 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
15144 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
15145 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
15146 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15147 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15149 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
15150 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
15151 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
15153 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15154 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15155 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
15156 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
15162 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
15165 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
15166 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
15167 you can read them at leisure.
15169 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
15173 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
15174 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
15175 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
15176 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
15178 @item nnsoup-directory
15179 @vindex nnsoup-directory
15180 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
15181 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
15183 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
15184 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
15185 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
15186 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
15188 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
15189 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
15190 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
15191 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
15192 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
15194 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
15195 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
15196 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
15197 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
15199 @item nnsoup-active-file
15200 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
15201 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
15202 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
15203 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
15204 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
15206 @item nnsoup-packer
15207 @vindex nnsoup-packer
15208 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
15209 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
15211 @item nnsoup-unpacker
15212 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
15213 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
15214 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15216 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
15217 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
15218 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
15221 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
15222 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
15223 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
15226 @item nnsoup-always-save
15227 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
15228 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
15234 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
15236 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
15237 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
15238 more for that to happen.
15240 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
15241 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
15242 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
15245 In specific, this is what it does:
15248 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
15249 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
15252 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
15253 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
15254 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
15257 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
15258 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
15259 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
15262 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
15263 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
15264 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
15266 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
15272 @item nngateway-address
15273 @vindex nngateway-address
15274 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
15276 @item nngateway-header-transformation
15277 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
15278 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
15279 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
15280 transformation should be called, and defaults to
15281 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
15282 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
15285 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
15286 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
15287 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
15290 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
15293 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
15296 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
15299 The following pre-defined functions exist:
15301 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15304 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15305 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15306 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
15308 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15310 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15311 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15312 @code{nngateway-address}.
15317 (setq gnus-post-method
15319 "mail2news@@replay.com"
15320 (nngateway-header-transformation
15321 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
15329 So, to use this, simply say something like:
15332 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
15337 @node Combined Groups
15338 @section Combined Groups
15340 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
15344 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
15345 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
15349 @node Virtual Groups
15350 @subsection Virtual Groups
15352 @cindex virtual groups
15353 @cindex merging groups
15355 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
15358 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
15359 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
15360 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
15362 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
15363 regexp to match component groups.
15365 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
15366 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
15367 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
15368 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
15369 the virtual group.)
15371 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
15372 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
15375 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
15378 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
15379 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
15381 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
15382 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
15383 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
15384 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
15387 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
15390 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
15391 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
15392 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
15394 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
15395 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
15396 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
15397 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
15398 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
15400 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
15401 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
15402 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
15404 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
15405 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
15406 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
15407 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15408 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
15409 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
15410 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
15411 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
15412 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
15413 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
15414 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
15416 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
15417 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
15418 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
15419 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
15420 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
15421 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
15422 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
15424 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
15425 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
15429 @node Kibozed Groups
15430 @subsection Kibozed Groups
15434 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
15435 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
15436 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
15437 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
15439 @kindex G k (Group)
15440 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
15443 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
15444 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
15445 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
15446 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
15448 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
15449 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
15450 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
15452 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
15453 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
15454 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
15455 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
15456 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
15457 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
15458 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
15459 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
15461 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
15462 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
15463 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
15464 Stranger things have happened.
15466 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
15467 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
15469 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
15470 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
15471 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
15472 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
15473 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
15474 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
15476 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
15477 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
15480 @node Gnus Unplugged
15481 @section Gnus Unplugged
15486 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
15488 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
15489 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
15490 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
15491 read news. Believe it or not.
15493 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
15494 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
15495 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
15496 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
15497 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
15499 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
15500 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
15501 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
15502 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
15503 reading news on a machine.
15505 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
15509 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
15510 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
15514 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
15515 @file{.gnus.el} file:
15522 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
15524 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
15527 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
15528 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
15529 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
15530 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
15531 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
15532 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
15533 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
15534 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
15535 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
15536 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
15541 @subsection Agent Basics
15543 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
15545 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
15546 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
15547 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
15548 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
15550 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
15551 connected to the net continuously.
15553 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
15554 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
15556 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
15561 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
15562 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
15563 already fetched while in this mode.
15566 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
15567 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
15568 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
15569 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
15570 Source Specifiers}).
15573 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
15574 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
15575 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
15576 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
15577 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
15580 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
15581 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
15582 then you read the news offline.
15585 And then you go to step 2.
15588 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
15594 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
15595 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
15596 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
15597 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
15598 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
15599 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
15602 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
15609 @node Agent Categories
15610 @subsection Agent Categories
15612 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
15613 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
15614 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
15615 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
15616 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
15617 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
15618 you're interested in the articles anyway.
15620 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
15621 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
15622 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
15623 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
15624 managing categories.
15627 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
15628 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
15629 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
15633 @node Category Syntax
15634 @subsubsection Category Syntax
15636 A category consists of two things.
15640 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
15641 are eligible for downloading; and
15644 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
15645 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
15646 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
15649 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
15650 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
15651 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
15652 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
15654 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
15655 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
15656 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
15658 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
15659 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
15660 operators sprinkled in between.
15662 Perhaps some examples are in order.
15664 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
15665 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
15671 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
15672 short (for some value of ``short'').
15674 Here's a more complex predicate:
15683 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
15684 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
15687 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
15688 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
15689 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
15691 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
15692 you want to do, you can write your own.
15696 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
15697 lines; default 100.
15700 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
15701 lines; default 200.
15704 True iff the article has a download score less than
15705 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
15708 True iff the article has a download score greater than
15709 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
15712 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
15713 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
15714 checksum and sees whether articles match.
15723 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
15724 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
15725 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
15728 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
15729 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
15730 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
15731 something along the lines of the following:
15734 (defun my-article-old-p ()
15735 "Say whether an article is old."
15736 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
15737 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
15740 with the predicate then defined as:
15743 (not my-article-old-p)
15746 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
15747 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
15748 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
15749 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
15752 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
15753 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
15754 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
15757 and simply specify your predicate as:
15763 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
15764 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
15765 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
15766 just don't give a damn.
15768 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
15769 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
15770 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
15771 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
15772 parameters like so:
15775 (agent-predicate . short)
15778 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
15779 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
15780 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
15782 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
15785 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
15788 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
15789 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
15790 predicate is assumed to be a list.
15793 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
15794 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
15795 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
15796 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
15797 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
15798 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
15800 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
15801 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
15802 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
15803 if it's to be specific to that group.
15805 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
15812 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
15813 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
15819 Category specification
15823 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
15829 Group Parameter specification
15832 (agent-score ("from"
15833 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
15838 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
15844 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
15851 Category specification
15854 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
15860 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
15864 Group Parameter specification
15867 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
15870 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
15875 Use @code{normal} score files
15877 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
15878 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
15879 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
15880 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
15882 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
15883 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
15884 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
15885 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
15889 Category Specification
15896 Group Parameter specification
15899 (agent-score . file)
15904 @node Category Buffer
15905 @subsubsection Category Buffer
15907 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
15908 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
15909 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
15911 The following commands are available in this buffer:
15915 @kindex q (Category)
15916 @findex gnus-category-exit
15917 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
15920 @kindex k (Category)
15921 @findex gnus-category-kill
15922 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
15925 @kindex c (Category)
15926 @findex gnus-category-copy
15927 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
15930 @kindex a (Category)
15931 @findex gnus-category-add
15932 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
15935 @kindex p (Category)
15936 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
15937 Edit the predicate of the current category
15938 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
15941 @kindex g (Category)
15942 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
15943 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
15944 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
15947 @kindex s (Category)
15948 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
15949 Edit the download score rule of the current category
15950 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
15953 @kindex l (Category)
15954 @findex gnus-category-list
15955 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
15959 @node Category Variables
15960 @subsubsection Category Variables
15963 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
15964 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
15965 Hook run in category buffers.
15967 @item gnus-category-line-format
15968 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
15969 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
15970 Variables}). Valid elements are:
15974 The name of the category.
15977 The number of groups in the category.
15980 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
15981 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
15982 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
15984 @item gnus-agent-short-article
15985 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
15986 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
15988 @item gnus-agent-long-article
15989 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
15990 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
15992 @item gnus-agent-low-score
15993 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
15994 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
15997 @item gnus-agent-high-score
15998 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
15999 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
16005 @node Agent Commands
16006 @subsection Agent Commands
16008 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
16009 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
16010 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
16014 * Group Agent Commands::
16015 * Summary Agent Commands::
16016 * Server Agent Commands::
16019 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
16020 following incantation:
16022 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
16024 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
16029 @node Group Agent Commands
16030 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
16034 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
16035 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
16036 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
16037 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
16040 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
16041 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
16042 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
16045 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
16046 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
16047 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
16048 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
16051 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
16052 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
16053 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
16054 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
16057 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
16058 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
16059 Add the current group to an Agent category
16060 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
16061 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16064 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
16065 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
16066 Remove the current group from its category, if any
16067 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
16068 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16071 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
16072 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16073 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
16079 @node Summary Agent Commands
16080 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
16084 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
16085 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
16086 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
16089 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
16090 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
16091 Remove the downloading mark from the article
16092 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
16095 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
16096 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
16097 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
16100 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
16101 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
16102 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
16105 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
16106 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
16107 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
16108 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
16113 @node Server Agent Commands
16114 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
16118 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
16119 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
16120 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
16121 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
16124 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
16125 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
16126 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
16127 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
16133 @subsection Agent Expiry
16135 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
16136 @findex gnus-agent-expire
16137 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
16138 @cindex Agent expiry
16139 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
16142 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
16143 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
16144 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
16145 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
16146 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
16147 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
16149 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
16150 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
16151 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
16152 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
16153 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
16156 @node Agent and IMAP
16157 @subsection Agent and IMAP
16159 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
16160 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
16161 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
16162 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
16164 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
16165 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
16166 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
16167 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
16169 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
16170 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
16171 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
16172 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
16173 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
16175 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16176 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
16177 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
16178 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
16179 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
16180 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
16182 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
16183 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
16184 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
16185 in the group buffer by default.
16187 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
16188 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
16193 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
16196 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
16200 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
16201 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
16202 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
16203 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
16204 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
16205 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
16206 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
16207 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
16210 @node Outgoing Messages
16211 @subsection Outgoing Messages
16213 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
16214 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
16215 after posting, and edit them at will.
16217 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
16218 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
16219 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
16220 messages in the draft group.
16224 @node Agent Variables
16225 @subsection Agent Variables
16228 @item gnus-agent-directory
16229 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
16230 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
16231 @file{~/News/agent/}.
16233 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
16234 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
16235 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
16236 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
16237 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
16240 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16241 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16242 Hook run when connecting to the network.
16244 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16245 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16246 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
16251 @node Example Setup
16252 @subsection Example Setup
16254 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
16255 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
16256 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
16259 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
16260 ;;; from your ISP's server.
16261 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
16263 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
16264 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
16265 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
16267 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
16268 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
16270 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
16274 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
16275 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
16278 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
16279 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
16280 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
16281 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
16282 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
16285 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
16286 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
16287 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
16288 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
16289 back all the killed groups.)
16291 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
16292 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
16293 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
16296 @node Batching Agents
16297 @subsection Batching Agents
16299 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
16300 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
16301 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
16305 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
16309 @node Agent Caveats
16310 @subsection Agent Caveats
16312 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
16313 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
16317 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
16322 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
16323 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
16329 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
16330 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
16337 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
16338 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
16339 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
16342 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
16343 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
16344 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
16345 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
16346 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
16348 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
16349 before generating the summary buffer.
16351 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
16352 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
16353 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
16355 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
16356 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
16357 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
16358 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
16361 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
16362 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
16363 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
16364 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
16365 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
16366 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
16367 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
16368 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
16369 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
16370 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
16371 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
16372 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
16373 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
16374 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
16375 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
16376 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
16377 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
16381 @node Summary Score Commands
16382 @section Summary Score Commands
16383 @cindex score commands
16385 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
16386 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
16387 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
16388 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
16389 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
16391 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
16392 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
16393 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
16394 score file the current one.
16396 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
16401 @kindex V s (Summary)
16402 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
16403 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
16406 @kindex V S (Summary)
16407 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
16408 Display the score of the current article
16409 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
16412 @kindex V t (Summary)
16413 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
16414 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
16415 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
16418 @kindex V R (Summary)
16419 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
16420 Run the current summary through the scoring process
16421 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
16422 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
16423 effect you're having.
16426 @kindex V c (Summary)
16427 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
16428 Make a different score file the current
16429 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
16432 @kindex V e (Summary)
16433 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
16434 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
16435 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
16439 @kindex V f (Summary)
16440 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
16441 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
16442 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
16445 @kindex V F (Summary)
16446 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16447 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
16448 after editing score files.
16451 @kindex V C (Summary)
16452 @findex gnus-score-customize
16453 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
16454 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
16458 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
16463 @kindex V m (Summary)
16464 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
16465 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
16466 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
16469 @kindex V x (Summary)
16470 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
16471 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
16472 expunge all articles below this score
16473 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
16476 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
16477 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
16480 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
16481 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
16485 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
16486 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
16488 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
16489 keys are available:
16493 Score on the author name.
16496 Score on the subject line.
16499 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
16502 Score on the @code{References} line.
16508 Score on the number of lines.
16511 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
16514 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
16515 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
16516 @file{ADAPT} files.)
16525 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
16531 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
16532 what headers you are scoring on.
16544 Substring matching.
16547 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
16576 Greater than number.
16581 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
16582 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
16583 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
16587 Temporary score entry.
16590 Permanent score entry.
16593 Immediately scoring.
16598 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
16599 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
16600 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
16601 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
16603 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
16604 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
16605 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
16606 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
16607 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
16609 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
16610 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
16611 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
16612 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
16613 current score file.
16615 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
16616 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
16617 pretend they are keymaps or not.
16620 @node Group Score Commands
16621 @section Group Score Commands
16622 @cindex group score commands
16624 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
16629 @kindex W f (Group)
16630 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16631 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
16632 all the time. This command will flush the cache
16633 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
16637 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
16639 @findex gnus-batch-score
16640 @cindex batch scoring
16642 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
16646 @node Score Variables
16647 @section Score Variables
16648 @cindex score variables
16652 @item gnus-use-scoring
16653 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
16654 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
16655 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
16657 @item gnus-kill-killed
16658 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
16659 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
16660 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
16661 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
16662 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
16663 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
16664 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
16666 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
16667 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
16668 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
16669 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
16670 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
16672 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
16673 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
16674 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
16675 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
16677 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16678 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16679 @cindex score cache
16680 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
16681 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
16682 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
16683 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
16684 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
16685 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
16688 @item gnus-save-score
16689 @vindex gnus-save-score
16690 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
16691 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
16692 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
16694 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
16695 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
16696 across group visits.
16698 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16699 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16700 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
16701 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
16702 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
16703 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
16704 manually entered data.
16706 @item gnus-summary-default-score
16707 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
16708 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
16710 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
16711 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
16712 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
16713 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
16714 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
16715 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
16717 @item gnus-score-over-mark
16718 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
16719 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
16720 default. Default is @samp{+}.
16722 @item gnus-score-below-mark
16723 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
16724 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
16725 default. Default is @samp{-}.
16727 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16728 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16729 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
16730 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
16732 Predefined functions available are:
16735 @item gnus-score-find-single
16736 @findex gnus-score-find-single
16737 Only apply the group's own score file.
16739 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
16740 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
16741 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
16742 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
16743 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
16744 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
16745 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
16746 then a regexp match is done.
16748 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
16749 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
16751 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
16752 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
16753 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
16754 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
16756 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16757 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16758 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
16759 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
16760 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
16764 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
16765 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
16766 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
16767 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
16768 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
16769 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
16770 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
16773 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
16774 overall score file, you could use the value
16776 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
16777 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
16780 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
16781 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
16782 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
16783 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
16784 are expired. It's 7 by default.
16786 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16787 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16788 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
16789 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
16790 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
16791 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
16792 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
16795 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16796 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16797 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
16799 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
16800 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
16801 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
16802 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
16803 threading---according to the current value of
16804 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
16805 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
16806 simplified in this manner.
16811 @node Score File Format
16812 @section Score File Format
16813 @cindex score file format
16815 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
16816 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
16817 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
16819 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
16823 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
16825 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
16827 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
16829 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
16834 (mark-and-expunge -10)
16838 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
16839 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
16840 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
16841 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
16845 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
16846 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
16848 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
16849 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
16850 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
16852 Six keys are supported by this alist:
16857 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
16858 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
16859 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
16860 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
16861 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
16862 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
16863 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
16864 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
16865 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
16866 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
16867 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
16868 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
16869 to articles that matches these score entries.
16871 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
16872 score entry has one to four elements.
16876 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
16877 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
16881 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
16882 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
16883 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
16884 is successful. If this element is not present, the
16885 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
16886 instead. This is 1000 by default.
16889 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
16890 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
16891 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
16892 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
16893 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
16896 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
16897 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
16898 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
16899 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
16902 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
16903 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
16904 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
16905 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
16906 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
16907 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
16908 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
16909 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
16910 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
16911 instead, if you feel like.
16914 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
16915 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
16917 These predicates are true if
16920 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
16923 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
16924 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
16931 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
16932 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
16933 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
16934 it's not. I think.)
16936 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
16937 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
16938 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
16939 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
16942 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
16943 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
16944 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
16945 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
16946 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
16947 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
16948 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
16952 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
16953 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
16954 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
16955 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
16956 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
16957 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
16958 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
16959 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
16962 @item Head, Body, All
16963 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
16967 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
16968 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
16969 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
16970 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
16971 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
16972 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
16973 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
16977 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
16978 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
16979 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
16980 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
16981 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
16982 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
16983 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
16984 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
16985 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
16986 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
16987 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
16991 @cindex Score File Atoms
16993 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16994 lower than this number will be marked as read.
16997 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16998 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
17000 @item mark-and-expunge
17001 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17002 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
17005 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
17006 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
17007 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
17008 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
17009 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
17012 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
17013 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
17016 @item exclude-files
17017 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
17018 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
17022 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
17023 ignored when handling global score files.
17026 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
17027 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
17028 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
17029 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
17032 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
17033 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
17034 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
17035 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
17037 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
17041 (mark-and-expunge -100)
17044 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
17045 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
17046 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
17047 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
17048 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
17050 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
17051 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
17052 scoring rules exist.
17055 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
17056 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
17057 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
17058 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
17059 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
17060 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
17061 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17062 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
17063 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
17064 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
17065 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
17069 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
17070 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
17071 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
17072 file for a number of groups.
17075 @cindex local variables
17076 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
17077 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
17078 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
17079 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
17080 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
17084 @node Score File Editing
17085 @section Score File Editing
17087 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
17088 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
17089 with a mode for that.
17091 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
17092 additional commands:
17097 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
17098 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
17099 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
17100 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
17103 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
17104 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
17105 Insert the current date in numerical format
17106 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
17107 you were wondering.
17110 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
17111 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
17112 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
17113 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
17114 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
17119 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
17121 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
17122 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
17124 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
17125 e} to begin editing score files.
17128 @node Adaptive Scoring
17129 @section Adaptive Scoring
17130 @cindex adaptive scoring
17132 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
17133 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
17134 stupidity, to be precise.
17136 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
17137 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
17138 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
17139 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
17140 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17141 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
17142 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
17143 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
17144 variable to @code{(word line)}.
17146 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17147 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
17148 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
17149 might look something like this:
17152 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17153 '((gnus-unread-mark)
17154 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
17155 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
17156 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
17157 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
17158 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
17159 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
17160 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
17161 (gnus-ancient-mark)
17162 (gnus-low-score-mark)
17163 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
17166 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
17167 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
17168 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
17169 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
17170 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
17171 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
17174 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
17175 will be applied to each article.
17177 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
17178 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
17179 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
17180 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
17182 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
17183 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
17184 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
17185 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
17187 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
17188 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
17189 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
17190 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
17192 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
17193 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
17194 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
17195 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
17196 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
17197 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
17199 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
17200 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
17201 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
17202 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
17203 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
17204 aspirins afterwards.)
17206 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
17207 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
17208 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
17210 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
17211 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
17212 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
17214 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
17215 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
17216 let you use different rules in different groups.
17218 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
17219 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
17220 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
17223 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
17224 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
17225 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
17226 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
17227 the length of the match is less than
17228 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
17229 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
17232 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17233 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
17234 headers. If you adapt on words, the
17235 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
17236 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
17239 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17240 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
17241 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
17242 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
17243 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
17246 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
17247 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
17248 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
17249 score with 30 points.
17251 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
17252 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
17253 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
17254 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
17255 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
17257 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
17258 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
17259 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
17260 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
17261 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
17263 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
17264 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
17265 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
17266 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
17268 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
17269 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
17270 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
17271 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
17273 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
17274 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
17275 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
17276 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
17277 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
17279 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
17280 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
17281 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
17283 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
17284 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
17285 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
17286 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
17289 @node Home Score File
17290 @section Home Score File
17292 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
17293 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
17294 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
17295 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
17297 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
17298 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
17299 could perhaps use the same home score file.
17301 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
17302 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
17307 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
17311 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
17312 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
17316 A list. The elements in this list can be:
17320 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
17321 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
17324 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
17325 the home score file.
17328 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
17331 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
17336 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
17339 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17340 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
17343 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
17344 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
17346 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
17348 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17349 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
17352 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
17353 Other functions include
17356 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
17357 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
17358 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
17359 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
17363 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
17364 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
17365 their own home score files:
17368 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17369 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
17370 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
17371 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
17372 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
17375 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
17376 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
17377 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
17378 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
17379 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
17381 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
17382 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
17383 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
17384 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
17385 precedence over this variable.
17388 @node Followups To Yourself
17389 @section Followups To Yourself
17391 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
17392 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
17393 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
17394 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
17395 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
17396 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
17400 @item gnus-score-followup-article
17401 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
17402 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
17405 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
17406 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
17407 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
17411 @vindex message-sent-hook
17412 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
17413 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
17415 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
17419 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
17420 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
17424 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17425 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17428 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
17429 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
17434 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
17438 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
17439 is system-dependent.
17442 @node Scoring On Other Headers
17443 @section Scoring On Other Headers
17444 @cindex scoring on other headers
17446 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
17447 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
17448 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
17449 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
17450 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
17452 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
17453 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
17454 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
17455 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
17456 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
17458 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
17461 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
17462 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
17465 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
17466 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
17467 time if you have much mail.
17469 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
17470 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
17476 @section Scoring Tips
17477 @cindex scoring tips
17483 @cindex scoring crossposts
17484 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
17485 the @code{Xref} header.
17487 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
17490 @item Multiple crossposts
17491 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
17492 more than, say, 3 groups:
17495 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
17499 @item Matching on the body
17500 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
17501 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
17502 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
17503 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
17504 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
17505 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
17506 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
17509 @item Marking as read
17510 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
17511 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
17512 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
17516 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
17518 @item Negated character classes
17519 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
17520 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
17521 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
17525 @node Reverse Scoring
17526 @section Reverse Scoring
17527 @cindex reverse scoring
17529 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
17530 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
17531 like this in your score file:
17535 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
17540 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
17541 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
17544 @node Global Score Files
17545 @section Global Score Files
17546 @cindex global score files
17548 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
17549 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
17550 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
17552 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
17553 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
17554 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
17556 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
17557 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
17558 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
17559 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
17560 files are applicable to which group.
17562 To use the score file
17563 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
17564 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
17568 (setq gnus-global-score-files
17569 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
17570 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
17573 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
17575 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
17576 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
17577 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
17578 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
17580 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
17581 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
17583 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
17584 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
17585 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
17586 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
17587 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
17588 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
17590 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
17596 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
17598 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
17600 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
17602 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
17603 lowered out of existence.
17605 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
17606 articles completely.
17609 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
17610 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
17611 old articles for a long time.
17614 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
17615 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
17616 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
17617 holding our breath yet?
17621 @section Kill Files
17624 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
17625 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
17626 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
17628 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
17629 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
17630 files into score files.
17632 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
17633 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
17634 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
17635 that isn't a very good idea.
17637 Normal kill files look like this:
17640 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17641 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
17645 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
17646 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
17648 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
17649 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
17652 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
17657 @kindex M-k (Summary)
17658 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
17659 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
17662 @kindex M-K (Summary)
17663 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
17664 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
17667 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
17672 @kindex M-k (Group)
17673 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
17674 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
17677 @kindex M-K (Group)
17678 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
17679 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
17682 Kill file variables:
17685 @item gnus-kill-file-name
17686 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
17687 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
17688 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
17689 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
17690 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
17691 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
17693 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17694 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17695 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
17696 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
17699 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
17700 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
17701 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
17702 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
17703 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
17704 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
17705 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
17706 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
17707 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
17709 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17710 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17711 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
17716 @node Converting Kill Files
17717 @section Converting Kill Files
17719 @cindex converting kill files
17721 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
17722 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
17723 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
17726 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
17727 You can fetch it from
17728 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
17730 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
17731 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
17732 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
17740 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
17741 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
17742 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
17743 news articles generated every day.
17745 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
17746 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
17747 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
17748 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
17749 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
17750 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
17751 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
17752 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
17755 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
17756 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
17759 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
17760 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
17761 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
17762 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
17766 @node Using GroupLens
17767 @subsection Using GroupLens
17769 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
17771 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
17772 better bit in town at the moment.
17774 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
17778 @item gnus-use-grouplens
17779 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
17780 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
17781 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
17783 @item grouplens-pseudonym
17784 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
17785 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
17786 with the Better Bit Bureau.
17788 @item grouplens-newsgroups
17789 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
17790 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
17794 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
17795 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
17796 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
17797 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
17798 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
17799 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
17802 @node Rating Articles
17803 @subsection Rating Articles
17805 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
17806 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
17807 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
17808 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
17811 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
17816 @kindex r (GroupLens)
17817 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
17818 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
17821 @kindex k (GroupLens)
17822 @findex grouplens-score-thread
17823 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
17824 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
17825 threads in rec.humor.
17829 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
17830 the score of the article you're reading.
17835 @kindex n (GroupLens)
17836 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
17837 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
17840 @kindex , (GroupLens)
17841 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
17842 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
17846 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
17847 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
17850 @node Displaying Predictions
17851 @subsection Displaying Predictions
17853 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
17854 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
17855 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
17856 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
17857 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
17859 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
17860 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
17861 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
17862 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
17863 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
17864 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
17865 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
17866 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
17867 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
17868 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
17869 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
17870 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
17871 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
17873 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
17874 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
17875 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
17876 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
17878 The following are valid values for that variable.
17881 @item prediction-spot
17882 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
17885 @item confidence-interval
17886 A numeric confidence interval.
17888 @item prediction-bar
17889 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
17891 @item confidence-bar
17892 Numerical confidence.
17894 @item confidence-spot
17895 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
17897 @item prediction-num
17898 Plain-old numeric value.
17900 @item confidence-plus-minus
17901 Prediction +/- confidence.
17906 @node GroupLens Variables
17907 @subsection GroupLens Variables
17911 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
17912 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
17913 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
17914 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
17917 @item grouplens-bbb-host
17918 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
17921 @item grouplens-bbb-port
17922 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
17924 @item grouplens-score-offset
17925 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
17926 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
17929 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
17930 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
17931 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
17936 @node Advanced Scoring
17937 @section Advanced Scoring
17939 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
17940 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
17941 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
17942 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
17943 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
17945 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
17949 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
17950 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
17951 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
17955 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
17956 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
17958 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
17959 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
17960 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
17961 non-@code{nil} value.
17963 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
17964 operator, and various match operators.
17971 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
17972 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
17973 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
17978 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
17979 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
17980 then this operator will return @code{false}.
17985 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
17986 logical negation of the value of its argument.
17990 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
17991 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
17992 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
17993 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
17994 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
17995 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
17996 the ancestry you want to go.
17998 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
17999 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
18000 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
18001 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
18002 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
18005 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
18006 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
18008 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
18009 when he's talking about Gnus:
18013 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18014 ("subject" "Gnus"))
18020 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
18024 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18031 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
18032 really don't want to read what he's written:
18036 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18037 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
18041 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
18042 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
18043 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
18050 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
18051 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
18052 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
18053 ("body" "white.*socks"))
18057 The possibilities are endless.
18060 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
18061 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
18063 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
18064 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
18065 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
18066 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
18067 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
18068 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
18069 @samp{subject}) first.
18071 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
18072 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
18083 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
18084 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
18090 ("subject" "Gnus")))
18097 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
18098 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
18103 @section Score Decays
18104 @cindex score decays
18107 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
18108 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
18109 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
18110 use them in any sensible way.
18112 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
18113 @findex gnus-decay-score
18114 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
18115 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
18116 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
18117 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
18118 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
18119 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
18120 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
18121 definition of that function:
18124 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
18126 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
18127 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
18130 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
18132 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
18134 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
18137 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
18138 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
18139 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
18140 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
18144 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
18147 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
18150 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
18154 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
18155 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
18156 the new score, which should be an integer.
18158 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
18159 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
18164 @include message.texi
18165 @chapter Emacs MIME
18166 @include emacs-mime.texi
18168 @include sieve.texi
18176 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
18177 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
18178 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
18179 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
18180 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
18181 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
18182 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
18183 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
18184 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
18185 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
18186 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
18187 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
18188 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
18189 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
18190 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
18191 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
18192 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
18193 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
18197 @node Process/Prefix
18198 @section Process/Prefix
18199 @cindex process/prefix convention
18201 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
18202 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
18204 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
18205 command to be performed on.
18209 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
18210 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
18211 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
18212 with the current one.
18214 @vindex transient-mark-mode
18215 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
18216 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
18218 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
18219 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
18222 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
18223 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
18225 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
18228 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
18229 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
18230 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
18231 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
18233 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
18234 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
18235 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
18236 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
18237 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
18238 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
18239 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
18240 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
18242 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
18243 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
18244 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
18245 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
18246 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
18250 @section Interactive
18251 @cindex interaction
18255 @item gnus-novice-user
18256 @vindex gnus-novice-user
18257 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
18258 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
18259 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
18260 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
18263 @item gnus-expert-user
18264 @vindex gnus-expert-user
18265 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
18266 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
18267 matter how strange.
18269 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
18270 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
18271 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
18272 is @code{t} by default.
18274 @item gnus-interactive-exit
18275 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
18276 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18281 @node Symbolic Prefixes
18282 @section Symbolic Prefixes
18283 @cindex symbolic prefixes
18285 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
18286 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
18287 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
18288 rule of 900 to the current article.
18290 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
18291 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
18292 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
18293 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
18294 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
18295 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
18296 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
18298 @kindex M-i (Summary)
18299 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
18300 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
18301 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
18302 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
18303 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
18304 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
18305 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
18306 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
18308 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
18309 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
18310 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
18312 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
18316 @node Formatting Variables
18317 @section Formatting Variables
18318 @cindex formatting variables
18320 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
18321 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
18322 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
18323 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
18324 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
18327 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
18328 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
18329 lots of percentages everywhere.
18332 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
18333 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
18334 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
18335 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
18336 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
18337 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
18338 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
18339 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
18342 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
18343 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
18344 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
18345 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
18346 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
18347 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
18348 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
18349 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
18351 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
18352 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
18354 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
18355 @findex gnus-update-format
18356 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
18357 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
18358 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
18359 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
18363 @node Formatting Basics
18364 @subsection Formatting Basics
18366 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
18367 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
18368 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
18370 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
18371 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
18372 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
18373 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
18374 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
18377 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
18378 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
18379 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
18380 less than 4 characters wide.
18382 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
18383 @samp{%&user-date;}.
18385 @node Mode Line Formatting
18386 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
18388 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
18389 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
18390 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
18391 with the following two differences:
18396 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
18399 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
18400 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
18401 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
18402 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
18403 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
18404 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
18405 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
18410 @node Advanced Formatting
18411 @subsection Advanced Formatting
18413 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
18414 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
18415 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
18416 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
18418 These are the valid modifiers:
18423 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
18427 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
18432 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
18435 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
18440 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
18443 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
18446 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
18449 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
18453 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
18454 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
18455 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
18456 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
18457 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
18458 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
18459 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
18461 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
18462 last operation, padding.
18464 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
18465 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
18466 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
18467 @xref{Compilation}.
18470 @node User-Defined Specs
18471 @subsection User-Defined Specs
18473 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
18474 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
18475 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
18476 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
18477 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
18478 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
18479 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
18480 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
18481 should protect against that.
18483 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
18484 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
18486 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
18487 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
18488 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
18489 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
18493 @node Formatting Fonts
18494 @subsection Formatting Fonts
18496 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
18497 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
18498 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
18499 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
18502 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
18503 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
18504 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
18505 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
18506 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
18507 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
18509 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
18510 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
18511 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
18512 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
18513 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
18514 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
18515 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
18516 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
18518 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
18521 ;; Create three face types.
18522 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
18523 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
18525 ;; We want the article count to be in
18526 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
18527 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
18528 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
18530 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
18531 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
18533 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
18534 (setq gnus-group-line-format
18535 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
18538 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
18539 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
18541 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
18542 mode-line variables.
18544 @node Positioning Point
18545 @subsection Positioning Point
18547 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
18548 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
18549 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
18551 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
18553 @findex gnus-goto-colon
18554 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
18555 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
18557 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
18558 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%C} specifier. If you
18559 put a @samp{%C} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
18564 @subsection Tabulation
18566 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
18567 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
18568 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
18569 about lining up the following text afterwards.
18571 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
18572 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
18574 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18575 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
18576 This is the soft tabulator.
18578 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18579 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
18580 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
18583 @node Wide Characters
18584 @subsection Wide Characters
18586 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
18587 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
18588 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
18590 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
18591 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
18592 these coutries, that's not true.
18594 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
18595 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
18596 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
18597 prettieer. The default value is @code{t}.
18601 @node Window Layout
18602 @section Window Layout
18603 @cindex window layout
18605 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
18607 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
18608 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
18609 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
18610 @code{t} by default.
18612 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
18613 glitches. Use at your own peril.
18615 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
18616 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
18617 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
18620 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
18621 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
18622 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
18626 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
18627 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
18628 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
18629 possible names is listed below.
18631 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
18632 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
18635 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
18639 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
18640 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
18641 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
18642 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
18643 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
18644 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
18645 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
18646 size spec per split.
18648 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
18649 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
18650 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
18651 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
18652 present) gets focus.
18654 Here's a more complicated example:
18657 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
18658 (summary 0.25 point)
18659 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
18663 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
18664 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
18665 occupy, not a percentage.
18667 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
18668 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
18669 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
18670 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
18671 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
18674 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
18677 (article (horizontal 1.0
18682 (summary 0.25 point)
18687 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
18688 @code{horizontal} thingie?
18690 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
18691 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
18692 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
18693 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
18694 the screen is to be given to this strip.
18696 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
18697 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
18698 lines from the splits.
18700 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
18704 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
18705 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
18706 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
18707 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
18708 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
18709 size = number | frame-params
18710 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
18713 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
18714 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
18715 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
18716 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
18718 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
18719 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
18720 @cindex window height
18721 @cindex window width
18722 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
18723 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
18724 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
18725 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
18726 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
18727 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
18729 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
18730 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
18731 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
18732 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
18734 @findex gnus-configure-frame
18735 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
18736 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
18737 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
18738 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
18739 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
18740 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
18741 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
18742 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
18743 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
18744 configuration list.
18747 (gnus-configure-frame
18751 (article 0.3 point))
18759 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
18760 @code{frame} split:
18763 (gnus-configure-frame
18766 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
18768 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
18769 (user-position . t)
18770 (left . -1) (top . 1))
18775 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
18776 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
18777 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
18778 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
18779 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
18780 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
18781 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
18782 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
18784 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
18785 be found in its default value.
18787 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
18788 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
18789 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
18793 (message (horizontal 1.0
18794 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
18796 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
18801 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
18802 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
18803 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
18808 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
18809 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
18810 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
18811 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
18812 (name . "Message"))
18813 (message 1.0 point))))
18816 @findex gnus-add-configuration
18817 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
18818 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
18819 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
18820 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
18823 (gnus-add-configuration
18824 '(article (vertical 1.0
18826 (summary .25 point)
18830 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
18831 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
18832 Gnus has been loaded.
18834 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
18835 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
18836 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
18837 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
18838 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
18840 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
18841 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
18842 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
18845 @subsection Example Window Configurations
18849 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
18850 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
18865 (gnus-add-configuration
18868 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
18870 (summary 0.16 point)
18873 (gnus-add-configuration
18876 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
18877 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
18883 @node Faces and Fonts
18884 @section Faces and Fonts
18889 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
18890 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
18891 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
18896 @section Compilation
18897 @cindex compilation
18898 @cindex byte-compilation
18900 @findex gnus-compile
18902 Remember all those line format specification variables?
18903 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
18904 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
18905 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
18906 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
18907 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
18910 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
18911 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
18912 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
18913 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
18914 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
18915 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
18916 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
18920 @section Mode Lines
18923 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
18924 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
18925 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
18926 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
18927 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
18928 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
18929 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
18932 @cindex display-time
18934 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
18935 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
18936 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
18937 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
18938 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
18939 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
18940 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
18941 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
18944 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
18946 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
18947 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
18949 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
18950 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
18951 (length display-time-string)))))
18954 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
18955 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
18956 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
18957 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
18958 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
18961 @node Highlighting and Menus
18962 @section Highlighting and Menus
18964 @cindex highlighting
18967 @vindex gnus-visual
18968 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
18969 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
18970 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
18973 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
18974 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
18977 @item group-highlight
18978 Do highlights in the group buffer.
18979 @item summary-highlight
18980 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
18981 @item article-highlight
18982 Do highlights in the article buffer.
18984 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
18986 Create menus in the group buffer.
18988 Create menus in the summary buffers.
18990 Create menus in the article buffer.
18992 Create menus in the browse buffer.
18994 Create menus in the server buffer.
18996 Create menus in the score buffers.
18998 Create menus in all buffers.
19001 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
19002 buffers, you could say something like:
19005 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
19008 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
19011 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
19014 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
19015 in all Gnus buffers.
19017 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
19020 @item gnus-mouse-face
19021 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
19022 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
19023 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
19027 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
19031 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
19032 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
19033 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
19035 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
19036 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
19037 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
19039 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
19040 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
19041 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
19043 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
19044 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
19045 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
19047 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
19048 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
19049 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
19051 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
19052 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
19053 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
19064 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
19065 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
19066 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
19067 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
19068 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
19072 @vindex gnus-carpal
19073 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
19074 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
19075 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
19080 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19081 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19082 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
19084 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
19085 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
19086 Face used on buttons.
19088 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
19089 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
19090 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
19092 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19093 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19094 Buttons in the group buffer.
19096 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19097 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19098 Buttons in the summary buffer.
19100 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19101 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19102 Buttons in the server buffer.
19104 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19105 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19106 Buttons in the browse buffer.
19109 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
19110 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
19111 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
19119 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
19120 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
19121 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
19122 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
19123 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
19125 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
19126 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
19127 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
19129 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
19130 been idle for thirty minutes:
19133 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
19136 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
19140 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
19143 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
19144 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
19145 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19147 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
19148 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
19149 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
19150 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19152 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
19153 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
19154 @var{idle} minutes.
19156 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
19157 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
19160 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
19161 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
19162 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
19164 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
19165 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
19166 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
19167 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
19169 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
19170 your @file{.gnus} file:
19172 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
19174 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
19177 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
19178 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
19179 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
19180 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
19181 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
19182 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
19183 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
19184 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
19185 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
19186 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
19187 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
19189 @findex gnus-demon-init
19190 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
19191 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
19192 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
19193 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
19194 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
19196 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
19197 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
19198 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
19207 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
19208 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
19210 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
19211 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
19212 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
19213 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
19216 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
19217 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
19218 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
19219 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
19221 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
19222 this will make spam disappear.
19224 There are some variables to customize, of course:
19227 @item gnus-use-nocem
19228 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
19229 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
19232 @item gnus-nocem-groups
19233 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
19234 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
19235 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
19236 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
19238 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
19239 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
19240 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
19241 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
19242 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
19243 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
19245 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
19246 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
19248 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
19249 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
19250 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
19251 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
19252 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
19253 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
19254 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
19255 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
19256 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
19257 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
19259 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
19260 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
19263 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
19266 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
19267 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
19270 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
19273 The specs are applied left-to-right.
19276 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
19277 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
19279 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
19280 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
19281 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
19282 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
19284 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
19285 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
19288 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
19290 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
19298 This might be dangerous, though.
19300 @item gnus-nocem-directory
19301 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
19302 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
19303 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
19305 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19306 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19307 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
19308 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
19309 might then see old spam.
19311 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
19312 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
19313 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
19314 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
19315 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
19318 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19319 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19320 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
19321 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
19325 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
19326 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
19327 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
19328 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
19335 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
19336 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
19337 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
19339 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
19340 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
19341 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
19342 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
19343 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
19344 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
19345 @code{undo} function.
19347 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
19348 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
19349 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
19350 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
19351 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
19352 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
19353 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
19354 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
19355 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
19356 never be totally undoable.
19358 @findex gnus-undo-mode
19359 @vindex gnus-use-undo
19361 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
19362 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
19363 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
19364 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
19369 @section Moderation
19372 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
19373 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
19374 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
19377 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
19381 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
19384 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
19386 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
19391 You split your incoming mail by matching on
19392 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
19393 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
19396 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
19397 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
19400 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
19401 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
19405 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
19408 (setq gnus-moderated-list
19409 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
19413 @node XEmacs Enhancements
19414 @section XEmacs Enhancements
19417 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
19421 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
19422 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
19423 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
19424 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
19437 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
19438 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
19439 over your shoulder as you read news.
19442 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
19443 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
19444 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
19445 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
19446 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
19451 @subsubsection Picon Basics
19453 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
19462 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
19463 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
19464 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
19465 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
19466 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
19467 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
19468 @code{GIF} formats.
19471 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19472 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
19473 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
19474 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
19475 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
19477 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19478 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
19479 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
19480 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
19481 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
19482 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19485 @node Picon Requirements
19486 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
19488 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
19489 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
19490 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
19491 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
19493 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19494 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
19495 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
19496 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
19497 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
19498 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
19501 @subsubsection Easy Picons
19503 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
19504 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
19507 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
19508 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
19511 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
19512 containing the Picons databases.
19514 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
19517 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19518 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
19523 @subsubsection Hard Picons
19531 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
19532 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
19533 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
19534 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
19535 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
19540 @item gnus-picons-database
19541 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19542 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
19543 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
19544 subdirectories. This is only useful if
19545 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
19546 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
19548 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19549 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19550 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
19551 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
19552 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
19553 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
19554 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19556 @item gnus-picons-display-where
19557 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19558 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
19559 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
19560 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
19561 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
19562 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
19563 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
19565 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19566 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19567 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
19572 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
19573 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
19575 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
19576 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
19579 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19581 @item gnus-article-display-picons
19582 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
19583 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
19584 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
19586 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
19587 @findex gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
19588 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
19589 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the function name, not @code{xface})
19595 @node Picon Useless Configuration
19596 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
19604 The following variables offer further control over how things are
19605 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
19606 don't need to worry about.
19610 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
19611 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
19612 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
19613 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
19615 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
19616 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
19617 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
19618 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
19620 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
19621 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
19622 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
19623 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
19624 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
19626 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19627 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19628 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
19629 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
19630 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
19631 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
19632 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
19633 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
19635 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
19636 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
19637 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
19638 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
19639 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
19641 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
19642 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
19643 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
19644 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
19645 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
19646 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
19647 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
19649 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
19650 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
19651 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
19652 Defaults to @code{nil}.
19654 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
19655 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
19656 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
19657 Defaults to @code{t}.
19659 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
19660 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
19661 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
19662 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
19664 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
19665 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
19666 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
19668 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
19669 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
19670 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
19671 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
19673 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
19674 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
19676 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
19677 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
19678 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
19679 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
19680 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
19681 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
19682 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
19683 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
19694 @subsection Smileys
19699 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
19704 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
19705 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
19707 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
19708 @file{.gnus.el} file:
19711 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
19714 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
19715 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
19716 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
19717 text and maps that to file names.
19719 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
19720 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
19721 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
19722 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
19723 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
19724 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
19726 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
19727 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
19729 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
19730 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
19731 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
19733 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
19734 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
19738 @item smiley-data-directory
19739 @vindex smiley-data-directory
19740 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
19742 @item smiley-flesh-color
19743 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
19744 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
19746 @item smiley-features-color
19747 @vindex smiley-features-color
19748 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19750 @item smiley-tongue-color
19751 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
19752 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
19754 @item smiley-circle-color
19755 @vindex smiley-circle-color
19756 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19758 @item smiley-mouse-face
19759 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
19760 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
19766 @subsection Toolbar
19776 @item gnus-use-toolbar
19777 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
19778 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
19779 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
19780 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
19782 @item gnus-group-toolbar
19783 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
19784 The toolbar in the group buffer.
19786 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
19787 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
19788 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
19790 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
19791 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
19792 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
19798 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
19801 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
19802 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
19803 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
19804 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
19805 unusual directory structure.
19807 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
19808 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
19809 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
19810 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
19812 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
19813 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
19814 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
19815 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
19816 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
19817 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
19819 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
19820 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
19821 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
19835 @node Fuzzy Matching
19836 @section Fuzzy Matching
19837 @cindex fuzzy matching
19839 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
19840 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
19842 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
19843 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
19844 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
19846 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
19847 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
19848 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
19849 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
19850 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
19853 @node Thwarting Email Spam
19854 @section Thwarting Email Spam
19858 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
19860 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
19861 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
19862 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
19863 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
19864 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
19865 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
19866 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
19867 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
19870 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
19871 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
19872 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
19873 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
19874 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
19875 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
19879 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
19880 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
19882 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
19883 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
19884 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
19885 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
19886 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
19887 part of the mail address.)
19890 (setq message-default-news-headers
19891 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
19894 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
19895 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
19900 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
19901 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
19902 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
19908 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
19909 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
19910 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
19911 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
19913 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
19914 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
19915 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
19916 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
19917 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
19918 your fancy split rule in this way:
19923 (to "larsi" "misc")
19927 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
19928 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
19929 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
19930 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
19931 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
19933 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
19934 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
19935 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
19936 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
19937 cosmic balance somewhat.
19939 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
19940 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
19941 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
19942 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
19945 @node Various Various
19946 @section Various Various
19952 @item gnus-home-directory
19953 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
19954 defaults to @file{~/}.
19956 @item gnus-directory
19957 @vindex gnus-directory
19958 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
19959 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
19960 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
19962 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
19963 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
19964 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
19965 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
19967 @item gnus-default-directory
19968 @vindex gnus-default-directory
19969 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
19970 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
19971 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
19972 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
19973 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
19974 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
19977 @vindex gnus-verbose
19978 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
19979 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
19980 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
19981 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
19982 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
19984 @item gnus-verbose-backends
19985 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
19986 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
19987 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
19989 @item nnheader-max-head-length
19990 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
19991 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
19992 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
19993 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
19994 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
19995 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
19996 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
19997 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
19998 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
20000 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
20001 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
20002 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
20003 read when doing the operation described above.
20005 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20006 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20008 @cindex invalid characters in file names
20009 @cindex characters in file names
20010 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
20011 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
20012 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
20015 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20019 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
20020 Windows (phooey) systems.
20022 @item gnus-hidden-properties
20023 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
20024 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
20025 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
20026 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
20028 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
20029 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
20030 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
20031 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
20032 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
20034 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
20035 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
20036 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
20038 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
20039 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
20041 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
20042 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
20043 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
20044 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
20047 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
20055 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
20056 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
20058 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
20060 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
20066 Not because of victories @*
20069 but for the common sunshine,@*
20071 the largess of the spring.
20075 but for the day's work done@*
20076 as well as I was able;@*
20077 not for a seat upon the dais@*
20078 but at the common table.@*
20083 @chapter Appendices
20086 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
20087 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
20088 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
20089 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
20090 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
20091 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
20092 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
20093 * Frequently Asked Questions::
20101 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
20102 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
20104 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
20105 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
20106 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
20107 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
20108 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
20110 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
20111 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
20112 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
20113 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
20114 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
20115 appropriate name, don't you think?)
20117 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
20118 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
20119 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
20120 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
20123 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
20124 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
20125 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
20126 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
20127 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
20128 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
20129 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
20130 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
20131 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
20135 @node Gnus Versions
20136 @subsection Gnus Versions
20137 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
20139 @cindex September Gnus
20140 @cindex Quassia Gnus
20142 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
20143 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
20144 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
20146 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
20147 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
20149 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
20150 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
20152 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
20153 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
20155 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
20156 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
20159 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
20161 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
20162 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
20163 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
20164 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
20165 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
20166 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
20169 @node Other Gnus Versions
20170 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
20173 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
20174 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
20175 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
20176 @sc{mime} capabilities.
20178 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
20179 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
20180 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
20181 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
20188 What's the point of Gnus?
20190 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
20191 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
20192 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
20193 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
20194 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
20195 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
20196 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
20197 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
20198 keep track of millions of people who post?
20200 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
20201 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
20202 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
20203 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
20204 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
20205 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
20206 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
20207 every one of you to explore and invent.
20209 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
20210 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
20213 @node Compatibility
20214 @subsection Compatibility
20216 @cindex compatibility
20217 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
20218 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
20219 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
20224 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
20228 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
20231 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
20234 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
20235 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
20236 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
20237 important variables have their values copied into their global
20238 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
20239 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
20241 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
20242 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
20243 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
20244 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
20245 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
20249 @cindex highlighting
20250 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
20251 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
20252 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
20253 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
20254 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
20255 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
20258 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
20259 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
20260 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
20261 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
20263 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
20264 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
20265 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
20266 to stop doing it the old way.
20268 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
20270 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
20272 @cindex reporting bugs
20274 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
20275 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
20276 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
20278 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
20279 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
20280 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
20281 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
20286 @subsection Conformity
20288 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
20289 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
20296 There are no known breaches of this standard.
20300 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
20302 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
20303 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
20304 We do have some breaches to this one.
20310 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
20311 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
20312 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
20313 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
20314 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
20319 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
20320 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
20321 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
20322 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
20326 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
20327 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
20332 @subsection Emacsen
20338 Gnus should work on :
20346 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
20350 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
20351 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
20354 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
20355 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
20356 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
20360 @node Gnus Development
20361 @subsection Gnus Development
20363 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
20364 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
20365 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
20366 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
20367 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
20368 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
20369 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
20370 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
20372 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
20373 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
20374 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
20375 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
20376 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
20379 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
20380 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
20381 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
20382 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
20383 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
20385 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
20386 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
20387 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
20388 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
20389 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
20390 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
20391 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
20392 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
20393 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
20394 can't be assumed to do so.
20399 @subsection Contributors
20400 @cindex contributors
20402 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
20403 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
20404 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
20405 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
20406 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
20407 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
20408 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
20409 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
20410 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
20411 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
20413 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
20419 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
20422 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
20423 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
20424 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
20425 functionality and stuff.
20428 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
20429 well as numerous other things).
20432 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
20435 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
20438 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
20441 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
20444 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
20445 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
20448 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
20451 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
20452 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
20455 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
20458 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
20461 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
20464 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
20467 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
20468 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
20471 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
20474 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
20477 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
20480 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
20484 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
20487 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
20490 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
20493 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
20494 well as autoconf support.
20498 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
20499 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
20501 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
20510 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
20514 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
20524 Alexei V. Barantsev,
20539 Massimo Campostrini,
20544 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
20545 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
20549 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
20552 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
20558 Michael Welsh Duggan,
20563 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
20567 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
20575 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
20577 Michelangelo Grigni,
20581 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
20583 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
20585 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
20592 François Felix Ingrand,
20593 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
20594 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
20596 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
20607 Peter Skov Knudsen,
20608 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
20610 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
20611 Thor Kristoffersen,
20614 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
20632 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
20633 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
20640 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
20645 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
20649 John McClary Prevost,
20655 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
20660 Christian von Roques,
20663 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
20670 Philippe Schnoebelen,
20672 Randal L. Schwartz,
20686 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
20691 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
20707 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
20712 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
20713 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
20714 (550kB and counting).
20716 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
20719 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
20720 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
20724 @subsection New Features
20725 @cindex new features
20728 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
20729 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
20730 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
20731 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
20732 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
20735 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
20736 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
20737 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
20740 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
20742 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
20747 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
20748 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
20751 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
20752 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
20755 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
20758 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
20759 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
20760 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
20763 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
20764 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
20765 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
20766 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
20769 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
20770 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20773 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
20774 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
20775 (@pxref{The Active File}).
20778 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
20779 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
20782 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
20783 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
20784 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
20787 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
20788 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
20789 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
20792 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
20793 the @file{.emacs} file.
20796 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
20797 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
20800 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
20801 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
20804 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
20805 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20808 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
20809 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
20812 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
20813 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
20816 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
20819 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
20820 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
20823 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
20824 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
20827 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
20828 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
20831 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
20834 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
20835 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
20838 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
20842 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
20846 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
20847 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
20850 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
20856 @node September Gnus
20857 @subsubsection September Gnus
20861 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
20865 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
20870 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
20871 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
20875 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
20876 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
20880 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
20884 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
20885 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
20888 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
20892 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
20895 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
20898 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
20901 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
20905 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
20906 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
20909 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
20913 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
20917 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
20921 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
20925 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
20928 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
20929 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
20932 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
20936 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
20937 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
20940 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
20943 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
20944 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
20945 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
20948 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
20952 The Gnus cache is much faster.
20955 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
20959 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
20960 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
20963 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
20964 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
20967 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
20968 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
20971 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
20972 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
20973 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
20976 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
20977 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
20980 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
20983 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
20986 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
20989 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
20992 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
20993 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
20996 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
21000 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
21003 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
21008 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
21011 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
21015 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21018 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
21022 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
21025 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
21028 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
21029 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
21032 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
21033 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
21037 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
21038 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
21041 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
21045 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
21046 buffer to allow easier treatment.
21049 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
21052 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
21056 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
21060 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
21061 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
21064 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
21068 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
21069 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
21072 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
21073 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
21076 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
21080 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
21083 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
21086 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
21092 @subsubsection Red Gnus
21094 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
21098 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
21105 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
21108 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
21109 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
21112 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
21113 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
21117 Article washing status can be displayed in the
21118 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
21121 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
21124 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
21125 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
21128 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
21132 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
21133 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
21137 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
21138 Server Internals}).
21141 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
21145 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
21148 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
21149 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
21152 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
21153 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
21154 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
21157 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
21158 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21161 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
21162 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
21165 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
21169 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
21170 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21173 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
21174 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
21177 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
21181 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
21184 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
21188 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
21189 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21192 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
21193 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21196 A new command for reading collections of documents
21197 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
21198 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
21201 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
21205 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
21206 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
21209 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
21210 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
21211 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
21214 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
21215 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
21219 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
21223 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
21227 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
21232 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
21236 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
21240 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
21241 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
21244 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
21250 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
21252 New features in Gnus 5.6:
21257 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
21258 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
21259 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
21262 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
21263 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
21264 group, which is created automatically.
21267 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
21271 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
21274 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
21275 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
21278 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
21282 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
21285 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
21286 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
21289 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
21292 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
21293 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
21296 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
21297 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
21300 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
21301 control over simplification.
21304 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
21307 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
21311 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
21314 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
21317 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
21318 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
21319 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
21322 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
21323 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
21326 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
21330 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
21331 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
21334 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
21335 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
21338 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
21342 A history of where mails have been split is available.
21345 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
21348 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
21349 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
21352 A new function for citing in Message has been
21353 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
21356 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
21359 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
21363 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
21364 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
21367 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
21368 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
21371 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
21374 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
21378 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
21379 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
21381 New features in Gnus 5.8:
21386 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
21387 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
21389 If you used procmail like in
21392 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
21393 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
21394 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
21395 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
21398 this now has changed to
21402 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
21406 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
21407 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
21410 Gnus is now a MIME-capable reader. This affects many parts of
21411 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
21414 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
21415 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
21418 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
21419 called to position point.
21422 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
21423 summary buffers and NOV files.
21426 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
21427 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
21430 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
21431 subtly different manner.
21434 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
21435 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
21436 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
21439 Gnus can now read IMAP mail via @code{nnimap}.
21447 @section The Manual
21451 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
21452 either @code{texi2dvi}
21454 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
21455 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
21457 to get what you hold in your hands now.
21459 The following conventions have been used:
21464 This is a @samp{string}
21467 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
21470 This is a @file{file}
21473 This is a @code{symbol}
21477 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
21481 (setq flargnoze "yes")
21484 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
21487 (setq flumphel 'yes)
21490 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
21491 ever get them confused.
21495 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
21496 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
21497 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
21498 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
21499 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
21500 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
21501 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
21507 @node On Writing Manuals
21508 @section On Writing Manuals
21510 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
21511 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
21512 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
21513 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
21514 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
21515 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
21518 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
21519 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
21520 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
21523 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
21524 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
21529 @section Terminology
21531 @cindex terminology
21536 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
21537 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
21538 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
21539 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
21540 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
21544 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
21545 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
21546 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
21547 not posting, and replying is not following up.
21551 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
21555 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
21560 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of back ends, both news and mail
21561 back ends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
21562 is all done by the back ends.
21566 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
21567 default, way of getting news.
21571 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
21572 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
21577 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
21578 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
21582 A message that has been posted as news.
21585 @cindex mail message
21586 A message that has been mailed.
21590 A mail message or news article
21594 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
21599 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
21604 A line from the head of an article.
21608 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
21609 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
21613 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
21614 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
21615 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
21616 normal @sc{head} format.
21620 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
21621 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
21622 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
21623 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
21624 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
21625 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
21627 @item killed groups
21628 @cindex killed groups
21629 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
21630 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
21632 @item zombie groups
21633 @cindex zombie groups
21634 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
21637 @cindex active file
21638 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
21639 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
21640 is rather large, as you might surmise.
21643 @cindex bogus groups
21644 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
21645 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
21646 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
21649 @cindex activating groups
21650 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
21651 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
21652 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
21656 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
21658 @item select method
21659 @cindex select method
21660 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
21663 @item virtual server
21664 @cindex virtual server
21665 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
21666 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
21667 whole is a virtual server.
21671 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
21672 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
21675 @item ephemeral groups
21676 @cindex ephemeral groups
21677 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
21678 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
21679 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
21682 @cindex solid groups
21683 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
21684 group buffer are solid groups.
21686 @item sparse articles
21687 @cindex sparse articles
21688 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
21689 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
21693 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
21694 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
21698 @cindex thread root
21699 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
21700 articles in the thread.
21704 An article that has responses.
21708 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
21712 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
21713 specified by RFC 1153.
21719 @node Customization
21720 @section Customization
21721 @cindex general customization
21723 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
21724 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
21725 for some quite common situations.
21728 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
21729 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
21730 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
21731 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
21735 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
21736 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
21738 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
21739 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
21740 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
21744 @item gnus-read-active-file
21745 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
21746 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
21747 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21748 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
21749 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
21751 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
21752 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
21753 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
21754 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
21758 @node Slow Terminal Connection
21759 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
21761 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
21762 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
21763 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
21767 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
21768 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
21769 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
21770 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
21771 horizontal and vertical recentering.
21773 @item gnus-visible-headers
21774 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
21775 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
21776 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
21777 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
21779 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
21781 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
21782 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
21783 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
21786 @item gnus-use-full-window
21787 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
21788 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
21789 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
21790 want to read them anyway.
21792 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
21793 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
21796 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
21797 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
21798 lines, which might save some time.
21802 @node Little Disk Space
21803 @subsection Little Disk Space
21806 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
21807 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
21811 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
21812 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
21813 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21814 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21817 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
21818 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
21819 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21820 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21823 @item gnus-save-killed-list
21824 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
21825 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
21826 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
21827 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
21833 @subsection Slow Machine
21834 @cindex slow machine
21836 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
21837 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
21839 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21840 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
21842 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
21843 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
21844 summary buffer faster.
21848 @node Troubleshooting
21849 @section Troubleshooting
21850 @cindex troubleshooting
21852 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
21860 Make sure your computer is switched on.
21863 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
21864 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
21868 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
21869 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
21870 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
21871 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
21874 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
21878 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
21879 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
21880 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
21881 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
21882 something like that.
21885 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
21888 @cindex reporting bugs
21890 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21892 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
21893 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
21894 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
21895 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
21897 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
21898 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
21899 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
21900 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
21903 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
21904 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
21905 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
21906 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
21907 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
21908 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
21910 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
21911 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
21912 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
21916 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
21917 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
21919 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
21920 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
21922 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
21923 @cindex ding mailing list
21924 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
21925 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
21929 @node Gnus Reference Guide
21930 @section Gnus Reference Guide
21932 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
21933 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
21934 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
21935 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
21938 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
21939 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
21940 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
21941 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
21942 and general methods of operation.
21945 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
21946 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
21947 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
21948 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
21949 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
21950 * Group Info:: The group info format.
21951 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
21952 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
21953 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
21957 @node Gnus Utility Functions
21958 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
21959 @cindex Gnus utility functions
21960 @cindex utility functions
21962 @cindex internal variables
21964 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
21965 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
21966 Below is a list of the most common ones.
21970 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
21971 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
21972 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
21974 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
21975 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
21976 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
21978 @item gnus-group-real-name
21979 @findex gnus-group-real-name
21980 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
21983 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
21984 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
21985 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
21986 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
21988 @item gnus-get-info
21989 @findex gnus-get-info
21990 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
21992 @item gnus-group-unread
21993 @findex gnus-group-unread
21994 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
21998 @findex gnus-active
21999 The active entry for @var{group}.
22001 @item gnus-set-active
22002 @findex gnus-set-active
22003 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
22005 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22006 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22007 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
22010 @item gnus-continuum-version
22011 @findex gnus-continuum-version
22012 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
22013 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
22016 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
22017 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
22018 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
22020 @item gnus-news-group-p
22021 @findex gnus-news-group-p
22022 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
22024 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22025 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22026 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
22028 @item gnus-server-to-method
22029 @findex gnus-server-to-method
22030 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
22032 @item gnus-server-equal
22033 @findex gnus-server-equal
22034 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
22036 @item gnus-group-native-p
22037 @findex gnus-group-native-p
22038 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
22040 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
22041 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
22042 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
22044 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
22045 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
22046 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
22048 @item group-group-find-parameter
22049 @findex group-group-find-parameter
22050 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
22051 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
22053 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
22054 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
22055 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
22057 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
22058 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
22059 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
22061 @item gnus-check-backend-function
22062 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
22063 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
22064 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
22067 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
22071 @item gnus-read-method
22072 @findex gnus-read-method
22073 Prompts the user for a select method.
22078 @node Back End Interface
22079 @subsection Back End Interface
22081 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
22082 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
22083 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
22084 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
22085 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
22086 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
22088 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
22089 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
22090 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
22091 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
22092 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
22093 been opened, the function should fail.
22095 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
22096 name. Take this example:
22100 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
22101 (nntp-port-number 4324))
22104 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
22105 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
22107 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
22108 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
22109 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
22111 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
22112 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
22113 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
22115 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
22116 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
22117 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
22118 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
22119 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
22120 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
22123 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
22124 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
22125 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
22126 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
22129 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
22130 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
22131 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
22132 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
22133 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
22134 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
22135 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
22136 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
22137 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
22138 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
22140 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
22141 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
22142 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
22143 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
22144 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
22145 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
22146 of numbers as long as possible.
22148 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
22151 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
22154 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
22155 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
22156 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
22157 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
22158 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
22159 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
22163 @node Required Back End Functions
22164 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
22168 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
22170 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
22171 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
22172 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
22173 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
22175 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
22176 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
22177 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
22178 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
22180 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
22181 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
22182 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
22183 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
22184 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
22185 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
22186 number, do maximum fetches.
22188 Here's an example HEAD:
22191 221 1056 Article retrieved.
22192 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
22193 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
22194 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
22195 Subject: Re: Something very droll
22196 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
22197 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
22199 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
22200 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
22201 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
22205 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
22206 these in the data buffer.
22208 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
22212 head = error / valid-head
22213 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
22214 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
22215 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
22216 header = <text> eol
22219 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
22220 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
22224 nov-buffer = *nov-line
22225 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
22226 field = <text except TAB>
22229 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
22233 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
22235 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
22236 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
22238 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
22239 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
22240 server. In fact, it should do so.
22242 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
22243 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
22246 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
22248 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
22249 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
22252 There should be no data returned.
22255 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
22257 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
22258 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
22259 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
22260 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
22262 There should be no data returned.
22265 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
22267 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
22268 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
22269 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
22270 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
22272 There should be no data returned.
22275 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
22277 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
22279 There should be no data returned.
22282 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
22284 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
22285 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
22286 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
22287 it would be nice if that were possible.
22289 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
22290 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
22291 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
22292 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
22293 into its article buffer.
22295 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
22296 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
22297 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
22298 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
22299 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
22300 on successful article retrieval.
22303 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
22305 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
22306 making @var{group} the current group.
22308 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
22311 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
22314 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
22317 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
22318 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
22319 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
22320 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
22321 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
22322 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
22323 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
22324 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
22327 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
22328 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
22329 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
22333 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22335 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
22336 a no-op on most back ends.
22338 There should be no data returned.
22341 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
22343 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
22346 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
22349 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
22350 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
22353 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
22354 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
22357 active-file = *active-line
22358 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
22360 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
22363 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
22364 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
22365 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
22368 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
22370 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
22371 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
22372 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
22373 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
22374 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
22375 clear if the posting could not be completed.
22377 There should be no result data from this function.
22382 @node Optional Back End Functions
22383 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
22387 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
22389 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
22390 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
22391 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
22393 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
22394 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
22395 former is in the same format as the data from
22396 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
22397 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
22400 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
22404 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
22406 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
22407 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
22408 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
22409 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
22410 should return the (altered) group info.
22412 There should be no result data from this function.
22415 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
22417 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
22418 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
22419 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
22420 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
22421 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
22422 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
22423 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
22424 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
22426 There should be no result data from this function.
22429 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
22431 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
22432 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
22433 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
22434 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
22435 propagate the mark information to the server.
22437 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
22440 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
22443 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
22444 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
22445 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
22446 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
22447 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
22448 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
22449 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
22450 possible, not limit itself to these.
22452 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
22453 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
22454 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
22455 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
22457 An example action list:
22460 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
22461 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
22462 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
22465 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
22466 mark on (currently not used for anything).
22468 There should be no result data from this function.
22470 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
22472 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
22473 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
22474 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
22475 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
22476 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
22478 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
22479 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
22480 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
22483 There should be no result data from this function.
22486 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
22488 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
22489 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
22490 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
22491 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
22492 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
22493 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
22494 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
22496 There should be no result data from this function.
22499 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
22501 The result data from this function should be a description of
22505 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
22507 description = <text>
22510 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
22512 The result data from this function should be the description of all
22513 groups available on the server.
22516 description-buffer = *description-line
22520 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
22522 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
22523 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
22524 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
22525 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
22526 in the active buffer format.
22528 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
22529 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
22530 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
22531 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
22532 many groups, so nnml and the like are probably safe. But for back ends
22533 like nntp, where the groups have been created by the server, it is quite
22534 likely that there can be many groups.
22537 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22539 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
22541 There should be no return data.
22544 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
22546 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
22547 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
22548 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
22549 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
22550 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
22553 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
22556 There should be no result data returned.
22559 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
22562 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
22563 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
22565 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
22566 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
22567 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
22568 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
22569 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
22570 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
22572 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
22573 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
22576 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22577 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22579 There should be no data returned.
22582 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
22584 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
22585 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
22586 this function in short order.
22588 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22589 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22591 There should be no data returned.
22594 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
22596 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
22597 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
22599 There should be no data returned.
22602 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
22604 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
22605 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
22606 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
22608 There should be no data returned.
22611 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
22613 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
22614 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
22616 There should be no data returned.
22621 @node Error Messaging
22622 @subsubsection Error Messaging
22624 @findex nnheader-report
22625 @findex nnheader-get-report
22626 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
22627 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
22628 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
22629 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
22630 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
22631 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
22634 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
22636 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
22639 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
22640 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
22641 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
22642 takes one argument---the server symbol.
22644 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
22645 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
22646 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
22649 @node Writing New Back Ends
22650 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
22652 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
22653 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
22654 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
22655 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
22656 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
22659 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
22660 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
22661 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
22663 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
22664 package called @code{nnoo}.
22666 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
22667 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
22673 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
22674 parameters. For instance:
22677 (nnoo-declare nndir
22681 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
22682 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
22685 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
22686 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
22687 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
22689 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
22690 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
22691 a function in those back ends.
22694 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22695 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22696 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22699 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
22700 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
22701 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
22703 @item nnoo-define-basics
22704 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
22708 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22712 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
22713 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
22714 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
22716 @item nnoo-map-functions
22717 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
22718 functions from the parent back ends.
22721 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22722 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22723 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
22726 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
22727 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
22728 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
22729 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
22732 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
22733 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
22734 haven't already been defined.
22740 nnmh-request-newgroups)
22744 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
22745 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
22746 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
22751 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
22754 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
22755 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
22759 (require 'nnheader)
22763 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
22765 (nnoo-declare nndir
22768 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22769 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22770 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22772 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
22773 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
22776 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
22778 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
22779 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
22780 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
22782 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
22783 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
22785 ;;; Interface functions.
22787 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22789 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
22790 (setq nndir-directory
22791 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
22793 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
22794 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
22795 (push `(nndir-current-group
22796 ,(file-name-nondirectory
22797 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22799 (push `(nndir-top-directory
22800 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22802 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
22804 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22805 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22806 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22807 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
22808 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
22812 nnmh-status-message
22814 nnmh-request-newgroups))
22820 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
22821 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
22823 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
22824 @findex gnus-declare-backend
22825 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
22826 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
22827 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
22829 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
22830 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
22835 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
22838 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
22840 The abilities can be:
22844 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
22846 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
22848 This back end supports both mail and news.
22850 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
22853 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
22854 articles and groups.
22856 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
22857 true for almost all back ends.
22858 @item prompt-address
22859 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
22860 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
22861 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
22865 @node Mail-like Back Ends
22866 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
22868 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
22869 back ends is the heavy dependence by the mail back ends on common
22870 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
22871 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
22874 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
22875 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
22876 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
22879 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
22880 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
22883 This function takes four parameters.
22887 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
22890 @item exit-function
22891 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
22893 @item temp-directory
22894 Where the temporary files should be stored.
22897 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
22898 performed for one group only.
22901 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
22902 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
22903 find the article number assigned to this article.
22905 The function also uses the following variables:
22906 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
22907 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
22908 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
22909 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
22913 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
22914 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
22918 @node Score File Syntax
22919 @subsection Score File Syntax
22921 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
22922 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
22923 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
22925 Here's a typical score file:
22929 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
22936 BNF definition of a score file:
22939 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
22940 element = rule / atom
22941 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
22942 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
22943 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
22944 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
22946 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
22947 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
22948 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
22949 date-header = "date"
22950 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22951 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22952 score = "nil" / <integer>
22953 date = "nil" / <natural number>
22954 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
22955 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
22956 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
22957 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
22958 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22959 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22960 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
22961 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22962 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
22963 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
22964 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
22965 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
22966 exclude-files / read-only / touched
22967 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
22968 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
22969 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
22970 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
22971 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
22972 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
22973 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
22974 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
22975 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
22976 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
22977 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
22978 eval = "eval" space <form>
22979 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
22982 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
22985 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
22986 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
22987 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
22988 one looong line, then that's ok.
22990 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
22991 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
22995 @subsection Headers
22997 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
22998 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
22999 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
23000 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
23002 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
23003 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
23004 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
23005 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
23006 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
23007 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
23008 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
23010 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
23011 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
23012 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
23013 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
23014 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
23016 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
23017 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
23023 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
23024 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
23026 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
23027 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
23028 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
23029 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
23031 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
23035 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
23038 is transformed into
23041 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
23044 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
23045 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
23048 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
23051 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
23052 is slightly tricky:
23055 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
23061 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
23064 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
23070 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
23077 and is equal to the previous range.
23079 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
23080 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
23081 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
23085 range = simple-range / normal-range
23086 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
23087 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
23088 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
23089 number *[ " " contents ]
23092 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
23093 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
23094 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
23095 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
23096 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
23101 @subsection Group Info
23103 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
23104 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
23105 describes the group.
23107 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
23108 second is a more complex one:
23111 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
23113 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
23114 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
23116 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
23119 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
23120 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
23121 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
23122 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
23123 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
23124 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
23125 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
23126 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
23127 this section is about.
23129 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
23130 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
23131 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
23133 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
23136 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
23137 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
23138 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23139 group = quote <string> quote
23140 ralevel = rank / level
23141 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23142 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
23143 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23145 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
23146 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
23147 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
23148 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
23151 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
23152 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
23155 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
23156 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
23159 @item gnus-info-group
23160 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
23161 @findex gnus-info-group
23162 @findex gnus-info-set-group
23163 Get/set the group name.
23165 @item gnus-info-rank
23166 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
23167 @findex gnus-info-rank
23168 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
23169 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
23171 @item gnus-info-level
23172 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
23173 @findex gnus-info-level
23174 @findex gnus-info-set-level
23175 Get/set the group level.
23177 @item gnus-info-score
23178 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
23179 @findex gnus-info-score
23180 @findex gnus-info-set-score
23181 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
23183 @item gnus-info-read
23184 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
23185 @findex gnus-info-read
23186 @findex gnus-info-set-read
23187 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
23189 @item gnus-info-marks
23190 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
23191 @findex gnus-info-marks
23192 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
23193 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
23195 @item gnus-info-method
23196 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
23197 @findex gnus-info-method
23198 @findex gnus-info-set-method
23199 Get/set the group select method.
23201 @item gnus-info-params
23202 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
23203 @findex gnus-info-params
23204 @findex gnus-info-set-params
23205 Get/set the group parameters.
23208 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
23209 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
23211 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
23212 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
23213 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
23214 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
23217 @node Extended Interactive
23218 @subsection Extended Interactive
23219 @cindex interactive
23220 @findex gnus-interactive
23222 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
23223 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
23224 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
23227 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
23228 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
23233 The best thing to do would have been to implement
23234 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
23235 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
23236 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
23237 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
23238 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
23239 @code{interactive}.
23241 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
23246 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
23247 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
23251 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
23252 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
23253 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
23256 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
23260 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
23264 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
23270 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
23271 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
23275 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
23276 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
23277 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
23279 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
23280 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
23281 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
23282 Gnus, that's very useful.
23284 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
23285 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
23286 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
23287 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
23288 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
23289 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
23290 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
23291 following function:
23294 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
23298 (,function ,@@args))
23302 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
23303 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
23304 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
23307 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
23308 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
23309 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
23311 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
23312 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
23313 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
23316 @node Various File Formats
23317 @subsection Various File Formats
23320 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
23321 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
23325 @node Active File Format
23326 @subsubsection Active File Format
23328 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
23329 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
23332 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
23335 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
23336 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
23337 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
23338 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
23339 no.general 1000 900 y
23342 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
23345 active = *group-line
23346 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
23347 group = <non-white-space string>
23349 high-number = <non-negative integer>
23350 low-number = <positive integer>
23351 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
23354 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
23355 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
23358 @node Newsgroups File Format
23359 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
23361 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
23362 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
23363 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
23366 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
23367 Here's the definition:
23371 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
23372 group = <non-white-space string>
23374 description = <string>
23379 @node Emacs for Heathens
23380 @section Emacs for Heathens
23382 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
23383 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
23384 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
23385 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
23386 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
23387 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
23388 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
23392 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
23393 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
23398 @subsection Keystrokes
23402 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
23405 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
23408 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
23409 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
23410 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
23411 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
23412 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
23413 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
23415 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
23416 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
23417 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
23418 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
23419 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
23420 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
23421 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
23423 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
23424 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
23425 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
23426 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
23427 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
23428 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
23429 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
23431 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
23432 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
23433 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
23434 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
23435 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
23441 @subsection Emacs Lisp
23443 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
23444 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
23445 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
23446 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
23448 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
23449 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
23450 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
23451 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
23452 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
23453 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
23454 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
23457 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
23458 write the following:
23461 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
23464 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
23465 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
23466 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
23469 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
23470 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
23471 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
23472 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
23473 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
23475 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
23476 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
23477 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
23481 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
23485 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
23488 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
23489 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
23492 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
23495 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
23496 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
23499 @include gnus-faq.texi
23520 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
23521 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
23522 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
23523 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
23524 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref