1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
4 @settitle Red Gnus 0.43 Manual
11 @setchapternewpage odd
15 \documentclass[twoside,a4paper,openright]{book}
16 \usepackage[latin1]{inputenc}
17 \usepackage{pagestyle}
19 \fontfamily{bembo}\selectfont
24 \newcommand{\gnuschaptername}{}
25 \newcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
27 \newcommand{\gnusbackslash}{/}
29 \newcommand{\gnusxref}[1]{See ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
30 \newcommand{\gnuspxref}[1]{see ``#1'' on page \pageref{#1}}
32 \newcommand{\gnuskindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
33 \newcommand{\gnusindex}[1]{\index{#1}}
35 \newcommand{\gnustt}[1]{{\textbf{\textsf{#1}}}}
36 \newcommand{\gnuscode}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
37 \newcommand{\gnussamp}[1]{``\gnustt{#1}''}
38 \newcommand{\gnuslisp}[1]{\gnustt{#1}}
39 \newcommand{\gnuskbd}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
40 \newcommand{\gnusfile}[1]{`\gnustt{#1}'}
41 \newcommand{\gnusdfn}[1]{\textit{#1}}
42 \newcommand{\gnusi}[1]{\textit{#1}}
43 \newcommand{\gnusstrong}[1]{\textbf{#1}}
44 \newcommand{\gnusemph}[1]{\textit{#1}}
45 \newcommand{\gnusvar}[1]{\textsl{\textsf{#1}}}
46 \newcommand{\gnussc}[1]{\textsc{#1}}
47 \newcommand{\gnustitle}[1]{{\huge\textbf{#1}}}
48 \newcommand{\gnusauthor}[1]{{\large\textbf{#1}}}
50 \newcommand{\gnusbullet}{{${\bullet}$}}
51 \newcommand{\gnusdollar}{\$}
52 \newcommand{\gnusampersand}{\&}
53 \newcommand{\gnuspercent}{\%}
54 \newcommand{\gnushash}{\#}
55 \newcommand{\gnushat}{\symbol{"5E}}
56 \newcommand{\gnusunderline}{\symbol{"5F}}
57 \newcommand{\gnusnot}{$\neg$}
58 \newcommand{\gnustilde}{\symbol{"7E}}
59 \newcommand{\gnusless}{{$<$}}
60 \newcommand{\gnusgreater}{{$>$}}
62 \newcommand{\gnushead}{\raisebox{-1cm}{\epsfig{figure=gnus-head.eps,height=1cm}}}
63 \newcommand{\gnusinteresting}{
64 \marginpar[\hspace{2.5cm}\gnushead]{\gnushead}
67 \newcommand{\gnuscleardoublepage}{\ifodd\count0\mbox{}\clearpage\thispagestyle{empty}\mbox{}\clearpage\else\clearpage\fi}
69 \newcommand{\gnuspagechapter}[1]{
76 \newcommand{\gnuschapter}[2]{
78 \ifdim \gnusdimen = 0pt\setcounter{page}{1}\pagestyle{gnus}\pagenumbering{arabic} \gnusdimen 1pt\fi
80 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{}
81 \renewcommand{\gnuschaptername}{#2}
84 \begin{picture}(500,500)(0,0)
85 \put(0,0){\makebox(480,350)[tr]{#1}}
86 \put(40,300){\makebox(500,50)[bl]{{\Huge\bf{#2}}}}
91 \newcommand{\gnusitemx}[1]{\mbox{}\vspace*{-\itemsep}\vspace*{-\parsep}\item#1}
93 \newcommand{\gnussection}[1]{
94 \renewcommand{\gnussectionname}{#1}
98 \newenvironment{codelist}%
103 \newenvironment{kbdlist}%
109 \newenvironment{dfnlist}%
114 \newenvironment{stronglist}%
119 \newenvironment{samplist}%
124 \newenvironment{varlist}%
129 \newenvironment{emphlist}%
134 \newlength\gnusheadtextwidth
135 \setlength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{\headtextwidth}
136 \addtolength{\gnusheadtextwidth}{1cm}
138 \newpagestyle{gnuspreamble}%
143 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\mbox{}}\textbf{\hfill\roman{page}}}
147 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\roman{page}\hfill\mbox{}}}
156 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
158 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
163 \newpagestyle{gnusindex}%
168 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\gnuschaptername\hfill\arabic{page}}}}
172 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}
180 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
182 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
192 \hspace*{-0.23cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{chapter}.\arabic{section}} \textbf{\gnussectionname\hfill\arabic{page}}}}
196 \hspace*{-3.25cm}\underline{\makebox[\gnusheadtextwidth]{\textbf{\arabic{page}\hfill\gnuschaptername}}}
204 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
206 \raisebox{-0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=gnus-big-logo.eps,height=1cm}}
211 \pagenumbering{roman}
212 \pagestyle{gnuspreamble}
222 %\addtolength{\oddsidemargin}{-5cm}
223 %\addtolength{\evensidemargin}{-5cm}
225 \addtolength{\textheight}{2cm}
227 \gnustitle{\gnustitlename}\\
230 \hspace*{-1cm}\epsfig{figure=gnus-big-logo.eps,height=15cm}
233 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
240 \thispagestyle{empty}
242 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
244 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
245 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
246 are preserved on all copies.
248 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
249 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
250 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
251 permission notice identical to this one.
253 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
254 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
263 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
265 Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
267 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
268 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
269 are preserved on all copies.
272 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
273 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
274 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
275 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
278 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
279 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
280 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
281 permission notice identical to this one.
283 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
284 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
290 @title Red Gnus 0.43 Manual
292 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
295 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
296 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
298 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
299 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
300 are preserved on all copies.
302 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
303 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
304 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
305 permission notice identical to this one.
307 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
308 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
317 @top The Red Gnus Newsreader
321 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
322 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
323 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
335 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
336 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
338 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
339 being accused of plagiarism:
341 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
342 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
343 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
344 even read news with it!
346 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
347 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
348 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
349 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
350 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
357 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
358 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
359 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
360 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
361 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
362 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
363 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
364 * Various:: General purpose settings.
365 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
366 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
367 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
368 * Key Index:: Key Index.
372 @chapter Starting Gnus
377 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
378 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
381 @findex gnus-other-frame
382 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
383 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
384 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
386 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
390 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
391 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
392 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
393 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
394 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
395 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
396 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
397 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
398 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
399 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
400 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
404 @node Finding the News
405 @section Finding the News
408 @vindex gnus-select-method
410 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
411 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
412 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
413 native method. All groups that are not fetched with this method are
416 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
417 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
420 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
423 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
426 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
429 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
430 certainly be much faster.
432 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
434 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
435 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
436 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
437 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
438 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
439 that fails as well, Gnus will will try to use the machine that is
440 running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
442 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
443 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
444 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
445 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
447 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
448 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
449 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
450 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
451 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
452 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting.
454 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
456 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
457 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
458 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
459 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
460 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
461 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
463 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
465 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
466 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
467 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
468 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
469 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
470 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
473 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
474 would typically set this variable to
477 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
482 @section The First Time
483 @cindex first time usage
485 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
486 be subscribed by default.
488 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
489 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
490 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
491 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
494 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
495 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is here
496 defined as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
498 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
499 help you with most common problems.
501 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
502 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
506 @node The Server is Down
507 @section The Server is Down
508 @cindex server errors
510 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
511 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
512 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
514 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
515 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
516 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
517 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
518 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
519 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
520 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
522 @findex gnus-no-server
523 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
525 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
526 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
527 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
528 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
529 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
530 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
535 @section Slave Gnusae
538 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
539 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
540 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
541 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
543 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
546 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
547 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
548 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
549 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
550 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
551 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
552 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
554 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
555 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
556 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
557 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
558 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
559 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
560 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
561 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
563 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
564 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
567 @node Fetching a Group
568 @section Fetching a Group
569 @cindex fetching a group
571 @findex gnus-fetch-group
572 It it sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
573 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
574 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
575 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
576 It takes the group name as a parameter.
584 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
585 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
586 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
587 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
588 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
589 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
590 is @code{t} by default.
593 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
594 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
595 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
599 @node Checking New Groups
600 @subsection Checking New Groups
602 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
603 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
604 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
605 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
606 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
607 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
608 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
609 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
610 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
611 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
613 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
614 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
615 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
616 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
617 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
618 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
619 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
620 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
621 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
622 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
623 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
625 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
626 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
627 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
628 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
629 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
630 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
633 @node Subscription Methods
634 @subsection Subscription Methods
636 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
637 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
638 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
640 This variable should contain a function. Some handy pre-fab values
645 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
646 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
647 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
648 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
649 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
651 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
652 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
653 Subscribe all new groups randomly.
655 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
656 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
657 Subscribe all new groups alphabetically.
659 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
660 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
661 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
662 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
663 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
664 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into it's
665 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
666 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
667 up. Or something like that.
669 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
670 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
671 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
672 you about @strong{all} new groups.
674 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
675 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
680 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
681 A closely related variable is
682 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
683 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
684 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
685 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
688 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above to
689 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
690 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
693 @node Filtering New Groups
694 @subsection Filtering New Groups
696 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
697 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
698 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
701 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
704 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
705 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
706 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
707 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
708 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
709 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
710 subscribing these groups.
711 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
712 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
714 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
715 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
716 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
717 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
718 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
719 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
720 and if the the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
721 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
723 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
724 Yet another variable that meddles here is
725 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
726 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
727 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
728 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
729 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
730 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
731 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
732 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
735 @node Changing Servers
736 @section Changing Servers
737 @cindex changing servers
739 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
740 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
741 very flaky and you want to use another.
743 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
744 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
748 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
749 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
750 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
751 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
754 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
755 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
756 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
757 functions more than absolutely necessary.
759 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
760 @findex gnus-change-server
761 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
762 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
763 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
764 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
765 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
767 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
768 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
769 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
770 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
771 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
773 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
774 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
775 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
776 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
777 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
778 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
782 @section Startup Files
783 @cindex startup files
788 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
789 information is traditionally stored in this file.
791 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
792 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
793 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
794 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
795 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
796 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
797 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
799 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
800 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
801 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
802 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file.
804 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
805 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
806 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
807 the file and save some space, as well as making exit from Gnus faster.
808 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
809 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
811 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
812 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
813 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
814 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
815 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
816 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
817 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
818 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
819 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
820 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
821 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
822 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
824 @vindex gnus-startup-file
825 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
826 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
827 file being whatever that one is with a @samp{.eld} appended.
829 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
830 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
831 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
832 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
833 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
834 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
835 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
836 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
837 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
838 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
841 (defun turn-off-backup ()
842 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
844 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
845 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
848 @vindex gnus-init-file
849 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
850 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus.el} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
851 (@file{~/.gnus.el} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
852 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{.emacs} and
853 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff.
861 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
862 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
863 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
864 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
865 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
868 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
869 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
872 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
873 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
874 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
876 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
877 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
878 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
879 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
880 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
881 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
884 @node The Active File
885 @section The Active File
887 @cindex ignored groups
889 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
890 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
891 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
893 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
894 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
895 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
896 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
897 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
898 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
899 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
902 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
903 @c if you set it to anything else.
905 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
907 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
908 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
909 reading the active file. This variable is @code{t} by default.
911 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
912 you actually subscribe to.
914 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
915 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
916 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
917 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
919 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
920 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
921 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
922 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
923 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
924 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
926 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
927 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
928 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
929 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
930 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
931 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
933 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
934 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
937 @node Startup Variables
938 @section Startup Variables
943 @vindex gnus-load-hook
944 A hook that is run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
945 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
946 times you start Gnus.
948 @item gnus-startup-hook
949 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
950 A hook that is run after starting up Gnus successfully.
952 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
953 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
954 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
955 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
956 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
957 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
958 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
959 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
961 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
962 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
963 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
964 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead of doing
967 @item gnus-no-groups-message
968 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
969 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
973 @node The Group Buffer
974 @chapter The Group Buffer
977 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
978 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
979 long as Gnus is active.
982 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
983 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
984 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
985 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
986 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
987 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
988 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
989 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
990 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
991 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
992 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
993 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
994 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
995 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
996 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
997 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
998 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1002 @node Group Buffer Format
1003 @section Group Buffer Format
1006 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1007 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1008 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1012 @node Group Line Specification
1013 @subsection Group Line Specification
1014 @cindex group buffer format
1016 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1017 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1019 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1022 25: news.announce.newusers
1023 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1028 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1029 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1030 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1031 asterisk at the beginning of the line?)
1033 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1034 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1035 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1036 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1037 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1038 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1040 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1042 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1043 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1044 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1045 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1048 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1049 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1050 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1052 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1057 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1060 Whether the group is subscribed.
1063 Level of subscribedness.
1066 Number of unread articles.
1069 Number of dormant articles.
1072 Number of ticked articles.
1075 Number of read articles.
1078 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1079 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1082 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1085 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1094 Newsgroup description.
1097 @samp{m} if moderated.
1100 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1109 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1113 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1116 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1117 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1118 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1119 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1120 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.emacs.gnus}.
1123 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1124 be a letter. @sc{gnus} will call the function
1125 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1126 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1127 paratere as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1128 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1133 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1134 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1135 group, or a bogus native group.
1138 @node Group Modeline Specification
1139 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1140 @cindex group modeline
1142 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1143 The mode line can be changed by setting
1144 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). It
1145 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1149 The native news server.
1151 The native select method.
1155 @node Group Highlighting
1156 @subsection Group Highlighting
1157 @cindex highlighting
1158 @cindex group highlighting
1160 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1161 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1162 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1163 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1164 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1166 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1170 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1172 ,(custom-face-lookup "Red" nil nil t nil nil))
1173 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) .
1174 ,(custom-face-lookup "SeaGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1176 ,(custom-face-lookup "SpringGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1178 ,(custom-face-lookup "SteelBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
1180 ,(custom-face-lookup "SkyBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
1184 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1191 The number of unread articles in the group.
1195 Whether the group is a mail group.
1197 The level of the group.
1199 The score of the group.
1201 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1203 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1206 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1207 topic being inserted.
1210 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1211 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1212 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1214 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1215 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1216 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1217 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1218 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1221 @node Group Maneuvering
1222 @section Group Maneuvering
1223 @cindex group movement
1225 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1226 expected, hopefully.
1232 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1233 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1234 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1240 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1241 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1242 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1246 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1247 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1251 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1252 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1256 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1257 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1258 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1262 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1263 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1264 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1267 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1273 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1274 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1275 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1280 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1281 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1282 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1286 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1287 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1288 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1291 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1292 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1293 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1294 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1298 @node Selecting a Group
1299 @section Selecting a Group
1300 @cindex group selection
1305 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1306 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1307 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1308 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1309 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1310 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1311 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1312 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1313 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1314 negative, Gnus fetches the @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1318 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1319 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1320 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1321 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1322 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1326 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1327 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1328 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1329 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1330 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1331 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1332 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1333 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer.
1334 This might be useful if you want to toggle threading before entering the
1338 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1339 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1340 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1341 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1342 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1346 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1347 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1348 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1349 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
1350 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1351 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1352 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1353 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1356 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1357 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1358 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1359 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1364 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1365 full summary buffer.
1368 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1371 Select the most high-scored article in the group when entering the
1375 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1376 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1377 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1381 @node Subscription Commands
1382 @section Subscription Commands
1383 @cindex subscription
1391 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1392 Toggle subscription to the current group
1393 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1399 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1400 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1401 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1402 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1408 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1409 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1415 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1416 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1419 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1420 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1421 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1422 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1423 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1429 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1430 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1434 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1435 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1438 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1439 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1440 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1441 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1442 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
1443 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1444 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
1445 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1446 @file{.newsrc} file.
1450 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1460 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1461 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1462 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1463 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1464 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
1469 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1470 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1471 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1475 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1476 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1477 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1479 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1480 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1481 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1482 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1483 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1484 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1491 @section Group Levels
1495 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1496 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1497 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1498 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1499 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1501 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1507 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1508 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1509 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1510 prompted for a level.
1513 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1514 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1515 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1516 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1517 Gnus considers groups on between levels 1 and
1518 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1519 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1520 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1521 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1522 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (default 9),
1523 completely dead. Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly
1524 the same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what
1525 articles you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and
1526 living groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely
1527 for reasons of efficiency.
1529 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1530 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
1532 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1533 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1534 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1536 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1537 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1538 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1539 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1540 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1541 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1542 relevant legal ranges.
1544 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1545 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1546 will only move to groups that are of the same level (or lower). In
1547 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1548 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1549 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1552 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1553 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1554 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1557 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1558 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1559 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1560 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1563 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1564 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1565 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1566 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1568 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1569 Gnus will normally just activate groups that are on level
1570 @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to activate
1571 unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable to
1572 5. The default is 6.
1576 @section Group Score
1579 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1580 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1581 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1584 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1585 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1586 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1587 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1588 that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
1589 on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
1590 part and the score is the least significant part.))
1592 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1593 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1594 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1595 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1596 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1597 action after each summary exit, you can add
1598 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1599 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1600 slow things down somewhat.
1603 @node Marking Groups
1604 @section Marking Groups
1605 @cindex marking groups
1607 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1608 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1609 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1610 bidding on those groups.
1612 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1613 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1614 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1622 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1623 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1629 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1630 Remove the mark from the current group
1631 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1635 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1636 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1640 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1641 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1645 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1646 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1650 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1651 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1652 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1655 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1657 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1658 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1659 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1660 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1661 the command to be executed.
1664 @node Foreign Groups
1665 @section Foreign Groups
1666 @cindex foreign groups
1668 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1669 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1670 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1671 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1678 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1679 @cindex making groups
1680 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1681 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1682 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1686 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1687 @cindex renaming groups
1688 Rename the current group to something else
1689 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is legal only on some
1690 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1695 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1696 @cindex renaming groups
1697 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1698 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1702 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1703 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1704 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1708 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1709 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1710 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1714 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1716 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1717 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1722 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1723 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1727 @cindex (ding) archive
1728 @cindex archive group
1729 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1730 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1731 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1732 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1733 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1734 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1735 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1739 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1741 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1742 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1743 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1744 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
1748 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1750 Read an arbitrary directory as if with were a newsgroup with the
1751 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1752 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1756 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1757 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1759 Make a group based on some file or other
1760 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1761 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1762 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1763 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs}, and
1764 @code{forward}. If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will
1765 guess at the file type. @xref{Document Groups}.
1769 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1774 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1775 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1776 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1777 search engine type and the search string. Legal search engine types
1778 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1779 @xref{Web Searches}.
1782 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1783 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1784 This function will delete the current group
1785 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1786 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1787 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1788 absolutely sure of what you are doing.
1792 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1793 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1794 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
1798 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1799 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1800 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1803 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1806 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1807 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
1808 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
1809 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
1810 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers.
1813 @node Group Parameters
1814 @section Group Parameters
1815 @cindex group parameters
1817 The group parameters store information local to a particular group:
1822 If the group parameter list contains an element that looks like
1823 @code{(to-address . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used by
1824 the backend when doing followups and posts. This is primarily useful in
1825 mail groups that represent closed mailing lists---mailing lists where
1826 it's expected that everybody that writes to the mailing list is
1827 subscribed to it. Since using this parameter ensures that the mail only
1828 goes to the mailing list itself, it means that members won't receive two
1829 copies of your followups.
1831 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
1832 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
1833 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
1834 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
1835 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
1836 list address instead.
1840 If the group parameter list has an element that looks like
1841 @code{(to-list . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used when
1842 doing a @kbd{a} in any group. It is totally ignored when doing a
1843 followup---except that if it is present in a news group, you'll get mail
1844 group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
1846 @item broken-reply-to
1847 @cindex broken-reply-to
1848 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
1849 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
1850 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
1851 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
1852 broken behavior. So there!
1856 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
1857 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
1861 If this symbol is present in the group parameter list and set to
1862 @code{t}, new composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current
1863 group. If it is present and set to @code{none}, no @code{Gcc:} header
1864 will be generated, if it is present and a string, this string will be
1865 inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header (this symbol takes precedence over
1866 any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later).
1870 If this symbol is present in the group parameter list, all articles that
1871 are read will be marked as expirable. For an alternative approach,
1872 @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
1875 @cindex total-expire
1876 If this symbol is present, all read articles will be put through the
1877 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
1882 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
1883 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
1884 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
1885 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
1886 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
1887 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
1890 @cindex score file group parameter
1891 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
1892 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. This
1893 means that all score commands you issue will end up in that file.
1896 @cindex adapt file group parameter
1897 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
1898 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
1899 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
1902 When unsubscribing to a mailing list you should never send the
1903 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
1904 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
1905 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
1908 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} says which articles to
1909 display on entering the group. Legal values are:
1913 Display all articles, both read and unread.
1916 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
1921 This parameter allows you to enter an arbitrary comment on the group.
1923 @item @var{(variable form)}
1924 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
1925 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
1926 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
1927 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
1928 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
1929 @code{eval}ed there.
1931 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
1932 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
1933 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
1934 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
1935 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
1939 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group.
1941 Also @pxref{Topic Parameters}.
1944 @node Listing Groups
1945 @section Listing Groups
1946 @cindex group listing
1948 These commands all list various slices of the groups that are available.
1956 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
1957 List all groups that have unread articles
1958 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
1959 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
1960 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
1961 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
1968 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
1969 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
1970 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
1971 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
1972 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
1973 unsubscribed groups).
1977 @findex gnus-group-list-level
1978 List all unread groups on a specific level
1979 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
1980 with no unread articles.
1984 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
1985 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
1986 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
1987 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
1992 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
1993 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
1997 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
1998 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
1999 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2003 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2004 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2008 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2009 List absolutely all groups that are in the active file(s) of the
2010 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2011 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2012 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2013 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list group that
2014 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they are killed groups.
2015 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2019 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2020 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2021 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2025 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2026 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2027 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2031 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2032 @cindex visible group parameter
2033 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2034 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2035 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2036 get the same effect.
2038 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2039 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2040 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2041 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2042 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2045 @node Sorting Groups
2046 @section Sorting Groups
2047 @cindex sorting groups
2049 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2050 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2051 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2052 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2053 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2054 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2059 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2060 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2061 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2063 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2064 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2065 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2067 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2068 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2069 Sort by group level.
2071 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2072 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2073 Sort by group score.
2075 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2076 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2077 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2078 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}.
2080 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2081 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2082 Sort by number of unread articles.
2084 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2085 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2086 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2091 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2092 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2096 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2097 some sorting criteria:
2101 @kindex G S a (Group)
2102 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2103 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2104 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2107 @kindex G S u (Group)
2108 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2109 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2110 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2113 @kindex G S l (Group)
2114 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2115 Sort the group buffer by group level
2116 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2119 @kindex G S v (Group)
2120 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2121 Sort the group buffer by group score
2122 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}).
2125 @kindex G S r (Group)
2126 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2127 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2128 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}).
2131 @kindex G S m (Group)
2132 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2133 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2134 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2138 When given a prefix, all these commands will sort in reverse order.
2140 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2144 @kindex G P a (Group)
2145 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2146 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2147 group name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2150 @kindex G P u (Group)
2151 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2152 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by the number of
2153 unread articles (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2156 @kindex G P l (Group)
2157 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2158 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group level
2159 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2162 @kindex G P v (Group)
2163 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2164 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group score
2165 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}).
2168 @kindex G P r (Group)
2169 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2170 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group rank
2171 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}).
2174 @kindex G P m (Group)
2175 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2176 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2177 backend name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2183 @node Group Maintenance
2184 @section Group Maintenance
2185 @cindex bogus groups
2190 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2191 Find bogus groups and delete them
2192 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2196 @findex gnus-find-new-newsgroups
2197 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-find-new-newsgroups}). If
2198 given a prefix, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server for
2202 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2203 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2204 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2205 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2208 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2209 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2210 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2211 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2216 @node Browse Foreign Server
2217 @section Browse Foreign Server
2218 @cindex foreign servers
2219 @cindex browsing servers
2224 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2225 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2226 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2227 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2230 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2231 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2232 will be use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2233 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2235 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2240 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2241 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2245 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2246 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2249 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2250 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2251 Enter the current group and display the first article
2252 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2255 @kindex RET (Browse)
2256 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2257 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2261 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2262 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2263 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2269 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2270 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2274 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2275 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2276 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2281 @section Exiting Gnus
2282 @cindex exiting Gnus
2284 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
2289 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2290 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
2291 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2292 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2296 @findex gnus-group-exit
2297 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2301 @findex gnus-group-quit
2302 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2303 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
2306 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2307 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2308 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
2309 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
2310 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2315 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2316 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2317 trying to customize meta-variables.
2322 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
2323 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2324 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2330 @section Group Topics
2333 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2334 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2335 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2336 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2337 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2338 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2346 2: alt.religion.emacs
2349 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2351 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2352 13: comp.sources.unix
2355 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2357 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2358 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2359 is a toggling command.)
2361 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2362 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2363 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2364 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2367 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2368 the hook for the group mode:
2371 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2375 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2376 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2377 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2378 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2379 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2383 @node Topic Variables
2384 @subsection Topic Variables
2385 @cindex topic variables
2387 Now, if you select a topic, if will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2388 really neat, I think.
2390 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2391 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2392 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2405 Number of groups in the topic.
2407 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2409 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2412 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2413 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2414 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2417 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2418 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2420 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2421 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2422 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2425 @node Topic Commands
2426 @subsection Topic Commands
2427 @cindex topic commands
2429 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2430 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2431 definitions slightly.
2437 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2438 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2439 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2443 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2444 Move the current group to some other topic
2445 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2446 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2450 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2451 Copy the current group to some other topic
2452 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2453 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2457 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2458 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2459 This command uses the process/prefix convention
2460 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2464 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2465 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2466 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2470 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2471 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2472 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2476 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2477 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2478 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2481 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2482 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2483 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2484 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2488 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2490 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2491 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2492 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2493 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2494 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2495 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2498 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2499 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2500 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2501 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2502 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2506 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2507 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
2508 topic will be removed along with the topic.
2512 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2513 Yank the previously killed group or topic
2514 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
2519 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2520 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2523 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2524 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2525 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2529 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2530 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2531 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2535 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2536 @cindex group parameters
2537 @cindex topic parameters
2539 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2540 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2546 @subsection Topic Sorting
2547 @cindex topic sorting
2549 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2555 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2556 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2557 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2558 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2561 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2562 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2563 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2564 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2567 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2568 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2569 Sort the current topic by group level
2570 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2573 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2574 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2575 Sort the current topic by group score
2576 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}).
2579 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2580 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2581 Sort the current topic by group rank
2582 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}).
2585 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2586 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2587 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2588 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2592 @xref{Sorting Groups} for more information about group sorting.
2595 @node Topic Topology
2596 @subsection Topic Topology
2597 @cindex topic topology
2600 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2606 2: alt.religion.emacs
2609 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2611 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2612 13: comp.sources.unix
2615 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
2616 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
2617 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
2622 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2623 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2627 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2628 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2629 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2630 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2631 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2632 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2634 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2635 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2636 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2639 @node Topic Parameters
2640 @subsection Topic Parameters
2641 @cindex topic parameters
2643 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
2644 ancestor) topic parameters. All legal group parameters are legal topic
2645 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
2647 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
2648 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
2649 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
2650 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
2656 2: alt.religion.emacs
2660 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2662 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2663 13: comp.sources.unix
2667 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
2668 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
2669 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
2670 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
2671 @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
2672 . "religion.SCORE")}.
2674 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
2675 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
2676 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
2677 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
2678 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
2680 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
2681 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
2682 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
2683 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
2684 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
2685 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
2686 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
2687 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
2690 @node Misc Group Stuff
2691 @section Misc Group Stuff
2694 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
2695 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
2696 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
2703 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
2704 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
2705 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
2709 @findex gnus-group-post-news
2710 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). The current
2711 group name will be used as the default.
2715 @findex gnus-group-mail
2716 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
2720 Variables for the group buffer:
2724 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
2725 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
2726 @code{gnus-group-mode-hook} is called after the group buffer has been
2729 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
2730 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2731 @code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} is called after the group buffer is
2732 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
2735 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2736 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2737 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
2738 whether they are empty or not.
2743 @node Scanning New Messages
2744 @subsection Scanning New Messages
2745 @cindex new messages
2746 @cindex scanning new news
2752 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
2753 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
2754 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
2755 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
2756 command will force a total rereading of the active file(s) from the
2761 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
2762 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
2763 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
2764 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
2765 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
2766 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
2768 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
2769 @cindex activating groups
2771 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
2772 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
2777 @findex gnus-group-restart
2778 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}).
2782 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
2783 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
2785 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
2786 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
2790 @node Group Information
2791 @subsection Group Information
2792 @cindex group information
2793 @cindex information on groups
2801 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
2802 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
2805 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
2806 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
2807 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
2808 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
2809 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
2810 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
2811 for fetching the file.
2813 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
2814 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
2819 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
2820 @cindex describing groups
2821 @cindex group description
2822 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
2823 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
2824 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
2828 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
2829 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
2830 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
2835 @findex gnus-version
2836 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
2840 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
2841 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
2844 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
2847 @findex gnus-info-find-node
2848 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
2853 @subsection File Commands
2854 @cindex file commands
2860 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
2861 @vindex gnus-init-file
2862 @cindex reading init file
2863 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
2864 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
2868 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
2869 @cindex saving .newsrc
2870 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
2871 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
2872 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
2875 @c @kindex Z (Group)
2876 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
2877 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
2882 @node The Summary Buffer
2883 @chapter The Summary Buffer
2884 @cindex summary buffer
2886 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
2887 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
2889 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
2890 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
2892 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
2895 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
2896 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
2897 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
2898 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
2899 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
2900 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
2901 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
2902 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
2903 * Threading:: How threads are made.
2904 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
2905 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
2906 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
2907 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
2908 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
2909 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
2910 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
2911 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
2912 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
2913 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
2914 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
2915 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
2916 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
2917 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
2918 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
2919 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
2920 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
2924 @node Summary Buffer Format
2925 @section Summary Buffer Format
2926 @cindex summary buffer format
2929 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
2930 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
2931 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
2934 @findex mail-extract-address-components
2935 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
2936 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
2937 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
2938 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
2939 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined function exist:
2940 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
2941 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
2942 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
2943 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
2944 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead.
2946 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
2947 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
2948 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
2949 with those specs that require it. The default is @samp{}.
2952 @node Summary Buffer Lines
2953 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
2955 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
2956 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
2957 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
2958 lines a a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
2959 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2961 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
2963 The following format specification characters are understood:
2971 Subject if the article is the root or the previous article had a
2972 different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
2973 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @samp{}.)
2975 Full @code{From} header.
2977 The name (from the @code{From} header).
2979 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
2980 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
2981 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
2982 may be more thorough.
2984 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
2987 Number of lines in the article.
2989 Number of characters in the article.
2991 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
2993 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
2994 pushes everything after it off the screen).
2996 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
2997 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
2999 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3000 for adopted articles.
3002 One space for each thread level.
3004 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3012 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3013 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3014 default level. If the difference between
3015 @code{gnus-summary-default-level} and the score is less than
3016 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3024 The @code{Date} in @code{YY-MMM} format.
3026 The @code{Date} in @code{YYYYMMDDTHHMMSS} format.
3032 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3033 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3035 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3036 article has any children.
3040 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3041 be a letter. @sc{gnus} will call the function
3042 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3043 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3044 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3045 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3048 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3049 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
3050 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3051 that. This means that it is illegal to have these specs after a
3052 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3053 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3055 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3056 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3058 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
3061 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
3062 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
3064 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
3065 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar. Set
3066 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you like. The default
3067 is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
3069 Here are the elements you can play with:
3075 Unprefixed group name.
3077 Current article number.
3081 Number of unread articles in this group.
3083 Number of unselected articles in this group.
3085 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
3086 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
3087 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
3088 and no unselected ones.
3090 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
3091 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
3093 Subject of the current article.
3097 Name of the current score file.
3099 Number of dormant articles.
3101 Number of ticked articles.
3103 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
3105 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
3109 @node Summary Highlighting
3110 @subsection Summary Highlighting
3114 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3115 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3116 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
3117 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
3118 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3120 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
3121 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
3122 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
3123 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3125 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
3126 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
3127 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) that is used to
3128 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
3130 @item gnus-summary-highlight
3131 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
3132 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
3133 list where the elements are on the format @var{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
3134 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
3135 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
3137 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
3138 ((> score default) . bold))
3140 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3141 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
3145 @node Summary Maneuvering
3146 @section Summary Maneuvering
3147 @cindex summary movement
3149 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
3150 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
3152 None of these commands select articles.
3157 @kindex M-n (Summary)
3158 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
3159 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
3160 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
3161 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
3165 @kindex M-p (Summary)
3166 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
3167 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
3168 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
3169 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
3174 @kindex G j (Summary)
3175 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
3176 Ask for an article number and then go to that article
3177 (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
3180 @kindex G g (Summary)
3181 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
3182 Ask for an article number and then go the summary line of that article
3183 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
3186 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
3187 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
3188 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
3189 to the group buffer.
3191 Variables related to summary movement:
3195 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
3196 @item gnus-auto-select-next
3197 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
3198 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
3199 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
3200 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
3201 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
3202 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
3203 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
3204 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
3205 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
3206 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
3207 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
3208 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
3210 @item gnus-auto-select-same
3211 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
3212 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
3213 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
3214 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
3215 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) This variable is not
3216 particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
3218 @item gnus-summary-check-current
3219 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
3220 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
3221 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
3222 Instead, they will choose the current article.
3224 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
3225 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
3226 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
3227 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
3228 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
3229 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
3230 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
3231 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
3237 @node Choosing Articles
3238 @section Choosing Articles
3239 @cindex selecting articles
3242 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
3243 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
3247 @node Choosing Commands
3248 @subsection Choosing Commands
3250 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
3251 and they all select and display an article.
3255 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3256 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3257 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
3258 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3263 @kindex G n (Summary)
3264 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
3265 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
3270 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
3271 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
3276 @kindex G N (Summary)
3277 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
3278 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
3283 @kindex G P (Summary)
3284 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
3285 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
3288 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
3289 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
3290 Go to the next article with the same subject
3291 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
3294 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
3295 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
3296 Go to the previous article with the same subject
3297 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
3301 @kindex G f (Summary)
3303 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
3304 Go to the first unread article
3305 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
3309 @kindex G b (Summary)
3311 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
3312 Go to the article with the highest score
3313 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
3318 @kindex G l (Summary)
3319 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
3320 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
3323 @kindex G p (Summary)
3324 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
3325 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
3326 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
3327 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
3328 history as you like.
3332 @node Choosing Variables
3333 @subsection Choosing Variables
3335 Some variables that are relevant for moving and selecting articles:
3338 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3339 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3340 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
3341 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
3342 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
3343 the server and display it in the article buffer.
3345 @item gnus-select-article-hook
3346 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
3347 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
3348 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
3350 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
3351 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
3352 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
3353 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
3354 @findex gnus-unread-mark
3355 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
3356 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
3357 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
3358 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
3359 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
3360 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
3361 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
3362 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
3363 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
3368 @node Paging the Article
3369 @section Scrolling the Article
3370 @cindex article scrolling
3375 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3376 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3377 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3378 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3379 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3382 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3383 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3384 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3387 @kindex RET (Summary)
3388 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3389 Scroll the current article one line forward
3390 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3394 @kindex A g (Summary)
3396 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
3397 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
3398 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
3399 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
3400 the way it came from the server.
3405 @kindex A < (Summary)
3406 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3407 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3408 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3413 @kindex A > (Summary)
3414 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3415 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3419 @kindex A s (Summary)
3421 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3422 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3423 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3428 @node Reply Followup and Post
3429 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3432 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3433 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3437 @node Summary Mail Commands
3438 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3440 @cindex composing mail
3442 Commands for composing a mail message:
3448 @kindex S r (Summary)
3450 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3451 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3452 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3457 @kindex S R (Summary)
3458 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3459 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3460 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3461 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3464 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3465 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3466 Forward the current article to some other person
3467 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}).
3472 @kindex S m (Summary)
3473 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3474 Send a mail to some other person
3475 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
3478 @kindex S D b (Summary)
3479 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
3480 @cindex bouncing mail
3481 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
3482 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
3483 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
3484 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
3485 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
3486 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
3487 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
3488 very well fail, though.
3491 @kindex S D r (Summary)
3492 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
3493 Not to be confused with the previous command,
3494 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
3495 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
3496 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
3497 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
3498 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
3499 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
3500 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
3502 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
3503 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
3504 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
3505 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
3506 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
3509 @kindex S O m (Summary)
3510 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
3511 Digest the current series and forward the result using mail
3512 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
3513 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3516 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
3517 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
3518 @cindex crossposting
3519 @cindex excessive crossposting
3520 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
3521 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
3523 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
3524 This command is provided as a way to fight back agains the current
3525 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
3526 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
3527 command understands the process/prefix convention
3528 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
3533 @node Summary Post Commands
3534 @subsection Summary Post Commands
3536 @cindex composing news
3538 Commands for posting a news article:
3544 @kindex S p (Summary)
3545 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
3546 Post an article to the current group
3547 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
3552 @kindex S f (Summary)
3553 @findex gnus-summary-followup
3554 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
3558 @kindex S F (Summary)
3560 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
3561 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
3562 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
3563 process/prefix convention.
3566 @kindex S o p (Summary)
3567 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
3568 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
3569 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
3572 @kindex S O p (Summary)
3573 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
3574 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
3575 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}).
3578 @kindex S u (Summary)
3579 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
3580 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
3581 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
3585 @node Canceling and Superseding
3586 @section Canceling Articles
3587 @cindex canceling articles
3588 @cindex superseding articles
3590 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
3591 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
3593 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
3595 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
3597 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
3598 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
3599 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
3600 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
3602 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
3603 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
3606 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
3607 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
3608 your original article.
3610 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
3612 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
3613 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
3614 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
3617 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
3618 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
3619 have posted almost the same article twice.
3621 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
3622 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
3623 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
3624 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*post-buf*}). There you will
3625 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
3626 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
3627 header by substituting one of those words for the word
3628 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
3629 you would do normally. The previous article will be
3630 canceled/superseded.
3632 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
3635 @node Marking Articles
3636 @section Marking Articles
3637 @cindex article marking
3638 @cindex article ticking
3641 There are several marks you can set on an article.
3643 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
3644 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
3645 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
3647 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
3650 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
3651 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
3652 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
3656 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
3660 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
3661 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
3665 @node Unread Articles
3666 @subsection Unread Articles
3668 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
3673 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
3674 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
3676 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
3677 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
3678 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
3679 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
3680 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
3684 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
3685 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
3687 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
3688 are followups to it.
3691 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
3692 Markes as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
3694 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
3699 @subsection Read Articles
3700 @cindex expirable mark
3702 All the following marks mark articles as read.
3707 @vindex gnus-del-mark
3708 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
3709 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
3712 @vindex gnus-read-mark
3713 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
3716 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
3717 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
3718 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
3721 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
3722 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
3725 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
3726 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
3729 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
3730 Marked as read by having a too low score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
3733 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
3734 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
3737 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
3738 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
3741 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
3742 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
3745 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
3746 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
3750 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
3751 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
3752 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
3756 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
3757 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
3759 One more special mark, though:
3763 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
3764 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
3766 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
3767 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
3768 control the expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
3769 articles that are marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
3775 @subsection Other Marks
3776 @cindex process mark
3779 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
3785 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
3786 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
3787 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
3788 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
3789 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}
3792 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
3793 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
3794 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
3795 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
3798 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
3799 Articles that are stored in the article cache will be marked with an
3800 @samp{*} in the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}).
3803 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
3804 Articles that are ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
3805 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
3806 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}.
3809 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
3810 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
3811 It the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
3812 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
3813 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
3816 @vindex gnus-process-mark
3817 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}. A
3818 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
3819 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
3820 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
3821 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
3825 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
3826 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
3827 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
3829 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
3830 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
3831 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
3835 @subsection Setting Marks
3836 @cindex setting marks
3838 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
3844 @kindex M t (Summary)
3845 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
3846 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
3851 @kindex M ? (Summary)
3852 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
3853 Mark the current article as dormant
3854 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}).
3858 @kindex M d (Summary)
3860 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
3861 Mark the current article as read
3862 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
3866 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
3867 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
3868 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
3873 @kindex M k (Summary)
3874 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
3875 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
3876 and then select the next unread article
3877 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
3881 @kindex M K (Summary)
3882 @kindex C-k (Summary)
3883 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
3884 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
3885 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
3888 @kindex M C (Summary)
3889 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
3890 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
3893 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
3894 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
3895 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
3896 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
3899 @kindex M H (Summary)
3900 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
3901 Catchup the current group to point
3902 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
3905 @kindex C-w (Summary)
3906 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
3907 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
3908 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
3911 @kindex M V k (Summary)
3912 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
3913 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
3914 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
3918 @kindex M c (Summary)
3919 @kindex M-u (Summary)
3920 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
3921 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
3922 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}).
3926 @kindex M e (Summary)
3928 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
3929 Mark the current article as expirable
3930 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
3933 @kindex M b (Summary)
3934 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
3935 Set a bookmark in the current article
3936 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
3939 @kindex M B (Summary)
3940 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
3941 Remove the bookmark from the current article
3942 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
3945 @kindex M V c (Summary)
3946 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
3947 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
3948 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
3951 @kindex M V u (Summary)
3952 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
3953 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
3954 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
3957 @kindex M V m (Summary)
3958 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
3959 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
3960 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
3961 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
3964 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
3965 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
3966 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
3967 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
3968 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
3969 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
3970 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
3971 The default is @code{t}.
3974 @node Setting Process Marks
3975 @subsection Setting Process Marks
3976 @cindex setting process marks
3983 @kindex M P p (Summary)
3984 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
3985 Mark the current article with the process mark
3986 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
3987 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
3991 @kindex M P u (Summary)
3992 @kindex M-# (Summary)
3993 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
3994 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
3997 @kindex M P U (Summary)
3998 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
3999 Remove the process mark from all articles
4000 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
4003 @kindex M P i (Summary)
4004 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
4005 Invert the list of process marked articles
4006 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
4009 @kindex M P R (Summary)
4010 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
4011 Mark articles by a regular expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
4014 @kindex M P r (Summary)
4015 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
4016 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
4019 @kindex M P t (Summary)
4020 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4021 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4022 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4025 @kindex M P T (Summary)
4026 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4027 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4028 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4031 @kindex M P v (Summary)
4032 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
4033 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
4034 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
4037 @kindex M P s (Summary)
4038 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
4039 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4042 @kindex M P S (Summary)
4043 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
4044 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
4045 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
4048 @kindex M P a (Summary)
4049 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
4050 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4053 @kindex M P b (Summary)
4054 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
4055 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
4056 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
4059 @kindex M P k (Summary)
4060 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
4061 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
4062 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
4065 @kindex M P y (Summary)
4066 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
4067 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
4068 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
4071 @kindex M P w (Summary)
4072 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
4073 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
4074 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
4083 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
4084 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
4085 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
4092 @kindex / / (Summary)
4093 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
4094 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
4095 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
4098 @kindex / a (Summary)
4099 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
4100 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
4101 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4105 @kindex / u (Summary)
4107 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
4108 Limit the summary buffer to articles that are not marked as read
4109 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
4110 buffer to articles that are strictly unread. This means that ticked and
4111 dormant articles will also be excluded.
4114 @kindex / m (Summary)
4115 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
4116 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have not been marked
4117 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
4120 @kindex / n (Summary)
4121 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
4122 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
4123 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
4124 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4127 @kindex / w (Summary)
4128 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
4129 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
4130 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
4134 @kindex / v (Summary)
4135 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
4136 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
4137 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
4141 @kindex M S (Summary)
4142 @kindex / E (Summary)
4143 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
4144 Display all expunged articles
4145 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
4148 @kindex / D (Summary)
4149 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
4150 Display all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
4153 @kindex / d (Summary)
4154 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
4155 Hide all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
4158 @kindex / c (Summary)
4159 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
4160 Hide all dormant articles that have no children
4161 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
4164 @kindex / C (Summary)
4165 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
4166 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
4167 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
4168 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
4176 @cindex article threading
4178 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put replies to
4179 articles directly after the articles they reply to---in a hierarchical
4183 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
4184 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
4188 @node Customizing Threading
4189 @subsection Customizing Threading
4190 @cindex customizing threading
4196 @item gnus-show-threads
4197 @vindex gnus-show-threads
4198 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
4199 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
4200 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
4201 slower and more awkward.
4203 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
4204 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
4205 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
4206 more old headers---headers to articles that are marked as read. If you
4207 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
4208 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
4209 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
4210 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
4211 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
4212 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
4213 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
4214 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
4216 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
4217 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
4218 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
4219 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
4220 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
4221 articles that belong in the same thread together. This will leave
4222 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
4223 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
4224 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
4225 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
4226 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
4227 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
4228 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
4229 @code{nil} by default.
4231 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4232 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4233 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
4234 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
4235 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
4236 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
4237 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subjects lines. If
4238 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
4239 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
4240 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
4241 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
4243 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
4244 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
4245 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects.
4247 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4248 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4249 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
4250 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
4251 simplification is used.
4253 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4254 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4255 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
4256 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
4258 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
4260 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4266 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
4267 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
4268 "answer" "reference" "announce"
4269 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
4274 (mapconcat 'identity
4275 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
4277 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
4280 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
4283 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4284 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4285 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
4286 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
4287 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
4288 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
4289 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process. The
4290 default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
4292 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4293 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4294 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
4295 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
4296 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
4297 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
4298 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever includes unrelated
4299 articles, but it's also means that people who have posted with broken
4300 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
4304 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4305 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4306 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
4307 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
4309 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4310 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4311 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
4314 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
4318 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4319 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
4322 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
4323 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
4324 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
4325 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
4326 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
4327 read or killed the root in a previous session.
4329 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
4330 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
4331 There are four possible values:
4333 @cindex adopting articles
4338 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
4339 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
4340 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
4341 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
4344 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
4345 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
4346 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
4347 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
4348 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
4349 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
4350 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
4353 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
4354 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
4355 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
4359 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
4360 display them after one another.
4363 Don't gather loose threads.
4366 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4367 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4368 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
4371 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
4372 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
4373 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
4376 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4377 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4378 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
4379 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
4380 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
4383 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
4384 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
4385 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
4390 @node Thread Commands
4391 @subsection Thread Commands
4392 @cindex thread commands
4398 @kindex T k (Summary)
4399 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
4400 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
4401 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
4402 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
4403 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
4408 @kindex T l (Summary)
4409 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
4410 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
4411 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
4412 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
4415 @kindex T i (Summary)
4416 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
4417 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
4418 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
4421 @kindex T # (Summary)
4422 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4423 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
4424 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4427 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
4428 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4429 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
4430 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4433 @kindex T T (Summary)
4434 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
4435 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
4438 @kindex T s (Summary)
4439 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
4440 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
4441 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
4444 @kindex T h (Summary)
4445 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
4446 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
4449 @kindex T S (Summary)
4450 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
4451 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
4454 @kindex T H (Summary)
4455 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
4456 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
4459 @kindex T t (Summary)
4460 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
4461 Re-thread the thread the current article is part of
4462 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
4463 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
4466 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
4467 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
4468 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
4469 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}.
4473 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
4474 understand the numeric prefix.
4479 @kindex T n (Summary)
4480 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
4481 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
4484 @kindex T p (Summary)
4485 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
4486 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
4489 @kindex T d (Summary)
4490 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
4491 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
4494 @kindex T u (Summary)
4495 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
4496 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
4499 @kindex T o (Summary)
4500 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
4501 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
4504 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
4505 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
4506 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
4507 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
4508 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
4509 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
4510 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If is
4511 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
4512 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
4513 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
4514 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
4515 that have subjects that are fuzzily equal will be included.
4521 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
4522 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
4523 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
4524 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
4525 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
4526 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
4527 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
4528 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
4529 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which is a list of functions.
4530 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
4531 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
4532 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
4533 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
4534 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
4536 Each function takes two threads and return non-@code{nil} if the first
4537 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
4538 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread. If you use
4539 more than one function, the primary sort key should be the last function
4540 in the list. You should probably always include
4541 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
4542 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
4543 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
4544 ascending article order.
4546 If you would like to sort by score, then by subject, and finally by
4547 number, you could do something like:
4550 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
4551 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
4552 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
4553 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
4556 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
4557 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
4558 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
4559 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
4560 which the articles arrived.
4562 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
4566 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
4568 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
4569 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
4572 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
4573 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
4574 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
4575 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
4578 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
4579 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
4580 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
4581 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
4582 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
4583 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
4584 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
4585 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
4586 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
4587 is uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
4588 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
4589 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
4590 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
4592 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
4596 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
4597 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
4598 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
4603 @node Asynchronous Fetching
4604 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
4605 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
4606 @cindex article pre-fetch
4609 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
4610 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
4611 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
4612 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
4613 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
4615 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
4616 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
4618 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
4619 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
4620 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
4621 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
4622 connection is blocked.
4624 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
4625 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
4626 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
4627 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
4629 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
4630 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
4631 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
4632 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
4635 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
4638 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
4639 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
4640 happen automatically.
4642 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
4643 You can control how many articles that are to be pre-fetched by setting
4644 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
4645 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
4646 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
4647 pre-fetch all the articles that it can without bound. If it is
4648 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be made.
4650 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
4651 @findex gnus-async-read-p
4652 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
4653 articles, for instance. Which articles to pre-fetch is controlled by
4654 the @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable. This function should
4655 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
4656 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
4657 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
4658 data structure as the only parameter.
4660 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles that are
4661 shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
4664 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
4665 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
4666 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
4667 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
4670 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
4673 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
4674 preferrably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
4675 It's also probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
4677 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
4678 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
4679 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
4680 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
4684 Remove articles when they are read.
4687 Remove articles when exiting the group.
4690 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
4692 @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
4693 If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
4694 from the next group.
4697 @node Article Caching
4698 @section Article Caching
4699 @cindex article caching
4702 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
4703 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
4704 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
4705 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
4706 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
4708 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
4710 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
4711 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
4712 @vindex gnus-use-cache
4713 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
4714 all articles that are ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
4715 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
4716 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
4717 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
4719 When re-select a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
4720 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
4721 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
4722 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
4723 as dormant, and don't worry.
4725 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
4727 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
4728 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
4729 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
4730 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
4731 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
4732 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
4733 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
4734 articles that are marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
4735 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
4736 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
4738 @findex gnus-jog-cache
4739 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
4740 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
4741 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, and store them in
4742 the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this command if 1)
4743 your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really, really slow
4744 and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk. Seriously.
4746 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
4747 It is likely that you do not want caching on some groups. For instance,
4748 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
4749 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
4750 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space. To limit the caching,
4751 you could set the @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to
4752 @samp{^nnml}, for instance. This variable is @code{nil} by
4755 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
4756 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
4757 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
4758 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
4759 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
4760 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
4761 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
4762 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
4763 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
4767 @node Persistent Articles
4768 @section Persistent Articles
4769 @cindex persistent articles
4771 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
4772 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
4773 useful in my opinion.
4775 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
4776 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
4777 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
4778 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
4779 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
4780 the expiry going on at the news server.
4782 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
4783 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
4784 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
4790 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
4791 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
4794 @kindex M-* (Summary)
4795 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
4796 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
4797 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
4801 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
4803 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
4804 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
4805 interested in persistent articles:
4808 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
4812 @node Article Backlog
4813 @section Article Backlog
4815 @cindex article backlog
4817 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
4818 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
4819 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
4820 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
4821 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
4822 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
4823 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
4824 increase memory usage some.
4826 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
4827 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
4828 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
4829 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
4830 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
4831 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
4832 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
4834 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
4837 @node Saving Articles
4838 @section Saving Articles
4839 @cindex saving articles
4841 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
4842 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
4843 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
4844 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
4845 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
4847 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
4848 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
4849 unwanted headers before saving the article.
4851 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
4852 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
4853 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
4854 deleted before saving.
4860 @kindex O o (Summary)
4862 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
4863 Save the current article using the default article saver
4864 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
4867 @kindex O m (Summary)
4868 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
4869 Save the current article in mail format
4870 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
4873 @kindex O r (Summary)
4874 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
4875 Save the current article in rmail format
4876 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
4879 @kindex O f (Summary)
4880 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
4881 Save the current article in plain file format
4882 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
4885 @kindex O b (Summary)
4886 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
4887 Save the current article body in plain file format
4888 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
4891 @kindex O h (Summary)
4892 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
4893 Save the current article in mh folder format
4894 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
4897 @kindex O v (Summary)
4898 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
4899 Save the current article in a VM folder
4900 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
4903 @kindex O p (Summary)
4904 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
4905 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
4906 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
4909 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
4910 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
4911 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
4912 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
4913 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
4914 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
4915 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
4916 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
4917 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
4918 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
4919 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
4920 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
4924 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
4925 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
4926 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the four ready-made
4927 functions below, or you can create your own.
4931 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
4932 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
4933 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
4934 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
4935 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
4936 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4937 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
4939 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
4940 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
4941 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
4942 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
4943 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4944 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
4946 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
4947 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
4948 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
4949 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
4950 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
4951 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4952 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
4954 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
4955 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
4956 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
4957 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
4958 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
4960 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
4961 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
4962 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
4963 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
4964 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
4967 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
4968 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
4969 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
4970 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
4971 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}. The former creates capitalized names, and
4972 the latter does not.
4974 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
4975 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
4976 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
4977 reader to use this setting.
4980 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
4981 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
4982 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
4983 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
4986 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
4987 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
4988 available functions that generate names:
4992 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
4993 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
4994 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
4996 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
4997 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
4998 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5000 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
5001 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
5002 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5004 @item gnus-plain-save-name
5005 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5006 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5009 @vindex gnus-split-methods
5010 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
5011 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
5012 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
5013 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
5017 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
5018 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
5019 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
5020 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
5023 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
5024 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
5025 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
5026 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
5027 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
5028 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
5029 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
5030 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
5031 called returns a string or a list of strings.
5033 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
5034 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
5035 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
5036 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
5038 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
5039 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
5040 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
5043 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5044 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
5045 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
5046 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
5047 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
5048 all the files in the toplevel directory
5049 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
5050 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
5051 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
5052 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
5054 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
5055 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
5056 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
5057 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
5058 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
5061 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
5065 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
5066 (setq gnus-default-article-save 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
5069 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
5070 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
5071 the toplevel directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
5072 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
5075 @node Decoding Articles
5076 @section Decoding Articles
5077 @cindex decoding articles
5079 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
5080 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
5083 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
5084 * Shared Articles:: Unshar articles.
5085 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
5086 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
5087 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
5090 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
5091 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
5092 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
5093 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
5094 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
5096 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
5097 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
5098 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
5100 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
5101 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
5102 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
5104 Subjects that are nonstandard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
5105 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
5106 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
5109 @node Uuencoded Articles
5110 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
5112 @cindex uuencoded articles
5117 @kindex X u (Summary)
5118 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
5119 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
5122 @kindex X U (Summary)
5123 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
5124 Uudecodes and saves the current series
5125 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5128 @kindex X v u (Summary)
5129 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
5130 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
5133 @kindex X v U (Summary)
5134 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
5135 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
5136 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
5139 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
5140 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
5141 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
5142 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
5143 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5145 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
5146 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
5147 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
5148 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
5151 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
5152 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
5153 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
5154 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
5155 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
5156 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
5160 @node Shared Articles
5161 @subsection Shared Articles
5163 @cindex shared articles
5168 @kindex X s (Summary)
5169 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
5170 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
5173 @kindex X S (Summary)
5174 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
5175 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
5178 @kindex X v s (Summary)
5179 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
5180 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
5183 @kindex X v S (Summary)
5184 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
5185 Unshars, views and saves the current series
5186 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
5190 @node PostScript Files
5191 @subsection PostScript Files
5197 @kindex X p (Summary)
5198 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
5199 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
5202 @kindex X P (Summary)
5203 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
5204 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
5205 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
5208 @kindex X v p (Summary)
5209 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
5210 View the current PostScript series
5211 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
5214 @kindex X v P (Summary)
5215 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
5216 View and save the current PostScript series
5217 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
5221 @node Decoding Variables
5222 @subsection Decoding Variables
5224 Adjective, not verb.
5227 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
5228 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
5229 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
5233 @node Rule Variables
5234 @subsubsection Rule Variables
5235 @cindex rule variables
5237 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
5238 variables are on the form
5241 (list '(regexp1 command2)
5248 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5249 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5251 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
5252 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
5255 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5256 (list '(\"\\\\.au$\" \"sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio\")))
5259 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5260 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5261 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
5262 user and default view rules.
5264 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5265 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5266 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
5271 @node Other Decode Variables
5272 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
5275 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5277 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5278 All functions in this list will be called right each file has been
5279 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
5280 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
5281 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
5285 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
5286 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
5289 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
5290 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
5291 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
5294 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5295 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5296 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
5298 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5299 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5300 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
5301 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
5302 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
5305 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5306 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5307 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
5309 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5310 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5311 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
5312 looking for files to display.
5314 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
5315 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
5316 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
5319 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5320 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5321 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
5324 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5325 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5326 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
5329 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5330 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5331 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
5334 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5335 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5336 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark articles that were
5337 unsuccessfully decoded as unread.
5339 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5340 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5341 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
5342 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
5344 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5345 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5347 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
5348 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
5349 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
5350 @code{metamail} for viewing.
5352 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5353 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5354 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
5355 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
5356 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
5357 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
5358 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
5359 simply dropped them.
5364 @node Uuencoding and Posting
5365 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
5369 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5370 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5371 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
5372 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
5373 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
5374 for you when you post the article.
5376 @item gnus-uu-post-length
5377 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
5378 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
5379 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
5381 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
5382 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
5383 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
5384 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen are able
5385 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
5386 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
5387 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
5389 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5390 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5391 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
5392 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
5393 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
5394 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
5395 Default is @code{t}.
5401 @subsection Viewing Files
5402 @cindex viewing files
5403 @cindex pseudo-articles
5405 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
5406 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
5407 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
5408 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
5409 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
5410 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
5411 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
5413 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
5414 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
5415 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
5416 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
5418 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
5419 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
5420 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
5422 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
5423 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
5424 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
5425 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
5426 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
5428 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
5429 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
5430 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
5431 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
5432 a list of parameters to that command.
5434 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
5435 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
5436 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
5438 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
5439 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
5440 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
5443 @node Article Treatment
5444 @section Article Treatment
5446 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
5447 object of newsreaders are to actually, like, read what people have
5448 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
5449 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
5450 these articles easier.
5453 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
5454 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
5455 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
5456 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
5457 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
5458 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
5462 @node Article Highlighting
5463 @subsection Article Highlighting
5466 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
5467 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
5472 @kindex W H a (Summary)
5473 @findex gnus-article-highlight
5474 Highlight the current article (@code{gnus-article-highlight}).
5477 @kindex W H h (Summary)
5478 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
5479 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
5480 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
5481 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
5482 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
5483 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
5484 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name and
5485 @var{content} is the face for highlighting the header value. The first
5486 match made will be used. Note that @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^}
5487 prepended---Gnus will add one.
5490 @kindex W H c (Summary)
5491 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
5492 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
5494 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
5497 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
5499 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
5500 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
5501 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
5503 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
5504 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
5505 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
5507 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
5508 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
5509 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
5511 @item gnus-cite-face-list
5512 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
5513 List of faces used for highlighting citations. When there are citations
5514 from multiple articles in the same message, Gnus will try to give each
5515 citation from each article its own face. This should make it easier to
5518 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
5519 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
5520 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
5522 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
5523 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
5524 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
5526 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
5527 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
5528 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
5529 that it's a citation.
5531 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
5532 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
5533 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
5535 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
5536 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
5537 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
5539 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
5540 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
5541 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
5542 cited text belonging to the attribution.
5548 @kindex W H s (Summary)
5549 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
5550 @vindex gnus-signature-face
5551 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
5552 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
5553 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
5554 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
5555 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
5561 @node Article Hiding
5562 @subsection Article Hiding
5563 @cindex article hiding
5565 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
5566 too much cruft in most articles.
5571 @kindex W W a (Summary)
5572 @findex gnus-article-hide
5573 Do maximum hiding on the summary buffer (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}).
5576 @kindex W W h (Summary)
5577 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
5578 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
5582 @kindex W W b (Summary)
5583 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
5584 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
5585 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
5588 @kindex W W s (Summary)
5589 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
5590 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
5594 @kindex W W p (Summary)
5595 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
5596 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}).
5599 @kindex W W P (Summary)
5600 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
5601 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) gruft
5602 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
5605 @kindex W W c (Summary)
5606 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
5607 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
5608 customizing the hiding:
5612 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
5613 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
5614 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
5615 50), hide the cited text.
5617 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
5618 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
5619 The cited text must be have at least this length (default 10) before it
5622 @item gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
5623 @vindex gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
5624 Gnus adds buttons show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
5625 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
5626 by this format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
5631 Start point of the hidden text.
5633 End point of the hidden text.
5635 Length of the hidden text.
5638 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
5639 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
5640 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
5645 @kindex W W C (Summary)
5646 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
5647 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
5648 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
5649 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
5650 in @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
5654 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
5655 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
5656 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
5658 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
5659 citation customization.
5662 @node Article Washing
5663 @subsection Article Washing
5665 @cindex article washing
5667 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
5668 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
5670 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
5671 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
5677 @kindex W l (Summary)
5678 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
5679 Remove page breaks from the current article
5680 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}).
5683 @kindex W r (Summary)
5684 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
5685 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
5686 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
5689 @kindex W t (Summary)
5690 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
5691 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
5692 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
5695 @kindex W v (Summary)
5696 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
5697 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
5698 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
5701 @kindex W m (Summary)
5702 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
5703 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
5704 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
5707 @kindex W o (Summary)
5708 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
5709 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
5712 @kindex W w (Summary)
5713 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
5714 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}). If you use this
5715 function in @code{gnus-article-display-hook}, it should be run fairly
5716 late and certainly after any highlighting.
5719 @kindex W c (Summary)
5720 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
5721 Remove CR (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
5724 @kindex W q (Summary)
5725 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
5726 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
5729 @kindex W f (Summary)
5731 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
5732 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
5733 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
5734 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
5735 Look for and display any X-Face headers
5736 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
5737 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
5738 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
5739 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
5740 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
5741 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
5742 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
5743 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
5744 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
5745 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
5746 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
5747 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
5748 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
5752 @kindex W b (Summary)
5753 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
5754 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
5757 @kindex W B (Summary)
5758 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
5759 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
5760 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
5763 @kindex W E l (Summary)
5764 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
5765 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
5766 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
5769 @kindex W E m (Summary)
5770 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
5771 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
5772 lines with a single empty line.
5773 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
5776 @kindex W E t (Summary)
5777 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
5778 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
5779 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
5782 @kindex W E a (Summary)
5783 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
5784 Do all the three commands above
5785 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
5790 @node Article Buttons
5791 @subsection Article Buttons
5794 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
5795 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
5796 with the minimum of fuzz.
5798 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
5799 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
5800 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
5805 @item gnus-button-alist
5806 @vindex gnus-button-alist
5807 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
5810 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
5816 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
5817 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that match embedded URLs:
5818 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
5821 Gnus has to know which parts of the match is to be highlighted. This is
5822 a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp that is to be
5823 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
5826 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
5827 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
5828 avoid false matches.
5831 This function will be called when you click on this button.
5834 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
5835 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
5839 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
5842 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
5845 @item gnus-header-button-alist
5846 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
5847 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
5848 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
5849 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
5852 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
5855 @var{header} is a regular expression.
5857 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
5858 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
5859 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
5860 default values of the variables above.
5862 @item gnus-article-button-face
5863 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
5864 Face used on buttons.
5866 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
5867 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
5868 Face is used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
5874 @subsection Article Date
5876 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
5877 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
5878 when the article was sent.
5883 @kindex W T u (Summary)
5884 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
5885 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
5886 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
5889 @kindex W T l (Summary)
5890 @findex gnus-article-date-local
5891 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
5894 @kindex W T e (Summary)
5895 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
5896 Say how much time has (e)lapsed between the article was posted and now
5897 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}).
5900 @kindex W T o (Summary)
5901 @findex gnus-article-date-original
5902 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
5903 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and is
5904 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
5905 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
5906 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
5911 @node Article Signature
5912 @subsection Article Signature
5914 @cindex article signature
5916 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
5917 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
5918 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
5919 that says what is to be considered a signature is
5920 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
5921 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
5922 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
5923 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
5924 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
5927 (setq gnus-signature-separator
5928 '("^-- $" ; The standard
5929 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
5930 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
5931 ; line of dashes. Shame!
5932 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
5933 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
5934 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
5937 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
5940 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
5941 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
5946 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
5949 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
5952 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
5953 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
5955 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
5956 in question is not a signature.
5959 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
5963 @node Summary Sorting
5964 @section Summary Sorting
5965 @cindex summary sorting
5967 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
5968 can't really see why you'd want that.
5973 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
5974 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
5975 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
5978 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
5979 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
5980 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
5983 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
5984 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
5985 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
5988 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
5989 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
5990 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
5993 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
5994 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
5995 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
5998 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
5999 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
6000 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
6001 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
6002 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
6006 @node Finding the Parent
6007 @section Finding the Parent
6008 @cindex parent articles
6009 @cindex referring articles
6011 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
6013 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
6014 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
6015 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
6016 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
6017 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
6018 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
6019 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
6020 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
6022 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
6023 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
6024 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
6025 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
6026 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
6029 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
6030 @kindex A R (Summary)
6031 You can have Gnus fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References}
6032 header of the article by pushing @kbd{A R}
6033 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
6035 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
6036 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
6037 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
6038 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
6039 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
6040 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
6041 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
6042 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
6044 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
6045 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
6046 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
6047 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
6048 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the same
6049 as the one that keeps the spool you are reading from updated, but that's
6050 not really necessary.
6052 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
6053 not do a particularly excellent job of it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
6054 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
6055 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
6056 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
6057 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
6060 @node Alternative Approaches
6061 @section Alternative Approaches
6063 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
6064 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
6067 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
6068 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
6073 @subsection Pick and Read
6074 @cindex pick and read
6076 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{nn}) use a two-phased
6077 reading interface. The user first marks the articles she wants to read
6078 from a summary buffer. Then she starts reading the articles with just
6079 an article buffer displayed.
6081 @findex gnus-pick-mode
6082 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
6083 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
6084 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
6085 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
6086 it makes one additional command for switching to the summary buffer
6089 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
6094 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6095 Pick the article on the current line
6096 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}). If given a numerical prefix,
6097 go to the article on that line and pick that article. (The line number
6098 is normally displayed on the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
6101 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
6102 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
6103 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
6104 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
6108 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6109 Unpick the article (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6113 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6114 Unpick all articles (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6118 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6119 Pick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6123 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6124 Unpick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6128 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6129 Pick the region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6133 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6134 Unpick the region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6138 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6139 Pick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6143 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6144 Unpick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6148 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6149 Pick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6153 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-buffer
6154 Unpick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-buffer}).
6158 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
6159 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
6160 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
6161 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
6162 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
6163 will still be visible when you are reading.
6167 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
6170 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
6173 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
6174 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
6176 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
6177 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
6178 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
6180 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
6181 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different than the
6182 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
6183 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
6184 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
6185 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
6186 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
6190 @subsection Binary Groups
6191 @cindex binary groups
6193 @findex gnus-binary-mode
6194 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
6195 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
6196 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
6197 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
6198 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
6199 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
6202 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
6203 In fact, the only way to see the actual articles if you have turned this
6204 mode on is the @kbd{g} command (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
6206 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
6207 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
6211 @section Tree Display
6214 @vindex gnus-use-trees
6215 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
6216 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
6217 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
6220 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
6223 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
6224 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
6225 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
6227 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6228 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6229 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers. The default
6230 is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}. For a list of legal specs, @pxref{Summary
6233 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
6234 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
6235 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
6236 default is @code{modeline}.
6238 @item gnus-tree-line-format
6239 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
6240 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
6241 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
6242 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
6243 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
6244 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
6250 The name of the poster.
6252 The @code{From} header.
6254 The number of the article.
6256 The opening bracket.
6258 The closing bracket.
6263 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6265 Variables related to the display are:
6268 @item gnus-tree-brackets
6269 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
6270 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
6271 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
6272 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
6273 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}))}.
6275 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
6276 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
6277 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
6278 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
6282 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
6283 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
6284 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
6285 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
6286 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
6287 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}.
6289 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
6290 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
6291 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
6292 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
6293 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
6294 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
6295 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
6299 Here's and example from a horizontal tree buffer:
6302 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
6312 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
6316 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
6317 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
6319 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
6321 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
6327 @node Mail Group Commands
6328 @section Mail Group Commands
6329 @cindex mail group commands
6331 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
6332 illegal in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
6334 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
6335 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6340 @kindex B e (Summary)
6341 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
6342 Expire all expirable articles in the group
6343 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
6346 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
6347 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
6348 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
6349 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
6350 articles that are eligible for expiry in the current group will
6351 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
6354 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
6355 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
6356 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
6357 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
6358 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
6361 @kindex B m (Summary)
6363 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
6364 Move the article from one mail group to another
6365 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
6368 @kindex B c (Summary)
6370 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
6371 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
6372 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
6375 @kindex B C (Summary)
6376 @cindex crosspost mail
6377 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
6378 Crosspost the current article to some other group
6379 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
6380 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
6381 be properly updated.
6384 @kindex B i (Summary)
6385 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
6386 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
6387 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
6388 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
6391 @kindex B r (Summary)
6392 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
6393 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
6397 @kindex B w (Summary)
6399 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
6400 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
6401 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
6402 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
6403 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}).
6406 @kindex B q (Summary)
6407 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
6408 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
6409 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
6410 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
6413 @kindex B p (Summary)
6414 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
6415 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
6416 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
6417 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
6418 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
6419 article from your news server (or rather, from
6420 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
6421 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
6422 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
6423 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
6424 just not have arrived yet.
6428 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
6429 @cindex moving articles
6430 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
6431 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
6432 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
6433 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
6434 suggestions you find reasonable.
6437 @node Various Summary Stuff
6438 @section Various Summary Stuff
6441 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
6442 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
6443 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
6444 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
6448 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
6449 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
6450 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
6452 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
6453 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
6454 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
6455 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
6456 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
6457 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
6460 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
6461 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
6462 Is is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
6463 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
6464 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
6469 @node Summary Group Information
6470 @subsection Summary Group Information
6475 @kindex H f (Summary)
6476 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
6477 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
6478 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
6479 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
6480 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
6481 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
6482 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
6483 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} probably will be used for
6487 @kindex H d (Summary)
6488 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
6489 Give a brief description of the current group
6490 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
6491 rereading the description from the server.
6494 @kindex H h (Summary)
6495 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
6496 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
6497 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
6500 @kindex H i (Summary)
6501 @findex gnus-info-find-node
6502 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
6506 @node Searching for Articles
6507 @subsection Searching for Articles
6512 @kindex M-s (Summary)
6513 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
6514 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
6515 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
6518 @kindex M-r (Summary)
6519 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
6520 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
6521 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
6525 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
6526 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
6527 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
6528 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}).
6531 @kindex M-& (Summary)
6532 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
6533 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
6534 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
6537 @node Summary Generation Commands
6538 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
6543 @kindex Y g (Summary)
6544 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
6545 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
6548 @kindex Y c (Summary)
6549 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
6550 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
6551 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
6556 @node Really Various Summary Commands
6557 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
6562 @kindex C-d (Summary)
6563 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
6564 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
6565 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
6566 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
6567 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
6568 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
6569 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages on
6570 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
6574 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
6575 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
6576 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
6577 several documents into one biiig group
6578 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
6579 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
6580 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
6581 command understands the process/prefix convention
6582 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6585 @kindex C-t (Summary)
6586 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
6587 Toggle truncation of summary lines
6588 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
6589 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
6590 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
6594 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
6595 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
6596 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
6601 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
6602 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
6603 @cindex summary exit
6604 @cindex exiting groups
6606 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
6607 group and return you to the group buffer.
6613 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
6615 @findex gnus-summary-exit
6616 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
6617 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
6618 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
6619 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
6620 called before doing much of the exiting, and calls
6621 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
6622 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exiting
6627 @kindex Z E (Summary)
6629 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
6630 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
6631 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
6635 @kindex Z c (Summary)
6637 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
6638 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
6639 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
6642 @kindex Z C (Summary)
6643 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
6644 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
6645 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
6648 @kindex Z n (Summary)
6649 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
6650 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
6651 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
6654 @kindex Z R (Summary)
6655 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
6656 Exit this group, and then enter it again
6657 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
6658 all articles, both read and unread.
6662 @kindex Z G (Summary)
6663 @kindex M-g (Summary)
6664 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
6665 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
6666 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
6667 articles, both read and unread.
6670 @kindex Z N (Summary)
6671 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
6672 Exit the group and go to the next group
6673 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
6676 @kindex Z P (Summary)
6677 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
6678 Exit the group and go to the previous group
6679 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
6682 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
6683 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
6686 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
6687 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
6688 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
6689 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
6690 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
6691 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
6692 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
6693 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
6694 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
6695 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
6696 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
6697 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
6699 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
6701 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
6702 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
6703 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
6704 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
6705 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
6706 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
6707 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
6708 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
6709 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
6712 @node Crosspost Handling
6713 @section Crosspost Handling
6717 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
6718 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
6719 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
6720 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
6721 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
6722 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
6725 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
6726 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
6727 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
6728 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
6729 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
6731 @cindex cross-posting
6734 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
6735 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
6736 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
6737 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
6738 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
6739 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
6740 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
6741 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
6742 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
6743 the cross reference mechanism.
6745 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
6746 @cindex overview.fmt
6747 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
6748 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
6749 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
6750 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
6751 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
6752 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
6755 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
6756 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
6757 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
6762 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
6765 @node Duplicate Suppression
6766 @section Duplicate Suppression
6768 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
6769 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
6770 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
6771 approach may not work satisfactorily for some users for various
6776 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
6777 is evil and not very common.
6780 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
6781 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
6784 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
6785 different @sc{nntp} servers.
6788 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
6791 I'm sure there are other situations that @code{Xref} handling fails as
6792 well, but these four are the most common situations.
6794 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
6795 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
6796 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
6797 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
6798 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
6799 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
6800 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
6803 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
6804 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
6805 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
6806 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
6807 article as read the the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
6811 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
6812 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
6813 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
6815 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
6816 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
6817 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
6818 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
6819 However, this means that only duplicate articles that is read in a
6820 single Gnus session are suppressed.
6822 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
6823 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
6824 This variables says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
6825 suppression list. The default is 10000.
6827 @item gnus-duplicate-file
6828 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
6829 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list. The
6830 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
6833 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
6834 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
6835 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
6836 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
6837 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
6838 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
6839 to you to figure out, I think.
6842 @node The Article Buffer
6843 @chapter The Article Buffer
6844 @cindex article buffer
6846 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
6847 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
6848 tell Gnus otherwise.
6851 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
6852 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
6853 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
6854 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
6855 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
6859 @node Hiding Headers
6860 @section Hiding Headers
6861 @cindex hiding headers
6862 @cindex deleting headers
6864 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
6865 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
6867 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
6868 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
6869 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
6870 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
6871 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
6872 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
6873 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
6874 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
6875 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
6877 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
6881 @item gnus-visible-headers
6882 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
6883 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
6884 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
6885 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
6887 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
6888 the article and the subject, you'd say:
6891 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
6894 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers that are to
6897 @item gnus-ignored-headers
6898 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
6899 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
6900 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
6901 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
6902 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
6904 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
6905 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
6908 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
6911 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers that are to
6914 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
6915 variable will have no effect.
6919 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
6920 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
6921 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
6922 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
6923 the headers are to be displayed.
6925 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
6926 and then the subject, you might say something like:
6929 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
6932 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
6933 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers that
6934 are listed in this variable.
6936 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
6937 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
6938 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
6939 You can hide further boring headers by entering
6940 @code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers} into
6941 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}. What this function does depends on
6942 the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a list, but this
6943 list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is lists various
6944 @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove from sight.
6946 These conditions are:
6949 Remove all empty headers.
6951 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
6954 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
6955 @code{Newsgroups} header.
6957 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
6960 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
6964 To include the four first elements, you could say something like;
6967 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
6968 '(empty newsgroups followup-to reply-to))
6971 This is also the default value for this variable.
6975 @section Using @sc{mime}
6978 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
6979 while people stand around yawning.
6981 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
6982 while all newsreaders die of fear.
6984 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
6985 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
6986 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
6988 @vindex gnus-show-mime
6989 @vindex gnus-show-mime-method
6990 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
6991 @findex metamail-buffer
6992 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
6993 @code{gnus-show-mime-method}, which is @code{metamail-buffer} by
6994 default. Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
6995 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
6996 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
6997 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
6998 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
6999 buffer. These can't be avoided.
7001 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the summary
7002 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
7003 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
7004 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
7005 comes streaming out out your speakers, and you can't find the volume
7006 button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you,
7007 and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the
7008 program to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly
7009 decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
7011 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
7014 @node Customizing Articles
7015 @section Customizing Articles
7016 @cindex article customization
7018 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7019 The @code{gnus-article-display-hook} is called after the article has
7020 been inserted into the article buffer. It is meant to handle all
7021 treatment of the article before it is displayed.
7023 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7024 By default this hook just contains @code{gnus-article-hide-headers},
7025 @code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}, and
7026 @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight}, but there are thousands, nay
7027 millions, of functions you can put in this hook. For an overview of
7028 functions @pxref{Article Highlighting}, @pxref{Article Hiding},
7029 @pxref{Article Washing}, @pxref{Article Buttons} and @pxref{Article
7032 You can, of course, write your own functions. The functions are called
7033 from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like, pretty much.
7034 There is no information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can
7035 change everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead
7036 make them invisible if you want to make them go away.
7039 @node Article Keymap
7040 @section Article Keymap
7042 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
7043 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
7044 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
7045 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
7048 A few additional keystrokes are available:
7053 @kindex SPACE (Article)
7054 @findex gnus-article-next-page
7055 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
7058 @kindex DEL (Article)
7059 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
7060 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
7063 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
7064 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
7065 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
7066 @kbd{r}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
7067 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
7070 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
7071 @findex gnus-article-mail
7072 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
7073 given a prefix, include the mail.
7077 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
7078 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
7079 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
7083 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
7084 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
7085 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
7088 @kindex TAB (Article)
7089 @findex gnus-article-next-button
7090 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}. This
7091 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
7094 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
7095 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
7096 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}.
7102 @section Misc Article
7106 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
7107 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
7108 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
7109 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
7112 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
7113 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
7114 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
7115 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
7116 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
7117 the contents of the article buffer.
7119 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7120 @item gnus-article-display-hook
7121 This hook is called as the last thing when displaying an article, and is
7122 intended for modifying the contents of the buffer, doing highlights,
7123 hiding headers, and the like.
7125 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
7126 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
7127 Hook called in article mode buffers.
7129 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
7130 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
7131 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
7132 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. It accepts the same
7133 format specifications as that variable, with one extension:
7137 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
7138 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
7142 @vindex gnus-break-pages
7144 @item gnus-break-pages
7145 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
7146 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
7147 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
7148 paging will not be done.
7150 @item gnus-page-delimiter
7151 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
7152 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
7157 @node Composing Messages
7158 @chapter Composing Messages
7163 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
7164 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
7165 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
7166 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
7167 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
7168 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
7169 to make Gnus try to post using the foreign server.
7172 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
7173 * Post:: Posting and following up.
7174 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
7175 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
7176 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
7177 @c * Posting Styles:: An easier way to configure some key elements.
7178 @c * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
7179 @c * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
7182 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
7183 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
7189 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
7192 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
7193 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
7194 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
7195 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
7203 Variables for composing news articles:
7206 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
7207 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
7208 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
7209 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
7210 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
7211 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to sent the
7212 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
7213 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
7214 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
7217 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
7218 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
7219 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
7220 file. It is 1000 by default.
7225 @node Posting Server
7226 @section Posting Server
7228 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
7229 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
7231 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
7233 @vindex gnus-post-method
7235 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
7236 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
7237 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
7238 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
7239 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
7242 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
7245 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
7246 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
7247 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
7248 the ``current'' server for posting.
7250 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
7251 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
7253 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
7254 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
7259 @section Mail and Post
7261 Here's a list of variables that are relevant to both mailing and
7265 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
7266 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
7267 @cindex mailing lists
7269 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists that are
7270 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
7271 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
7272 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
7273 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
7274 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that match the groups that
7275 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
7276 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
7277 still a pain, though.
7281 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
7282 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
7283 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
7286 @findex ispell-message
7288 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
7292 @node Archived Messages
7293 @section Archived Messages
7294 @cindex archived messages
7295 @cindex sent messages
7297 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail you send.
7298 The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to store
7299 the mail. If you want to disable this completely, you should set
7300 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil}.
7302 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
7303 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
7304 use to store sent messages. The default is:
7308 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive/"))
7311 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
7312 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
7313 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
7314 directory chosen, you could say something like:
7317 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
7318 '(nnfolder "archive"
7319 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
7320 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
7321 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
7324 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
7326 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
7327 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
7328 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
7330 This variable can be:
7334 Messages will be saved in that group.
7335 @item a list of strings
7336 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
7337 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
7338 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
7340 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
7345 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
7347 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
7350 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
7352 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
7355 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
7357 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7358 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
7359 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
7360 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
7365 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7366 '((if (message-news-p)
7371 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
7372 messages in one file per month:
7375 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7376 '((if (message-news-p)
7378 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
7379 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
7382 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
7383 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
7384 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
7385 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
7386 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
7387 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
7388 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
7389 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
7390 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
7391 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
7393 That's the default method of archiving sent mail. Gnus also a different
7394 way for the people who don't like the default method. In that case you
7395 should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil}; this will
7398 XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
7399 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.
7402 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
7403 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
7404 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
7405 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
7406 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
7409 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
7410 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
7411 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
7416 @c @node Posting Styles
7417 @c @section Posting Styles
7418 @c @cindex posting styles
7421 @c All them variables, they make my head swim.
7423 @c So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
7424 @c on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
7425 @c and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
7428 @c @vindex gnus-posting-styles
7429 @c One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
7430 @c variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
7431 @c came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
7432 @c a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
7437 @c (signature . "Peace and happiness")
7438 @c (organization . "What me?"))
7440 @c (signature . "Death to everybody"))
7441 @c ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
7442 @c (organization . "Emacs is it")))
7445 @c As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
7446 @c @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
7447 @c ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
7448 @c over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
7449 @c applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
7450 @c the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
7451 @c @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
7452 @c signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
7454 @c The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
7455 @c string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
7456 @c If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
7457 @c arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
7458 @c referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
7459 @c any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
7462 @c Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
7463 @c attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
7464 @c can be one of @code{signature}, @code{organization} or @code{from}. The
7465 @c attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
7466 @c a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
7469 @c The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
7470 @c return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
7471 @c list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
7473 @c So here's a new example:
7476 @c (setq gnus-posting-styles
7478 @c (signature . "~/.signature")
7479 @c (from . "user@@foo (user)")
7480 @c ("X-Home-Page" . (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
7481 @c (organization . "People's Front Against MWM"))
7483 @c (signature . my-funny-signature-randomizer))
7484 @c ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
7485 @c (signature . my-quote-randomizer))
7486 @c (posting-from-work-p
7487 @c (signature . "~/.work-signature")
7488 @c (from . "user@@bar.foo (user)")
7489 @c (organization . "Important Work, Inc"))
7491 @c (signature . "~/.mail-signature"))))
7498 @c If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
7499 @c you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
7500 @c craazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save the
7501 @c message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some other
7502 @c day, and send it when you feel its finished.
7504 @c Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
7505 @c some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
7506 @c automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
7507 @c If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
7508 @c article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
7512 @c @vindex gnus-draft-group-directory
7513 @c The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
7514 @c @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
7515 @c @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{gnus-draft-group-directory}
7516 @c controls both the name of the group and the location---the leaf element
7517 @c in the path will be used as the name of the group. What makes this
7518 @c group special is that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any
7519 @c articles as read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
7521 @c If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
7524 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
7525 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
7526 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
7527 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
7528 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
7529 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
7530 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
7531 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
7532 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
7533 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
7534 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
7535 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
7536 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
7537 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
7539 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
7540 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
7541 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
7543 @c @findex gnus-summary-send-draft
7544 @c @kindex S D c (Summary)
7545 @c When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
7546 @c draft group and push @kbd{S D c} (@code{gnus-summary-send-draft}) to do
7547 @c that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
7549 @c Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
7552 @c @findex gnus-summary-send-all-drafts
7553 @c If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
7554 @c doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{S D a} command
7555 @c (@code{gnus-summary-send-all-drafts}). This command understands the
7556 @c process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7559 @c @node Rejected Articles
7560 @c @section Rejected Articles
7561 @c @cindex rejected articles
7563 @c Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
7564 @c doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
7565 @c @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
7566 @c Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
7568 @c These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
7569 @c (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
7570 @c fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
7571 @c you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
7572 @c articles until some later time when the server feels better.
7574 @c The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
7575 @c (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
7576 @c typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
7579 @node Select Methods
7580 @chapter Select Methods
7581 @cindex foreign groups
7582 @cindex select methods
7584 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group that is not read by the usual (or
7585 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
7586 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
7587 personal mail group.
7589 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
7590 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
7591 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
7592 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
7593 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
7594 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
7596 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
7597 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
7599 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
7602 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
7603 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
7604 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
7605 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
7606 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
7608 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
7611 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
7612 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
7613 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
7614 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
7615 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
7619 @node The Server Buffer
7620 @section The Server Buffer
7622 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
7623 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
7624 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
7625 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
7626 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
7627 backend represents a virtual server.
7629 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
7630 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
7631 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
7632 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
7634 These select methods specifications can sometimes become quite
7635 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
7636 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
7637 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
7638 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
7639 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
7640 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
7642 To enter the server buffer, user the @kbd{^}
7643 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
7646 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
7647 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
7648 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
7649 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
7650 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
7651 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
7654 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
7655 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
7658 @node Server Buffer Format
7659 @subsection Server Buffer Format
7660 @cindex server buffer format
7662 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
7663 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
7664 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
7665 variable, with some simple extensions:
7670 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
7673 The name of this server.
7676 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
7679 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
7682 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
7683 The mode line can also be customized by using the
7684 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable. The following specs are
7695 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
7698 @node Server Commands
7699 @subsection Server Commands
7700 @cindex server commands
7706 @findex gnus-server-add-server
7707 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
7711 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
7712 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
7715 @kindex SPACE (Server)
7716 @findex gnus-server-read-server
7717 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
7721 @findex gnus-server-exit
7722 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
7726 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
7727 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
7731 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
7732 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
7736 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
7737 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
7741 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
7742 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
7746 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
7747 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
7748 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
7754 @node Example Methods
7755 @subsection Example Methods
7757 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
7760 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
7763 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
7769 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
7770 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
7773 After these two elements, there may be a arbitrary number of
7774 @var{(variable form)} pairs.
7776 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
7777 port 15 from that machine. This is what the select method should
7781 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
7784 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
7785 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example.
7787 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
7788 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
7789 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
7793 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
7796 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
7799 Here's the method for a public spool:
7803 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
7804 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
7808 @node Creating a Virtual Server
7809 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
7811 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
7812 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
7814 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
7815 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
7816 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
7818 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
7820 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
7821 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
7822 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
7823 will contain the following:
7833 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
7834 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
7835 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
7838 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
7839 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
7840 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
7843 @node Servers and Methods
7844 @subsection Servers and Methods
7846 Wherever you would normally use a select method
7847 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
7848 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
7849 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
7853 @node Unavailable Servers
7854 @subsection Unavailable Servers
7856 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
7857 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
7858 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
7859 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
7860 actually the case or not.
7862 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
7863 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to the server
7864 @samp{nepholococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
7865 away from you, the machine is quite, so it takes 1 minute just to find
7866 out that it refuses connection from you today. If Gnus were to attempt
7867 to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't attempt to do
7868 that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'', it will
7869 regard that server as ``down''.
7871 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
7872 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
7874 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
7875 with the following commands:
7881 @findex gnus-server-open-server
7882 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
7883 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
7887 @findex gnus-server-close-server
7888 Close the connection (if any) to the server
7889 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
7893 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
7894 Mark the current server as unreachable
7895 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
7898 @kindex M-o (Server)
7899 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
7900 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
7901 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
7904 @kindex M-c (Server)
7905 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
7906 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
7907 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
7911 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
7912 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from all servers
7913 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
7919 @section Getting News
7920 @cindex reading news
7921 @cindex news backends
7923 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
7924 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
7925 or it can read from a local spool.
7928 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
7929 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
7934 @subsection @sc{nntp}
7937 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
7938 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
7939 server as the, uhm, address.
7941 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
7942 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
7943 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
7944 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
7946 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
7947 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
7948 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
7950 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
7955 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
7956 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
7957 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
7959 @cindex authentification
7960 @cindex nntp authentification
7961 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
7962 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
7963 @code{nntp-server-opened-hook} is run after a connection has been made.
7964 It can be used to send commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has
7965 been contacted. By default is sends the command @code{MODE READER} to
7966 the server with the @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function.
7968 @item nntp-authinfo-function
7969 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
7970 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
7971 server. Available functions include:
7974 @item nntp-send-authinfo
7975 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
7976 This function will used you current login name as the user name and will
7977 prompt you for the password. This is the default.
7979 @item nntp-send-nosy-authinfo
7980 @findex nntp-send-nosy-authinfo
7981 This function will prompt you for both user name and password.
7983 @item nntp-send-authinfo-from-file
7984 @findex nntp-send-authinfo-from-file
7985 This function will use your current login name as the user name and will
7986 read the @sc{nntp} password from @file{~/.nntp-authinfo}.
7989 @item nntp-server-action-alist
7990 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
7991 This is an list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
7992 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
7993 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
7996 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
8000 You probably don't want to do that, though.
8002 The default value is
8005 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
8006 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook nntp-send-mode-reader)))
8009 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
8010 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
8012 @item nntp-maximum-request
8013 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
8014 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
8015 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
8016 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
8017 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
8018 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
8019 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
8021 @item nntp-connection-timeout
8022 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
8023 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
8024 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
8025 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
8026 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
8027 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
8028 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
8029 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
8030 no timeouts are done.
8032 @item nntp-command-timeout
8033 @vindex nntp-command-timeout
8034 @cindex PPP connections
8035 @cindex dynamic IP addresses
8036 If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
8037 address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
8038 changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
8039 waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
8040 unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
8041 then, if it sits waiting longer than that number of seconds for a reply
8042 from the server, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
8043 the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
8044 likely number is 30 seconds.
8046 @item nntp-retry-on-break
8047 @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
8048 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
8049 hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
8052 @item nntp-server-hook
8053 @vindex nntp-server-hook
8054 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
8057 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
8058 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
8059 @item nntp-open-server-function
8060 @vindex nntp-open-server-function
8061 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Two pre-made
8062 functions are @code{nntp-open-network-stream}, which is the default, and
8063 simply connects to some port or other on the remote system. The other
8064 is @code{nntp-open-rlogin}, which does an rlogin on the remote system,
8065 and then does a telnet to the @sc{nntp} server available there.
8067 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
8068 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
8069 If you use @code{nntp-open-rlogin} as the
8070 @code{nntp-open-server-function}, this list will be used as the
8071 parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
8073 @item nntp-end-of-line
8074 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
8075 String to use as end-of-line markers when talking to the @sc{nntp}
8076 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
8077 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
8079 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
8080 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
8081 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
8085 @vindex nntp-address
8086 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
8088 @item nntp-port-number
8089 @vindex nntp-port-number
8090 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
8093 @item nntp-buggy-select
8094 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
8095 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
8097 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
8098 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
8099 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
8100 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks whether @sc{nov}
8101 can be used automatically.
8103 @item nntp-xover-commands
8104 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
8107 List of strings that are used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
8108 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
8112 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
8113 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
8114 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
8115 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
8116 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
8117 lines that you do not want, and will not use. This variable says how
8118 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
8119 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
8120 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
8121 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
8122 @code{nntp} will never split requests.
8124 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
8125 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
8126 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
8128 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
8129 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
8130 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
8131 server closes connection.
8137 @subsection News Spool
8141 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
8142 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
8143 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
8146 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @samp{} (or
8147 anything else) as the address.
8149 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
8150 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
8151 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
8152 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
8156 @item nnspool-inews-program
8157 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
8158 Program used to post an article.
8160 @item nnspool-inews-switches
8161 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
8162 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
8164 @item nnspool-spool-directory
8165 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
8166 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
8167 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
8169 @item nnspool-nov-directory
8170 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
8171 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
8172 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
8174 @item nnspool-lib-dir
8175 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
8176 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
8178 @item nnspool-active-file
8179 @vindex nnspool-active-file
8180 The path of the active file.
8182 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
8183 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
8184 The path of the group descriptions file.
8186 @item nnspool-history-file
8187 @vindex nnspool-history-file
8188 The path of the news history file.
8190 @item nnspool-active-times-file
8191 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
8192 The path of the active date file.
8194 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
8195 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
8196 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
8199 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
8200 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
8202 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
8203 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
8204 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
8210 @section Getting Mail
8211 @cindex reading mail
8214 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
8218 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
8219 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
8220 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
8221 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
8222 * Mail and Procmail:: Reading mail groups that procmail create.
8223 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
8224 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
8225 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
8226 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
8227 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
8228 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
8232 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
8233 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
8235 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
8236 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
8237 and things will happen automatically.
8239 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a one file per
8240 mail backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
8243 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
8244 '((nnml "private")))
8247 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
8248 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
8249 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
8250 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
8251 like any other group.
8253 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
8256 (setq nnmail-split-methods
8257 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
8258 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
8262 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
8263 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
8264 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
8267 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
8268 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though,
8269 especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
8272 @node Splitting Mail
8273 @subsection Splitting Mail
8274 @cindex splitting mail
8275 @cindex mail splitting
8277 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
8278 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
8279 to be split into groups.
8282 (setq nnmail-split-methods
8283 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
8284 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
8288 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
8289 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
8290 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
8291 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
8292 determine if it belongs in this mail group.
8294 If the first element is the special symbol @code{junk}, then messages
8295 that match the regexp will disappear into the aether. Use with
8298 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
8299 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
8300 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
8301 mail belongs in that group.
8303 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
8304 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any
8305 mails that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps.
8307 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
8308 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
8309 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
8310 message. The function should return a list of groups names that it
8311 thinks should carry this mail message.
8313 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent
8314 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
8315 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
8316 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
8318 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
8319 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
8320 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
8321 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
8322 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
8324 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
8327 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
8328 the crossposted articles. However, not all files systems support hard
8329 links. If that's the case for you, set
8330 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
8331 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
8333 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
8334 @kindex nnmail-split-history
8335 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
8336 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
8338 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
8339 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
8340 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
8341 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
8342 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
8343 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
8344 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
8345 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
8349 @node Mail Backend Variables
8350 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
8352 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
8356 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
8357 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
8358 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
8359 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
8361 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
8362 @item nnmail-spool-file
8366 @vindex nnmail-pop-password
8367 @vindex nnmail-pop-password-required
8368 The backends will look for new mail in this file. If this variable is
8369 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
8370 themselves. If you are using a POP mail server and your name is
8371 @samp{larsi}, you should set this variable to @samp{po:larsi}. If
8372 your name is not @samp{larsi}, you should probably modify that
8373 slightly, but you may have guessed that already, you smart & handsome
8374 devil! You can also set this variable to @code{pop}, and Gnus will try
8375 to figure out the POP mail string by itself. In any case, Gnus will
8376 call @code{movemail} which will contact the POP server named in the
8377 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable. If the POP server needs a
8378 password, you can either set @code{nnmail-pop-password-required} to
8379 @code{t} and be prompted for the password, or set
8380 @code{nnmail-pop-password} to the password itself.
8382 Your Emacs has to have been configured with @samp{--use-pop} before
8383 compilation. This is the default, but some installations have it
8386 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
8387 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
8388 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
8389 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
8390 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
8391 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
8393 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
8394 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
8395 @item nnmail-use-procmail
8396 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will look in
8397 @code{nnmail-procmail-directory} for incoming mail. All the files in
8398 that directory that have names ending in @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix}
8399 will be considered incoming mailboxes, and will be searched for new
8402 @vindex nnmail-crash-box
8403 @item nnmail-crash-box
8404 When the mail backends read a spool file, it is first moved to this
8405 file, which is @file{~/.gnus-crash-box} by default. If this file
8406 already exists, it will always be read (and incorporated) before any
8409 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
8410 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
8411 This is run in a buffer that holds all the new incoming mail, and can be
8412 used for, well, anything, really.
8414 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
8415 @item nnmail-split-hook
8416 @findex article-decode-rfc1522
8417 @findex RFC1522 decoding
8418 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
8419 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
8420 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
8421 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
8422 in the buffer will show up in any files. @code{article-decode-rfc1522}
8423 is one likely function to add to this hook.
8425 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
8426 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
8427 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
8428 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
8429 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
8430 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
8431 starting to handle the new mail) and
8432 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
8433 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
8434 default file modes the new mail files get:
8437 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
8438 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
8440 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
8441 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
8444 @item nnmail-tmp-directory
8445 @vindex nnmail-tmp-directory
8446 This variable says where to move the incoming mail to while processing
8447 it. This is usually done in the same directory that the mail backend
8448 inhabits (i.e., @file{~/Mail/}), but if this variable is non-@code{nil},
8449 it will be used instead.
8451 @item nnmail-movemail-program
8452 @vindex nnmail-movemail-program
8453 This program is executed to move mail from the user's inbox to her home
8454 directory. The default is @samp{movemail}.
8456 This can also be a function. In that case, the function will be called
8457 with two parameters -- the name of the inbox, and the file to be moved
8460 @item nnmail-delete-incoming
8461 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
8462 @cindex incoming mail files
8463 @cindex deleting incoming files
8464 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will delete the temporary incoming
8465 file after splitting mail into the proper groups. This is @code{nil} by
8466 default for reasons of security.
8468 Since Red Gnus is an alpha release, it is to be expected to lose mail.
8469 (No Gnus release since (ding) Gnus 0.10 (or something like that) have
8470 lost mail, I think, but that's not the point.) By not deleting the
8471 Incoming* files, one can be sure to not lose mail -- if Gnus totally
8472 whacks out, one can always recover what was lost.
8474 Delete the @file{Incoming*} files at will.
8476 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
8477 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
8478 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
8479 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories like
8480 @file{mail.misc/}. If it is @code{nil}, the same group will end up in
8483 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
8484 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
8486 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
8491 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
8492 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
8493 @cindex mail splitting
8494 @cindex fancy mail splitting
8496 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
8497 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
8498 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
8499 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
8500 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
8501 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
8503 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
8506 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
8507 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
8508 ;; from real errors.
8509 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
8511 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
8512 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
8513 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
8514 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
8515 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
8516 ;; Other mailing lists...
8517 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
8518 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
8520 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen"))
8521 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
8525 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
8526 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
8527 the five possible split syntaxes:
8532 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name.
8535 @var{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, and the first
8536 element is a string, then that means that if header FIELD (a regexp)
8537 contains VALUE (also a regexp), then store the message as specified by
8541 @var{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
8542 @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them
8543 matches. A SPLIT is said to match if it will cause the mail message to
8544 be stored in one or more groups.
8547 @var{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
8548 @code{&}, then process all SPLITs in the list.
8551 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
8552 this message anywhere.
8556 In these splits, FIELD must match a complete field name. VALUE must
8557 match a complete word according to the fundamental mode syntax table.
8558 You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial field names or
8561 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
8562 FIELD and VALUE can also be lisp symbols, in that case they are expanded
8563 as specified by the variable @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is
8564 an alist of cons cells, where the car of the cells contains the key, and
8565 the cdr contains a string.
8567 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
8568 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
8569 when all this splitting is performed.
8572 @node Mail and Procmail
8573 @subsection Mail and Procmail
8578 Many people use @code{procmail} (or some other mail filter program or
8579 external delivery agent---@code{slocal}, @code{elm}, etc) to split
8580 incoming mail into groups. If you do that, you should set
8581 @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{procmail} to ensure that the mail
8582 backends never ever try to fetch mail by themselves.
8584 This also means that you probably don't want to set
8585 @code{nnmail-split-methods} either, which has some, perhaps, unexpected
8588 When a mail backend is queried for what groups it carries, it replies
8589 with the contents of that variable, along with any groups it has figured
8590 out that it carries by other means. None of the backends (except
8591 @code{nnmh}) actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
8592 exist. (It's not trivial to distinguish between what the user thinks is
8593 a basis for a newsgroup and what is just a plain old file or directory.)
8595 This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) what groups
8598 Let's take the @code{nnmh} backend as an example.
8600 The folders are located in @code{nnmh-directory}, say, @file{~/Mail/}.
8601 There are three folders, @file{foo}, @file{bar} and @file{mail.baz}.
8603 Go to the group buffer and type @kbd{G m}. When prompted, answer
8604 @samp{foo} for the name and @samp{nnmh} for the method. Repeat
8605 twice for the two other groups, @samp{bar} and @samp{mail.baz}. Be sure
8606 to include all your mail groups.
8608 That's it. You are now set to read your mail. An active file for this
8609 method will be created automatically.
8611 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
8612 @vindex nnmail-procmail-directory
8613 If you use @code{nnfolder} or any other backend that store more than a
8614 single article in each file, you should never have procmail add mails to
8615 the file that Gnus sees. Instead, procmail should put all incoming mail
8616 in @code{nnmail-procmail-directory}. To arrive at the file name to put
8617 the incoming mail in, append @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix} to the group
8618 name. The mail backends will read the mail from these files.
8620 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
8621 When Gnus reads a file called @file{mail.misc.spool}, this mail will be
8622 put in the @code{mail.misc}, as one would expect. However, if you want
8623 Gnus to split the mail the normal way, you could set
8624 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to @code{t}.
8626 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
8627 If you use @code{procmail} to split things directory into an @code{nnmh}
8628 directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
8629 @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} to non-@code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
8630 ever expiring the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is quite,
8633 Here's an example setup: The incoming spools are located in
8634 @file{~/incoming/} and have @samp{""} as suffixes (i. e., the incoming
8635 spool files have the same names as the equivalent groups). The
8636 @code{nnfolder} backend is to be used as the mail interface, and the
8637 @code{nnfolder} directory is @file{~/fMail/}.
8640 (setq nnfolder-directory "~/fMail/")
8641 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
8642 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/incoming/")
8643 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnfolder "")))
8644 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "")
8648 @node Incorporating Old Mail
8649 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
8651 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
8652 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
8653 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
8656 Doing so can be quite easy.
8658 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
8659 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
8660 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
8661 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
8662 your @code{nnml} groups.
8668 Go to the group buffer.
8671 Type `G f' and give the path of the mbox file when prompted to create an
8672 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
8675 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
8678 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group (@pxref{Setting
8682 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
8683 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
8686 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
8687 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
8688 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
8689 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
8690 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
8692 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
8693 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
8694 using the new mail backend.
8698 @subsection Expiring Mail
8699 @cindex article expiry
8701 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
8702 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
8703 different approach to mail reading.
8705 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
8706 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
8707 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
8708 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
8709 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
8710 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
8713 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
8714 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
8715 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
8716 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
8717 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
8718 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
8719 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
8720 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
8722 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
8723 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
8724 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
8725 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
8726 articles that are marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
8727 column in the summary buffer.
8729 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
8730 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
8733 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
8734 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
8737 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
8738 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
8740 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
8741 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
8742 expirable article has to live. The default is seven days.
8744 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
8745 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
8746 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
8747 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
8750 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
8752 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
8754 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
8756 ((string= group "mail.junk")
8758 ((string= group "important")
8764 The group names that this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
8765 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
8767 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
8768 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can be either a number (not
8769 necessarily an integer) or the symbols @code{immediate} or
8772 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
8773 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8775 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
8776 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
8777 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
8778 easier for procmail users.
8780 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
8781 By the way, that line up there about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
8782 articles is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
8783 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
8784 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
8785 caution. Even more dangerous is the
8786 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
8787 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
8788 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
8789 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
8790 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
8791 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
8792 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
8797 @subsection Washing Mail
8798 @cindex mail washing
8799 @cindex list server brain damage
8800 @cindex incoming mail treatment
8802 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
8803 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
8804 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
8805 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
8806 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
8807 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
8809 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
8810 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
8811 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
8814 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
8815 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
8816 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
8817 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
8820 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
8821 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
8822 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
8823 grand, sweeping gestures. Functions to be used include:
8826 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
8827 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
8828 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
8829 Emacs running on MS machines.
8833 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
8834 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
8835 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
8836 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
8839 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
8840 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
8841 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
8842 headers too make them look nice. Aaah.
8844 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
8845 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
8846 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
8847 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
8848 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
8849 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
8850 also be a list of regexp.
8852 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
8853 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
8856 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
8857 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
8860 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
8861 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
8862 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
8866 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
8867 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
8868 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
8872 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
8873 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
8874 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
8881 @subsection Duplicates
8883 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
8884 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
8885 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
8886 @cindex duplicate mails
8887 If you are a member of a couple of mailing list, you will sometime
8888 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
8889 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
8890 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
8891 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
8892 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
8893 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
8894 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
8895 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
8896 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
8897 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
8898 will generate a brand new @code{Message-ID} for the mail and insert a
8899 warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks that this is a
8900 duplicate of a different message.
8902 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
8903 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
8904 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
8905 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
8907 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
8910 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
8911 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
8915 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
8916 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
8917 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
8918 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
8919 (any mail "mail.misc")
8926 (setq nnmail-split-methods
8927 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
8932 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
8933 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
8934 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
8935 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
8936 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
8939 @node Not Reading Mail
8940 @subsection Not Reading Mail
8942 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
8943 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
8944 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
8946 If you set @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{nil}, none of the backends
8947 will ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.
8949 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
8950 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
8951 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
8952 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
8953 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
8954 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
8955 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
8956 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
8957 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
8958 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
8959 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
8961 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
8962 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
8966 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
8967 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
8969 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
8970 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
8971 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
8974 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
8975 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
8976 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
8977 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
8978 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
8983 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
8985 @cindex unix mail box
8987 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
8988 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
8989 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
8990 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
8991 which group it belongs in.
8993 Virtual server settings:
8996 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
8997 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
8998 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
9000 @item nnmbox-active-file
9001 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
9002 The name of the active file for the mail box.
9004 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
9005 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
9006 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
9012 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
9016 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
9017 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
9018 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
9019 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
9020 article to say which group it belongs in.
9022 Virtual server settings:
9025 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
9026 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
9027 The name of the rmail mbox file.
9029 @item nnbabyl-active-file
9030 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
9031 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
9033 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
9034 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
9035 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
9040 @subsubsection Mail Spool
9042 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
9044 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
9045 format. It should be used with some caution.
9047 @vindex nnml-directory
9048 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files;
9049 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the correct
9050 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
9051 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
9053 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
9056 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
9057 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
9058 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
9059 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
9060 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
9061 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
9062 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
9063 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
9065 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
9066 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
9067 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes is the fastest
9068 backend when it comes to reading mail.
9070 Virtual server settings:
9073 @item nnml-directory
9074 @vindex nnml-directory
9075 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
9077 @item nnml-active-file
9078 @vindex nnml-active-file
9079 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
9081 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
9082 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
9083 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
9086 @item nnml-get-new-mail
9087 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
9088 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
9090 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
9091 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
9092 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
9094 @item nnml-nov-file-name
9095 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
9096 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
9098 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
9099 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
9100 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
9104 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
9105 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
9106 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
9107 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
9108 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
9109 might take a while to complete.
9113 @subsubsection MH Spool
9115 @cindex mh-e mail spool
9117 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
9118 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
9119 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
9120 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
9122 Virtual server settings:
9125 @item nnmh-directory
9126 @vindex nnmh-directory
9127 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
9129 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
9130 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
9131 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
9134 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
9135 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
9136 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
9137 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
9138 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
9139 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
9140 to set this variable to @code{t}.
9145 @subsubsection Mail Folders
9147 @cindex mbox folders
9148 @cindex mail folders
9150 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
9151 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
9152 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
9155 Virtual server settings:
9158 @item nnfolder-directory
9159 @vindex nnfolder-directory
9160 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
9162 @item nnfolder-active-file
9163 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
9164 The name of the active file.
9166 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
9167 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
9168 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
9170 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
9171 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
9172 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
9175 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
9176 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
9177 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
9178 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
9179 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
9180 @code{nnfolder-directory}.
9184 @section Other Sources
9186 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
9187 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
9191 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
9192 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
9193 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
9194 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
9195 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
9196 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
9200 @node Directory Groups
9201 @subsection Directory Groups
9203 @cindex directory groups
9205 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
9206 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
9209 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp}, that most
9210 wonderful of all wonderful Emacs packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I
9211 didn't think much about it---a backend to read directories. Big deal.
9213 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
9214 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
9215 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the the directory name,
9216 @code{ange-ftp} will actually allow you to read this directory over at
9217 @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
9219 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
9221 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
9222 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
9223 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
9224 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
9227 @node Anything Groups
9228 @subsection Anything Groups
9231 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
9232 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
9233 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
9236 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
9237 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
9238 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
9239 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
9240 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
9241 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
9242 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
9243 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source
9244 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
9245 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
9248 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
9249 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
9250 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
9251 in the article buffer, just as usual.
9253 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
9254 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
9255 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
9256 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
9258 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
9259 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
9260 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
9261 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
9262 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
9263 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
9264 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
9265 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
9270 @item nneething-map-file-directory
9271 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
9272 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
9273 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
9275 @item nneething-exclude-files
9276 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
9277 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
9278 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
9280 @item nneething-map-file
9281 @vindex nneething-map-file
9282 Name of the map files.
9286 @node Document Groups
9287 @subsection Document Groups
9289 @cindex documentation group
9292 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
9293 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
9300 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
9305 The standard Unix mbox file.
9307 @cindex MMDF mail box
9309 The MMDF mail box format.
9312 Several news articles appended into a file.
9315 @cindex rnews batch files
9316 The rnews batch transport format.
9317 @cindex forwarded messages
9326 @cindex RFC 1153 digest
9327 @cindex RFC 341 digest
9328 MIME (RFC 1341) digest format.
9330 @item standard-digest
9331 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
9334 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
9337 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
9338 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
9339 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
9342 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
9343 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
9344 group. And that's it.
9346 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
9347 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
9348 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
9349 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
9350 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
9351 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
9352 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
9353 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
9354 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
9355 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
9357 Virtual server variables:
9360 @item nndoc-article-type
9361 @vindex nndoc-article-type
9362 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
9363 @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{news}, @code{rnews},
9364 @code{mime-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, or @code{guess}.
9366 @item nndoc-post-type
9367 @vindex nndoc-post-type
9368 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
9369 a mail group. There are two legal values: @code{mail} (the default)
9374 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
9378 @node Document Server Internals
9379 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
9381 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
9382 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
9383 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
9384 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
9386 First, here's an example document type definition:
9390 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
9391 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
9394 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
9395 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
9396 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
9397 types can be defined with very few settings:
9401 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
9402 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
9406 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
9407 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
9409 @item head-begin-function
9410 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
9413 @item nndoc-head-begin
9414 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
9417 @item nndoc-head-end
9418 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
9419 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
9421 @item body-begin-function
9422 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
9426 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
9429 @item body-end-function
9430 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
9434 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
9436 @item nndoc-file-end
9437 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
9438 regexp will be totally ignored.
9442 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
9443 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
9444 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
9445 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
9446 something that's palatable for Gnus:
9449 @item prepare-body-function
9450 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
9451 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
9452 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
9454 @item article-transform-function
9455 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
9456 meant to be used how more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
9457 body of the article.
9459 @item generate-head-function
9460 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
9461 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
9462 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
9463 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
9467 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
9472 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
9473 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
9474 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
9475 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
9477 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
9478 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
9479 (subtype digest guess))
9482 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
9483 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
9484 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
9485 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
9486 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
9488 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
9489 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
9490 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
9491 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
9492 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for each
9493 type. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
9494 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
9495 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
9496 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
9497 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
9498 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest legal number.
9506 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
9507 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
9508 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
9510 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
9511 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
9512 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
9515 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
9516 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
9517 that interested in doing things properly.
9519 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
9520 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
9526 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
9527 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie, or you can use Gnus to create the
9528 packet with the @kbd{O s} command.
9531 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
9534 You put the packet in your home directory.
9537 You fire up Gnus using the @code{nnsoup} backend as the native server.
9540 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
9544 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
9548 You transfer this packet to the server.
9551 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
9554 You then repeat until you die.
9558 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
9559 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
9562 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
9563 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
9564 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
9569 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
9573 @kindex G s b (Group)
9574 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
9575 Pack all unread articles in the current group
9576 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
9577 process/prefix convention.
9580 @kindex G s w (Group)
9581 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
9582 Save all data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
9585 @kindex G s s (Group)
9586 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
9587 Send all replies from the replies packet
9588 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
9591 @kindex G s p (Group)
9592 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
9593 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
9596 @kindex G s r (Group)
9597 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
9598 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
9601 @kindex O s (Summary)
9602 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
9603 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
9604 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
9610 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
9615 @item gnus-soup-directory
9616 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
9617 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
9618 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
9620 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
9621 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
9622 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
9623 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
9625 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
9626 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
9627 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
9630 @item gnus-soup-packer
9631 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
9632 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
9633 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
9635 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
9636 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
9637 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
9638 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
9640 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
9641 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
9642 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
9644 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
9645 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
9646 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
9647 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
9653 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
9656 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
9657 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
9658 you can read them at leisure.
9660 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
9664 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
9665 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
9666 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
9667 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
9669 @item nnsoup-directory
9670 @vindex nnsoup-directory
9671 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
9672 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
9674 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
9675 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
9676 All replies will stored in this directory before being packed into a
9677 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
9679 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
9680 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
9681 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
9682 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
9683 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
9685 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
9686 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
9687 The index type of the replies packet. The is @samp{?n}, which means
9688 ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
9690 @item nnsoup-active-file
9691 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
9692 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
9693 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
9694 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
9695 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
9698 @vindex nnsoup-packer
9699 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
9700 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
9702 @item nnsoup-unpacker
9703 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
9704 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
9705 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
9707 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
9708 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
9709 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
9712 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
9713 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
9714 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
9721 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
9723 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
9724 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
9725 more for that to happen.
9727 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
9728 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
9729 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
9732 In specific, this is what it does:
9735 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
9736 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
9739 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
9740 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
9741 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
9745 @subsection Web Searches
9750 @cindex Usenet searches
9751 @cindex searching the Usenet
9753 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
9754 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
9755 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
9756 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
9757 searches without having to use a browser.
9759 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
9760 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
9761 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
9762 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
9763 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
9765 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
9766 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
9767 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
9768 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
9769 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@code{Duplicate
9770 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
9771 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
9772 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
9773 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
9774 header---mark all articles that were posted before the last date you
9775 read the group as read.
9777 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
9778 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
9779 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
9780 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
9781 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
9782 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
9784 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
9785 to use @code{nnweb}.
9787 Virtual server variables:
9792 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
9793 are @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
9796 @vindex nnweb-search
9797 The search string to feed to the search engine.
9799 @item nnweb-max-hits
9800 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
9801 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
9804 @item nnweb-type-definition
9805 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
9806 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
9807 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
9812 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
9816 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
9819 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
9822 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
9826 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
9833 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
9834 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
9835 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
9838 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
9839 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
9840 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
9842 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
9848 @item nngateway-address
9849 @vindex nngateway-address
9850 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
9852 @item nngateway-header-transformation
9853 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
9854 News headers have often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
9855 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
9856 transformation should be called, and defaults to
9857 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
9858 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
9861 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
9862 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address---an article with this
9863 @code{Newsgroups} header:
9866 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
9869 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
9872 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
9877 So, to use this, simply say something like:
9880 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
9884 @node Combined Groups
9885 @section Combined Groups
9887 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
9891 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
9892 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
9896 @node Virtual Groups
9897 @subsection Virtual Groups
9899 @cindex virtual groups
9901 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
9904 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small group, you can
9905 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
9906 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
9908 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
9909 regexp to match component groups.
9911 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
9912 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
9913 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
9914 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
9917 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
9918 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
9921 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
9924 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
9925 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
9927 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
9928 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
9929 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
9930 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
9933 "^nntp+some.server.jp:soc.motss$\\|^nntp+some.server.no:soc.motss$"
9936 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
9937 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
9938 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
9939 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
9940 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}.
9942 One limitation, however---all groups that are included in a virtual
9943 group has to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
9944 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
9946 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
9947 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
9948 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
9949 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
9950 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
9951 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
9952 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
9953 effect if you have two virtual groups that contain the same component
9954 group. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
9955 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
9956 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
9959 @node Kibozed Groups
9960 @subsection Kibozed Groups
9964 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
9965 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
9966 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
9967 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
9970 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
9973 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
9974 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
9975 @code{nnkiboze} group. There most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
9976 and @code{nnvirtual} ends.
9978 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
9979 must have a score file to say what articles that are to be included in
9980 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
9982 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
9983 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
9984 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
9985 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
9986 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
9987 all the articles in all the components groups and run them through the
9988 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
9989 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
9991 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
9992 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
9993 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
9994 Stranger things have happened.
9996 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
9997 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
9999 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
10000 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
10001 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
10002 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
10003 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
10004 on what groups that have been searched through to find component
10007 Articles that are marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have their
10008 @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
10015 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
10016 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
10017 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
10020 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
10021 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
10022 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
10023 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
10024 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
10026 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
10027 before generating the summary buffer.
10029 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
10030 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
10031 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
10033 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
10034 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
10035 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
10036 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
10039 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
10040 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
10041 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
10042 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
10043 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
10044 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus @emph{knows} what you read.
10045 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
10046 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
10047 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
10048 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
10049 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
10050 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
10051 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
10052 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
10053 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
10057 @node Summary Score Commands
10058 @section Summary Score Commands
10059 @cindex score commands
10061 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
10062 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
10063 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
10064 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
10065 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
10067 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
10068 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
10069 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
10070 score file the current one.
10072 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
10077 @kindex V s (Summary)
10078 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
10079 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
10082 @kindex V S (Summary)
10083 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
10084 Display the score of the current article
10085 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
10088 @kindex V t (Summary)
10089 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
10090 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
10091 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
10094 @kindex V R (Summary)
10095 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
10096 Run the current summary through the scoring process
10097 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
10098 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
10099 effect you're having.
10102 @kindex V a (Summary)
10103 @findex gnus-summary-score-entry
10104 Add a new score entry, and allow specifying all elements
10105 (@code{gnus-summary-score-entry}).
10108 @kindex V c (Summary)
10109 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
10110 Make a different score file the current
10111 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
10114 @kindex V e (Summary)
10115 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
10116 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
10117 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
10121 @kindex V f (Summary)
10122 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
10123 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
10124 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
10127 @kindex V F (Summary)
10128 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
10129 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
10130 after editing score files.
10133 @kindex V C (Summary)
10134 @findex gnus-score-customize
10135 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
10136 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
10139 @kindex I C-i (Summary)
10140 @findex gnus-summary-raise-score
10141 Increase the score of the current article
10142 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-score}).
10145 @kindex L C-l (Summary)
10146 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
10147 Lower the score of the current article
10148 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-score}).
10151 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
10156 @kindex V m (Summary)
10157 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
10158 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
10159 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
10162 @kindex V x (Summary)
10163 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
10164 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
10165 expunge all articles below this score
10166 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
10169 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
10170 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
10175 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
10176 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
10178 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
10179 keys are available:
10183 Score on the author name.
10186 Score on the subject line.
10189 Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
10192 Score on thread---the References line.
10198 Score on the number of lines.
10201 Score on the Message-ID.
10204 Score on followups.
10214 The third key is the match type. Which match types are legal depends on
10215 what headers you are scoring on.
10227 Substring matching.
10259 Greater than number.
10264 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
10265 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
10266 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
10270 Temporary score entry.
10273 Permanent score entry.
10276 Immediately scoring.
10281 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
10282 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
10283 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
10284 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
10286 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
10287 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
10288 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
10289 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
10290 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
10292 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
10293 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
10294 pretend they are keymaps or not.
10297 @node Group Score Commands
10298 @section Group Score Commands
10299 @cindex group score commands
10301 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
10306 @kindex W f (Group)
10307 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
10308 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
10309 all the time. This command will flush the cache
10310 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
10315 @node Score Variables
10316 @section Score Variables
10317 @cindex score variables
10321 @item gnus-use-scoring
10322 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
10323 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
10324 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
10326 @item gnus-kill-killed
10327 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
10328 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
10329 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
10330 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
10331 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
10332 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
10333 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
10335 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
10336 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
10337 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
10338 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
10339 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
10341 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
10342 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
10343 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
10344 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
10346 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
10347 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
10348 @cindex score cache
10349 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
10350 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
10351 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files that are
10352 unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
10353 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
10354 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
10355 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
10358 @item gnus-save-score
10359 @vindex gnus-save-score
10360 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
10361 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
10362 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
10364 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
10365 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
10366 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
10367 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
10368 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
10369 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
10370 manually entered data.
10372 @item gnus-summary-default-score
10373 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
10374 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
10376 @item gnus-score-over-mark
10377 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
10378 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
10379 default. Default is @samp{+}.
10381 @item gnus-score-below-mark
10382 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
10383 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
10384 default. Default is @samp{-}.
10386 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
10387 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
10388 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
10389 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
10391 Predefined functions available are:
10394 @item gnus-score-find-single
10395 @findex gnus-score-find-single
10396 Only apply the group's own score file.
10398 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
10399 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
10400 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
10401 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
10402 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
10403 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
10404 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
10405 then a regexp match is done.
10407 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
10408 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
10410 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
10411 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
10412 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
10413 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
10415 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
10416 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
10417 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
10418 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
10419 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
10422 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
10423 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
10424 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
10425 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
10426 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
10427 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
10430 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
10431 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
10432 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
10433 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
10434 are expired. It's 7 by default.
10436 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
10437 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
10438 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
10439 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
10440 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
10441 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
10442 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
10445 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
10446 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
10447 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
10452 @node Score File Format
10453 @section Score File Format
10454 @cindex score file format
10456 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
10457 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
10458 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
10460 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
10464 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
10466 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
10468 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
10470 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
10475 (mark-and-expunge -10)
10479 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
10480 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
10481 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
10482 (gnus-summary-make-false-root 'empty))
10486 This example demonstrates absolutely everything about a score file.
10488 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
10489 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
10490 has to be legal syntactically, if not semantically.
10492 Six keys are supported by this alist:
10497 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
10498 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
10499 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
10500 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
10501 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
10502 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
10503 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
10504 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
10505 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
10506 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
10507 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
10508 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
10509 to articles that matches these score entries.
10511 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
10512 score entry has one to four elements.
10516 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
10517 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
10521 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
10522 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
10523 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
10524 is successful. If this element is not present, the
10525 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
10526 instead. This is 1000 by default.
10529 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
10530 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
10531 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
10532 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
10533 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 ce.
10536 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
10537 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
10538 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
10539 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
10542 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
10543 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
10544 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
10545 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
10546 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
10547 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
10548 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
10549 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
10550 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
10551 instead, if you feel like.
10554 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
10555 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
10558 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
10559 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
10560 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
10561 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
10562 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
10563 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
10564 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
10568 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
10569 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
10570 ISO8601 compact format first---@samp{YYYYMMDDTHHMMSS}. If you want to
10571 match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in every year, you
10572 could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string, for instance.
10573 (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so this will
10574 match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where the article
10575 was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the whole
10578 @item Head, Body, All
10579 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
10583 This match key will add a score entry on all articles that followup to
10584 some author. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header uses.
10587 This match key will add a score entry on all articles that are part of
10588 a thread. Uses the same match types as the @code{References} header
10594 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
10595 lower than this number will be marked as read.
10598 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
10599 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
10601 @item mark-and-expunge
10602 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
10603 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
10606 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
10607 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
10608 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
10609 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
10610 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
10613 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
10614 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
10617 @item exclude-files
10618 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. This files will
10619 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
10623 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
10624 ignored when handling global score files.
10627 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
10628 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}).
10631 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
10632 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
10633 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
10634 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
10636 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
10640 (mark-and-expunge -100)
10643 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
10644 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
10645 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
10646 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
10647 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
10649 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
10650 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
10651 ordinary scoring rules.
10654 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
10655 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
10656 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
10657 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
10658 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
10659 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
10660 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
10661 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
10662 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
10663 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
10664 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
10668 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
10669 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
10670 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
10671 file for a number of groups.
10674 @cindex local variables
10675 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
10676 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
10677 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
10678 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
10683 @node Score File Editing
10684 @section Score File Editing
10686 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
10687 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
10688 with a mode for that.
10690 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
10691 additional commands:
10696 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
10697 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
10698 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
10699 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
10702 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
10703 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
10704 Insert the current date in numerical format
10705 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
10706 you were wondering.
10709 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
10710 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
10711 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
10712 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
10713 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
10718 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
10720 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
10721 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
10723 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
10724 e} to begin editing score files.
10727 @node Adaptive Scoring
10728 @section Adaptive Scoring
10729 @cindex adaptive scoring
10731 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
10732 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
10733 stupidity, to be precise.
10735 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
10736 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
10737 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
10738 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
10739 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
10740 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
10741 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
10742 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
10743 variable to @code{(word line)}.
10745 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
10746 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
10747 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
10748 might look something like this:
10751 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
10752 '((gnus-unread-mark)
10753 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
10754 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
10755 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
10756 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
10757 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
10758 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
10759 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
10760 (gnus-ancient-mark)
10761 (gnus-low-score-mark)
10762 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
10765 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
10766 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
10767 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
10768 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
10769 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
10770 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
10773 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
10774 will be applied to each article.
10776 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
10777 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
10778 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
10779 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
10781 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
10782 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
10783 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
10784 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
10786 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
10787 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
10788 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
10789 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
10790 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
10791 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
10793 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
10794 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
10795 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
10796 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
10797 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
10798 aspirins afterwards.)
10800 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
10801 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
10802 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
10804 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
10805 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
10806 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
10808 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
10809 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
10810 let you use different rules in different groups.
10812 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
10813 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
10814 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
10817 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
10818 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
10819 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
10820 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
10821 the length of the match is less than
10822 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
10823 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
10826 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
10827 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
10828 headers. If you adapt on words, the
10829 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
10830 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
10833 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
10834 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
10835 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
10836 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
10837 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
10840 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
10841 word that appears in subjects of articles that are marked with
10842 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
10843 score with 30 points.
10845 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
10846 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
10847 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
10848 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
10849 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
10851 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
10852 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
10853 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
10854 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
10856 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
10857 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
10858 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
10861 @node Home Score File
10862 @section Home Score File
10864 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
10865 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
10866 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
10867 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
10869 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
10870 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
10871 could perhaps use the same home score file.
10873 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
10874 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
10879 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
10883 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
10884 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
10888 A list. The elements in this list can be:
10892 @var{(regexp file-name)}. If the @var{regexp} matches the group name,
10893 the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
10896 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
10897 the home score file.
10900 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
10903 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
10908 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
10911 (setq gnus-home-score-file
10912 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
10915 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
10916 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
10919 (setq gnus-home-score-file
10920 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
10923 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
10925 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
10926 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
10927 their own home score files:
10930 (setq gnus-home-score-file
10931 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
10932 '("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
10933 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
10934 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE"))
10937 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
10938 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
10939 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
10940 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
10941 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
10943 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
10944 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
10945 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
10946 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
10947 precedence over this variable.
10950 @node Followups To Yourself
10951 @section Followups To Yourself
10953 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
10954 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
10955 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
10956 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
10957 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
10958 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
10962 @item gnus-score-followup-article
10963 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
10964 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
10967 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
10968 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
10969 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
10973 @vindex message-sent-hook
10974 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
10975 @code{message-sent-hook}.
10977 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
10978 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
10982 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
10983 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
10986 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
10987 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
10992 "<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf@@.*eyesore.no>" 1000 nil r)
10995 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
10996 is system-dependent.
11000 @section Scoring Tips
11001 @cindex scoring tips
11007 @cindex scoring crossposts
11008 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
11009 the @code{Xref} header.
11011 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
11014 @item Multiple crossposts
11015 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
11016 more than, say, 3 groups:
11018 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
11021 @item Matching on the body
11022 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
11023 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
11024 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
11025 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
11026 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
11027 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
11028 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
11031 @item Marking as read
11032 You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a certain
11033 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
11034 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
11038 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
11040 @item Negated character classes
11041 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
11042 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
11043 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
11047 @node Reverse Scoring
11048 @section Reverse Scoring
11049 @cindex reverse scoring
11051 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
11052 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
11053 like this in your score file:
11057 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
11062 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
11063 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
11066 @node Global Score Files
11067 @section Global Score Files
11068 @cindex global score files
11070 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
11071 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
11072 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
11074 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
11075 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
11076 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
11078 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
11079 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
11080 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
11081 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
11082 files are applicable to which group.
11084 Say you want to use the score file
11085 @file{/ftp@@ftp.ifi.uio.no:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
11086 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
11089 (setq gnus-global-score-files
11090 '("/ftp@@ftp.ifi.uio.no:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
11091 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
11094 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
11095 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
11096 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
11097 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
11098 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
11100 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
11101 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
11103 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
11104 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
11105 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
11106 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
11107 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
11108 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
11110 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
11116 Articles that are heavily crossposted are probably junk.
11118 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
11120 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
11122 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
11123 lowered out of existence.
11125 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
11126 articles completely.
11129 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
11130 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
11131 old articles for a long time.
11134 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
11135 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
11136 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
11137 holding our breath yet?
11141 @section Kill Files
11144 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
11145 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
11146 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
11148 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
11149 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
11150 files into score files.
11152 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
11153 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
11154 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
11155 that isn't a very good idea.
11157 Normal kill files look like this:
11160 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11161 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
11165 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove them from
11166 the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
11168 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
11169 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
11172 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
11177 @kindex M-k (Summary)
11178 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
11179 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
11182 @kindex M-K (Summary)
11183 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
11184 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
11187 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
11192 @kindex M-k (Group)
11193 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
11194 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
11197 @kindex M-K (Group)
11198 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
11199 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
11202 Kill file variables:
11205 @item gnus-kill-file-name
11206 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
11207 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
11208 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
11209 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
11210 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
11211 course) is called just @file{KILL}.
11213 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
11214 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
11215 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
11216 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
11219 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
11220 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
11221 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
11222 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
11223 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
11224 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
11225 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
11226 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
11227 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
11229 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
11230 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
11231 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
11240 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
11241 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
11242 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
11244 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
11245 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
11246 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
11247 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
11248 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
11249 Once it has found for you some people you agree with it tells you, in
11250 the form of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use
11251 this prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
11255 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
11256 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
11257 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
11258 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
11262 @node Using GroupLens
11263 @subsection Using GroupLens
11265 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
11267 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
11268 better bit in town is at the moment.
11270 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
11274 @item gnus-use-grouplens
11275 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
11276 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
11277 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
11279 @item grouplens-pseudonym
11280 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
11281 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
11282 with the Better Bit Bureau.
11284 @item grouplens-newsgroups
11285 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
11286 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
11290 Thats the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
11291 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
11292 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
11293 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
11294 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
11295 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
11298 @node Rating Articles
11299 @subsection Rating Articles
11301 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
11302 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
11303 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
11304 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
11307 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
11312 @kindex r (GroupLens)
11313 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
11314 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
11317 @kindex k (GroupLens)
11318 @findex grouplens-score-thread
11319 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
11320 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
11321 threads in rec.humor.
11325 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
11326 the score of the article you're reading.
11331 @kindex n (GroupLens)
11332 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
11333 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
11336 @kindex , (GroupLens)
11337 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
11338 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
11342 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
11343 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
11346 @node Displaying Predictions
11347 @subsection Displaying Predictions
11349 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
11350 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
11351 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
11352 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
11353 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
11355 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
11356 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
11357 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
11358 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
11359 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
11360 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
11361 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
11362 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
11363 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
11364 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
11365 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
11366 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
11367 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
11369 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
11370 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
11371 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
11372 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
11374 The following are legal values for that variable.
11377 @item prediction-spot
11378 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
11381 @item confidence-interval
11382 A numeric confidence interval.
11384 @item prediction-bar
11385 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
11387 @item confidence-bar
11388 Numerical confidence.
11390 @item confidence-spot
11391 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
11393 @item prediction-num
11394 Plain-old numeric value.
11396 @item confidence-plus-minus
11397 Prediction +/i confidence.
11402 @node GroupLens Variables
11403 @subsection GroupLens Variables
11407 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
11408 The summary line format used in summary buffers that are GroupLens
11409 enhanced. It accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format
11410 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). The default is
11411 @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
11413 @item grouplens-bbb-host
11414 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
11417 @item grouplens-bbb-port
11418 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
11420 @item grouplens-score-offset
11421 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
11422 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
11425 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
11426 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
11427 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
11432 @node Advanced Scoring
11433 @section Advanced Scoring
11435 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
11436 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
11437 about a particular subject? Or what about if you really don't want to
11438 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
11439 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
11441 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
11445 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
11446 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
11447 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
11451 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
11452 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
11454 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
11455 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
11456 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
11457 non-@code{nil} value.
11459 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
11460 operator, and various match operators.
11467 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
11468 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
11469 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
11474 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
11475 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
11476 then this operator will return @code{false}.
11481 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
11482 inverse of the value of its argument.
11486 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
11487 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
11488 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
11489 current article. @code{2-} will make score fules apply to the
11490 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
11491 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) say how far back into
11492 the ancestry you want to go.
11494 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
11495 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
11496 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
11497 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
11498 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
11501 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
11502 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
11504 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
11505 when he's talking about Gnus:
11509 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11510 ("subject" "Gnus"))
11516 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
11520 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11527 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
11528 really don't want to read what he's written:
11532 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11533 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
11537 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
11538 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
11539 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
11546 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
11547 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
11548 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
11549 ("body" "white.*socks"))
11553 The possibilities are endless.
11556 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
11557 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
11559 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
11560 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
11561 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
11562 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
11563 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
11564 (@samp{body}, @code{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
11565 @samp{subject}) first.
11567 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
11568 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
11579 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
11580 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
11586 ("subject" "Gnus")))
11593 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
11594 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
11599 @section Score Decays
11600 @cindex score decays
11603 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
11604 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
11605 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
11606 use them in any sensible way.
11608 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
11609 @findex gnus-decay-score
11610 @vindex gnus-score-decay-function
11611 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
11612 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
11613 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
11614 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
11615 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-score-decay-function}
11616 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
11617 definition of that function:
11620 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
11623 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
11625 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
11627 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
11630 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
11631 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
11632 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
11633 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
11637 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
11640 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
11643 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
11647 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
11648 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
11649 the new score, which should be an integer.
11651 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
11652 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
11659 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
11660 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
11661 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
11662 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
11663 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
11664 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
11665 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
11666 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
11667 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
11668 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
11669 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
11670 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
11671 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
11672 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
11673 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
11677 @node Process/Prefix
11678 @section Process/Prefix
11679 @cindex process/prefix convention
11681 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
11682 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
11684 This is a method for figuring out what articles that the user wants the
11685 command to be performed on.
11689 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
11690 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
11691 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
11692 with the current one.
11694 @vindex transient-mark-mode
11695 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
11696 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
11698 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
11699 process mark, perform the operation on the articles that are marked with
11702 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
11703 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
11705 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
11708 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
11709 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
11710 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
11711 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
11713 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
11714 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
11715 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
11716 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
11717 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
11718 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
11719 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
11720 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
11724 @section Interactive
11725 @cindex interaction
11729 @item gnus-novice-user
11730 @vindex gnus-novice-user
11731 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
11732 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
11733 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
11734 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
11737 @item gnus-expert-user
11738 @vindex gnus-expert-user
11739 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will never ever be asked any
11740 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
11741 matter how strange.
11743 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
11744 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
11745 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
11746 is @code{t} by default.
11748 @item gnus-interactive-exit
11749 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
11750 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
11755 @node Formatting Variables
11756 @section Formatting Variables
11757 @cindex formatting variables
11759 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables that
11760 are called things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
11761 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
11762 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
11763 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
11766 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
11767 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
11768 lots of percentages everywhere.
11771 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
11772 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
11773 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
11774 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
11777 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
11778 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
11779 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
11780 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
11781 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
11782 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
11783 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
11784 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
11786 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
11787 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
11789 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
11790 @findex gnus-update-format
11791 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
11792 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
11793 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
11794 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
11798 @node Formatting Basics
11799 @subsection Formatting Basics
11801 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
11802 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
11803 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
11805 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
11806 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
11807 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
11808 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
11809 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
11812 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
11813 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
11814 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
11815 less than 4 characters wide.
11818 @node Advanced Formatting
11819 @subsection Advanced Formatting
11821 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
11822 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
11823 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
11824 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
11826 These are the legal modifiers:
11831 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
11835 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
11840 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
11843 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
11848 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
11851 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
11854 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
11857 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
11861 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
11862 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
11863 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
11864 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
11865 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
11866 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
11867 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
11869 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
11870 last operation, padding.
11872 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
11873 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
11874 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
11875 @xref{Compilation}.
11878 @node User-Defined Specs
11879 @subsection User-Defined Specs
11881 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
11882 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
11883 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
11884 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
11885 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
11886 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
11887 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
11888 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
11889 should protect against that.
11891 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
11892 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
11893 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
11894 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
11898 @node Formatting Fonts
11899 @subsection Formatting Fonts
11901 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
11902 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
11903 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
11904 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
11907 Text inside the @samp{%[} and @samp{%]} specifiers will have their
11908 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
11909 default. If you say @samp{%1[} instead, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1}
11910 instead, and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes
11911 for the @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
11912 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
11914 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
11917 ;; Create three face types.
11918 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
11919 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
11921 ;; We want the article count to be in
11922 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
11923 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
11924 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
11926 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
11927 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
11929 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
11930 (setq gnus-group-line-format
11931 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
11934 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
11935 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
11937 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
11938 mode-line variables.
11941 @node Windows Configuration
11942 @section Windows Configuration
11943 @cindex windows configuration
11945 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
11947 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
11948 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
11949 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
11950 @code{t} by default.
11952 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
11953 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
11954 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
11957 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
11958 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
11959 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
11963 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
11964 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
11965 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
11966 possible names is listed below.
11968 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
11969 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
11972 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
11976 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
11977 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
11978 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
11979 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
11980 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
11981 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
11982 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
11983 size spec per split.
11985 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
11988 Here's a more complicated example:
11991 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
11992 (summary 0.25 point)
11993 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
11997 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
11998 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
11999 occupy, not a percentage.
12001 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
12002 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
12003 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
12004 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
12005 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
12008 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
12011 (article (horizontal 1.0
12016 (summary 0.25 point)
12021 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
12022 @code{horizontal} thingie?
12024 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
12025 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
12026 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
12027 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
12028 the screen is to be given to this strip.
12030 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
12031 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
12032 lines from the splits.
12034 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a legal split
12038 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
12039 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
12040 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
12041 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
12042 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] ")"
12043 size = number | frame-params
12044 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
12047 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
12048 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
12049 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
12050 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
12052 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
12053 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
12054 @cindex window height
12055 @cindex window width
12056 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
12057 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
12058 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
12059 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
12060 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
12061 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
12063 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
12064 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
12065 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
12066 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
12068 @findex gnus-configure-frame
12069 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
12070 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
12071 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
12072 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
12073 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
12074 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
12075 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
12076 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
12077 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
12078 configuration list.
12081 (gnus-configure-frame
12085 (article 0.3 point))
12093 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
12094 @code{frame} split:
12097 (gnus-configure-frame
12100 (summary 0.25 point)
12102 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
12103 (user-position . t)
12104 (left . -1) (top . 1))
12109 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
12110 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
12111 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
12112 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
12113 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
12114 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
12117 Here's a list of all possible keys for
12118 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration}:
12120 @code{group}, @code{summary}, @code{article}, @code{server},
12121 @code{browse}, @code{message}, @code{pick}, @code{info},
12122 @code{summary-faq}, @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server},
12123 @code{edit-score}, @code{post}, @code{reply}, @code{forward},
12124 @code{reply-yank}, @code{mail-bounce}, @code{draft},
12125 @code{pipe}, @code{bug}, @code{compose-bounce}.
12127 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
12128 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
12129 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
12133 (message (horizontal 1.0
12134 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
12136 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
12141 @findex gnus-add-configuration
12142 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
12143 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
12144 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
12145 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
12148 (gnus-add-configuration
12149 '(article (vertical 1.0
12151 (summary .25 point)
12155 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
12156 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
12157 Gnus has been loaded.
12159 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
12160 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
12161 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
12162 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
12163 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
12167 @section Compilation
12168 @cindex compilation
12169 @cindex byte-compilation
12171 @findex gnus-compile
12173 Remember all those line format specification variables?
12174 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
12175 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
12176 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
12177 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
12178 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
12181 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
12182 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
12183 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
12184 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
12185 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
12186 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
12187 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
12191 @section Mode Lines
12194 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
12195 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
12196 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
12197 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
12198 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
12199 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
12200 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
12203 @cindex display-time
12205 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
12206 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
12207 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
12208 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
12209 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
12210 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
12211 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
12212 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
12215 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
12217 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
12218 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
12220 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
12221 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
12222 (length display-time-string)))))
12225 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
12226 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either.
12229 @node Highlighting and Menus
12230 @section Highlighting and Menus
12232 @cindex highlighting
12235 @vindex gnus-visual
12236 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the prettifying Gnus
12237 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
12238 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
12241 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
12242 following elements are legal, and are all included by default:
12245 @item group-highlight
12246 Do highlights in the group buffer.
12247 @item summary-highlight
12248 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
12249 @item article-highlight
12250 Do highlights in the article buffer.
12252 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
12254 Create menus in the group buffer.
12256 Create menus in the summary buffers.
12258 Create menus in the article buffer.
12260 Create menus in the browse buffer.
12262 Create menus in the server buffer.
12264 Create menus in the score buffers.
12266 Create menus in all buffers.
12269 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
12270 buffers, you could say something like:
12273 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
12276 If you want only highlighting and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
12279 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
12282 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
12283 in all Gnus buffers.
12285 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
12288 @item gnus-mouse-face
12289 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
12290 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
12291 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
12293 @item gnus-display-type
12294 @vindex gnus-display-type
12295 This variable is symbol indicating the display type Emacs is running
12296 under. The symbol should be one of @code{color}, @code{grayscale} or
12297 @code{mono}. If Gnus guesses this display attribute wrongly, either set
12298 this variable in your @file{~/.emacs} or set the resource
12299 @code{Emacs.displayType} in your @file{~/.Xdefaults}.
12301 @item gnus-background-mode
12302 @vindex gnus-background-mode
12303 This is a symbol indicating the Emacs background brightness. The symbol
12304 should be one of @code{light} or @code{dark}. If Gnus guesses this
12305 frame attribute wrongly, either set this variable in your @file{~/.emacs} or
12306 set the resource @code{Emacs.backgroundMode} in your @file{~/.Xdefaults}.
12307 `gnus-display-type'.
12310 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
12314 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
12315 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
12316 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
12318 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
12319 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
12320 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
12322 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
12323 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
12324 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
12326 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
12327 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
12328 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
12330 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
12331 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
12332 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
12334 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
12335 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
12336 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
12347 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
12348 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
12349 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
12350 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
12351 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
12355 @vindex gnus-carpal
12356 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
12357 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
12358 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
12363 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
12364 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
12365 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
12367 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
12368 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
12369 Face used on buttons.
12371 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
12372 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
12373 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
12375 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
12376 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
12377 Buttons in the group buffer.
12379 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
12380 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
12381 Buttons in the summary buffer.
12383 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
12384 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
12385 Buttons in the server buffer.
12387 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
12388 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
12389 Buttons in the browse buffer.
12392 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
12393 is either a cons cell where the car contains a text to be displayed and
12394 the cdr contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
12402 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
12403 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
12404 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
12405 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
12406 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
12408 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
12409 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
12410 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
12412 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
12413 been idle for thirty minutes:
12416 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
12419 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
12423 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
12426 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter works together
12427 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
12428 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
12430 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
12431 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
12432 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
12433 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
12435 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
12436 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
12437 @var{idle} minutes.
12439 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
12440 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
12443 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
12444 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
12445 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
12447 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
12448 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
12449 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
12450 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
12452 @vindex gnus-use-demon
12453 To set the whole thing in motion, though, you have to set
12454 @code{gnus-use-demon} to @code{t}.
12456 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
12457 your @file{.gnus} file:
12459 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
12461 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
12464 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
12465 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
12466 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
12467 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
12468 Some ready-made functions to do this has been created:
12469 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
12470 @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just
12471 put those functions in your @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
12473 @findex gnus-demon-init
12474 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
12475 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
12476 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
12477 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
12478 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
12480 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you overdo it. Adding
12481 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
12482 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
12491 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
12492 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
12494 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
12495 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
12496 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
12497 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
12500 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
12501 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
12502 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
12503 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
12505 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
12506 this will make spam disappear.
12508 There are some variables to customize, of course:
12511 @item gnus-use-nocem
12512 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
12513 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
12516 @item gnus-nocem-groups
12517 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
12518 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
12519 default is @code{("alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
12521 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
12522 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
12523 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
12524 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
12525 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;" "jem@@xpat.com;" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
12526 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
12528 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
12531 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
12532 @cindex Chris Lewis
12533 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
12534 usenet abuse than anybody else.
12537 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
12538 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
12539 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
12541 @item jem@@xpat.com;
12543 Jem---Korean despammer who is getting very busy these days.
12545 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
12546 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
12547 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
12550 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
12551 ones you want to listen to.
12553 @item gnus-nocem-directory
12554 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
12555 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
12556 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
12558 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
12559 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
12560 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
12561 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
12562 might then see old spam.
12570 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
12571 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
12572 over your shoulder as you read news.
12575 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
12576 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
12577 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
12578 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
12579 * Picon Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
12584 @subsection Picon Basics
12586 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
12589 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
12590 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
12591 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
12592 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
12593 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
12594 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
12595 @code{GIF} formats.
12598 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases, point
12599 your Web browser at
12600 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
12602 @vindex gnus-picons-database
12603 Gnus expects picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
12604 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
12607 @node Picon Requirements
12608 @subsection Picon Requirements
12610 To use have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
12611 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
12614 Additionally, you must have @code{xpm} support compiled into XEmacs.
12616 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
12617 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you must have
12618 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
12619 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
12623 @subsection Easy Picons
12625 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
12626 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
12629 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
12630 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
12631 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-prepare-hook 'gnus-group-display-picons t)
12632 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-picons-article-display-x-face)
12637 @subsection Hard Picons
12639 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
12640 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
12641 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
12642 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
12643 feature, you need to first decide where to display them.
12647 @item gnus-picons-display-where
12648 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
12649 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
12650 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
12651 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
12652 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
12653 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
12654 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
12658 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
12659 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
12661 Now that you've made that decision, you need to add the following
12662 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get
12663 displayed at the right time.
12665 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
12666 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
12668 @item gnus-article-display-picons
12669 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
12670 Looks up and display the picons for the author and the author's domain
12671 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer. Should be added to
12672 the @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
12674 @item gnus-group-display-picons
12675 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
12676 Displays picons representing the current group. This function should
12677 be added to the @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook} or to the
12678 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} if @code{gnus-picons-display-where}
12679 is set to @code{article}.
12681 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
12682 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
12683 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present. This function
12684 should be added to @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
12688 Note: You must append them to the hook, so make sure to specify 't'
12689 to the append flag of @code{add-hook}:
12692 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
12696 @node Picon Configuration
12697 @subsection Picon Configuration
12699 The following variables offer further control over how things are
12700 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
12701 don't need to worry about.
12704 @item gnus-picons-database
12705 @vindex gnus-picons-database
12706 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
12707 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
12708 subdirectories. Defaults to @file{/usr/local/faces}.
12710 @item gnus-picons-news-directory
12711 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directory
12712 Sub-directory of the faces database containing the icons for
12715 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
12716 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
12717 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
12718 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc/MISC")} is the default.
12720 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
12721 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
12722 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
12723 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
12724 want to add @samp{unknown} to this list.
12726 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
12727 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
12728 The command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
12729 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
12730 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
12731 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
12733 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
12734 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
12735 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
12736 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
12738 @item gnus-picons-buffer
12739 @vindex gnus-picons-buffer
12740 The name of the buffer that @code{picons} points to. Defaults to
12741 @samp{*Icon Buffer*}.
12750 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
12751 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
12752 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
12754 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
12755 Gnus---it's all just data that is designed to look nice to the user.
12756 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
12757 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
12758 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
12759 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
12760 @code{undo} function.
12762 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
12763 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
12764 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
12765 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
12766 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
12767 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
12768 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
12769 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
12770 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
12771 never be totally undoable.
12773 @findex gnus-undo-mode
12774 @vindex gnus-use-undo
12776 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
12777 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
12778 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
12779 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
12784 @section Moderation
12787 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
12788 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
12789 @samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
12792 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
12796 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
12799 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
12801 If you are the moderation of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
12806 You split your incoming mail by matching on
12807 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
12808 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
12811 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
12812 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
12815 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
12816 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
12820 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
12823 (setq gnus-moderated-list
12824 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
12828 @node XEmacs Enhancements
12829 @section XEmacs Enhancements
12832 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
12833 advantage of that. Relevant variables include:
12836 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
12837 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
12838 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
12839 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
12840 unusual directory structure.
12842 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
12843 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
12844 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
12845 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
12847 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
12848 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
12849 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
12850 Legal values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
12851 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
12852 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
12854 @item gnus-use-toolbar
12855 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
12856 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
12857 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
12858 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
12860 @item gnus-group-toolbar
12861 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
12862 The toolbar in the group buffer.
12864 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
12865 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
12866 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
12868 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
12869 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
12870 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
12872 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
12873 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
12874 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
12880 @node Various Various
12881 @section Various Various
12887 @item gnus-directory
12888 @vindex gnus-directory
12889 All Gnus directories will be initialized from this variable, which
12890 defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or @file{~/News/}
12891 if that variable isn't set.
12893 @item gnus-default-directory
12894 @vindex gnus-default-directory
12895 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
12896 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
12897 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
12898 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
12899 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
12900 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
12903 @vindex gnus-verbose
12904 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
12905 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
12906 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
12907 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
12908 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
12910 @item gnus-verbose-backends
12911 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
12912 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
12913 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
12915 @item nnheader-max-head-length
12916 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
12917 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
12918 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
12919 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
12920 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
12921 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
12922 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
12923 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
12926 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
12927 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
12928 This variable says how big a piece of each article to read when doing
12929 the operation described above.
12931 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
12932 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
12934 @cindex illegal characters in file names
12935 @cindex characters in file names
12936 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
12937 For instance, if @samp{:} is illegal as a file character in file names
12938 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
12941 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
12945 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
12946 Windows (phooey) systems.
12948 @item gnus-hidden-properties
12949 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
12950 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
12951 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
12952 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
12954 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
12955 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
12956 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
12957 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
12958 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
12960 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
12961 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
12962 String used to separate to shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
12971 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
12972 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
12974 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
12976 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
12982 Not because of victories @*
12985 but for the common sunshine,@*
12987 the largess of the spring.
12991 but for the day's work done@*
12992 as well as I was able;@*
12993 not for a seat upon the dais@*
12994 but at the common table.@*
12999 @chapter Appendices
13002 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
13003 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
13004 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
13005 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
13006 * A Programmers Guide to Gnus:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
13007 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
13008 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
13016 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
13017 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
13019 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
13020 can point your (feh!) web browser to
13021 @file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
13022 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
13023 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
13025 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
13026 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
13027 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
13028 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
13029 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
13030 appropriate name, don't you think?)
13032 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
13033 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
13034 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
13035 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
13037 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
13038 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution.
13040 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'') was
13041 released under the name ``Gnus 5.2''.
13043 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun.
13046 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
13047 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
13048 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
13049 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
13050 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
13051 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
13052 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
13059 What's the point of Gnus?
13061 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
13062 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
13063 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
13064 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
13065 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
13066 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
13067 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
13068 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
13069 keep track of millions of people who post?
13071 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
13072 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
13073 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
13074 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
13075 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
13076 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
13077 everywhere I could imagine useful. By doing so, I'm inviting every one
13078 of you to explore and invent.
13080 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x hail-emacs}.
13083 @node Compatibility
13084 @subsection Compatibility
13086 @cindex compatibility
13087 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
13088 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
13089 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
13094 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
13098 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
13101 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @pxref{Decoding
13104 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
13105 buffers. All variables that are relevant while reading a group are
13106 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
13107 important variables have their values copied into their global
13108 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
13109 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
13111 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
13112 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
13113 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
13114 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
13115 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
13119 @cindex highlighting
13120 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
13121 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
13122 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
13123 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
13124 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
13125 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
13128 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
13129 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
13130 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
13131 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
13133 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
13134 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
13135 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
13136 to stop doing it the old way.
13138 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
13140 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
13142 @cindex reporting bugs
13144 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
13145 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
13146 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
13150 @subsection Conformity
13152 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
13153 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
13160 There are no known breaches of this standard.
13164 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
13166 @item Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval
13167 @cindex Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval
13168 Gnus has been through the Seal process and failed. I think it'll pass
13169 the next inspection.
13171 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
13172 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
13173 We do have some breaches to this one.
13178 Gnus does no MIME handling, and this standard-to-be seems to think that
13179 MIME is the bees' knees, so we have major breakage here.
13182 This is considered to be a ``vanity header'', while I consider it to be
13183 consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted articles
13184 coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use either of
13185 those for posting articles. I would not have known that if it wasn't
13186 for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
13189 Gnus does line breaking on this header. I infer from RFC1036 that being
13190 conservative in what you output is not creating 5000-character lines, so
13191 it seems like a good idea to me. However, this standard-to-be says that
13192 whitespace in the @code{References} header is to be preserved, so... It
13193 doesn't matter one way or the other to Gnus, so if somebody tells me
13194 what The Way is, I'll change it. Or not.
13199 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliantly with regards to the texts
13200 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
13205 @subsection Emacsen
13211 Gnus should work on :
13216 Emacs 19.30 and up.
13219 XEmacs 19.13 and up.
13222 Mule versions based on Emacs 19.30 and up.
13226 Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
13227 reliably, at least.
13229 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various platforms:
13234 The mouse-face on Gnus lines under Emacs and Mule is delimited to
13235 certain parts of the lines while they cover the entire line under
13239 The same with current-article marking---XEmacs puts an underline under
13240 the entire summary line while Emacs and Mule are nicer and kinder.
13243 XEmacs features more graphics---a logo and a toolbar.
13246 Citation highlighting us better under Emacs and Mule than under XEmacs.
13249 Emacs 19.26-19.28 have tangible hidden headers, which can be a bit
13256 @subsection Contributors
13257 @cindex contributors
13259 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
13260 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
13261 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
13262 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
13263 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
13264 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
13265 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
13266 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
13267 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
13268 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
13270 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
13276 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
13279 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
13280 well as numerous other things).
13283 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
13286 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
13287 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
13290 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
13291 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
13294 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
13297 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
13300 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
13303 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
13306 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinsky---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
13307 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
13310 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
13313 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
13316 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
13319 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
13323 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
13326 Ricardo Nassif, Mark Borges, and Jost Krieger---proof-reading.
13329 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
13332 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports.
13336 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
13345 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
13349 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
13358 Massimo Campostrini,
13362 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
13376 Francois Felix Ingrand,
13379 Thor Kristoffersen,
13414 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
13417 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
13418 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
13422 @subsection New Features
13423 @cindex new features
13426 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
13427 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
13428 * Red Gnus:: The future.
13431 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
13432 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
13433 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
13437 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
13439 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
13444 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
13445 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
13448 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
13449 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
13452 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
13455 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
13456 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
13457 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
13460 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
13461 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
13462 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
13463 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
13466 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
13467 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
13470 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
13471 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
13472 (@pxref{The Active File}).
13475 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
13476 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
13479 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
13480 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
13481 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
13484 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
13485 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
13486 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
13489 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
13490 the @file{.emacs} file.
13493 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
13494 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13497 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
13498 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
13501 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
13502 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
13505 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
13506 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
13509 Gnus can fetch articles asynchronously on a second connection to the
13510 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
13513 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
13516 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
13517 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
13520 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
13521 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
13524 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
13525 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
13528 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
13531 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
13532 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
13535 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
13539 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
13543 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
13544 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
13547 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
13553 @node September Gnus
13554 @subsubsection September Gnus
13556 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
13561 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
13562 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
13566 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
13567 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
13571 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
13575 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
13576 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
13579 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
13583 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
13586 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
13589 A @code{trn}-line tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
13592 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
13596 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
13597 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
13600 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
13604 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
13608 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
13612 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
13616 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
13619 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
13620 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
13623 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
13627 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
13628 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
13631 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
13634 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
13635 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
13636 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
13639 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
13643 The Gnus cache is much faster.
13646 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
13650 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-address and
13651 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13654 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
13655 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
13658 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
13659 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13662 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
13663 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
13664 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
13667 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
13668 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
13671 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
13674 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
13677 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
13678 'gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head)
13682 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
13685 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
13688 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
13689 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
13692 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
13696 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
13699 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
13702 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
13706 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
13709 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
13713 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
13716 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
13719 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
13720 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
13723 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
13724 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
13728 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
13729 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
13732 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
13736 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
13737 buffer to allow easier treatment.
13740 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
13743 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
13747 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
13751 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
13752 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
13755 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
13759 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
13760 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
13763 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
13764 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
13767 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
13771 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
13774 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
13775 'gnus-article-hide-boring-headers)
13779 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
13782 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
13788 @subsubsection Red Gnus
13790 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
13795 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
13798 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
13799 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
13802 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
13803 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
13807 Article washing status can be displayed in the
13808 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
13811 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
13814 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
13815 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
13818 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
13822 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
13823 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}).
13826 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
13827 Server Internals}).
13830 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
13834 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
13837 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
13838 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
13841 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
13842 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
13843 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
13846 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
13847 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
13850 A way to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed when
13851 generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
13854 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
13858 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
13859 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
13862 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
13863 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
13866 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
13870 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
13873 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
13877 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
13878 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
13881 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
13882 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
13885 A new command for reading collections of documents
13886 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
13887 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
13890 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
13894 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the NNTP
13895 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
13898 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
13899 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
13900 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
13903 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
13904 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
13908 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
13912 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
13916 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
13920 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
13924 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
13925 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
13930 @node Newest Features
13931 @subsection Newest Features
13934 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
13937 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
13941 Native @sc{mime} support is something that should be done.
13943 Really do unbinhexing.
13946 And much, much, much more. There is more to come than has already been
13947 implemented. (But that's always true, isn't it?)
13949 @file{<URL:http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/sgnus/todo>} is where the actual
13950 up-to-the-second todo list is located, so if you're really curious, you
13951 could point your Web browser over that-a-way.
13956 @section The Manual
13960 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
13961 either @code{texi2dvi}
13963 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
13964 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
13966 to get what you hold in your hands now.
13968 The following conventions have been used:
13973 This is a @samp{string}
13976 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
13979 This is a @file{file}
13982 This is a @code{symbol}
13986 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
13990 (setq flargnoze "yes")
13993 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
13996 (setq flumphel 'yes)
13999 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
14000 ever get them confused.
14004 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
14005 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
14006 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
14007 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
14008 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
14009 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
14010 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
14017 @section Terminology
14019 @cindex terminology
14024 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
14025 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
14026 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
14027 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
14028 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
14032 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
14033 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
14034 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
14035 not posting, and replying is not following up.
14039 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
14043 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
14048 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
14049 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
14050 is all done by the backends.
14054 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
14055 default, way of getting news.
14059 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
14060 These are groups that use different backends for getting news.
14064 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
14065 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
14069 A message that has been posted as news.
14072 @cindex mail message
14073 A message that has been mailed.
14077 A mail message or news article
14081 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
14086 The rest of an article. Everything that is not in the head is in the
14091 A line from the head of an article.
14095 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
14096 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
14100 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
14101 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
14102 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
14103 normal @sc{head} format.
14107 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
14108 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
14109 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
14110 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
14111 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
14112 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
14114 @item killed groups
14115 @cindex killed groups
14116 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
14117 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
14119 @item zombie groups
14120 @cindex zombie groups
14121 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
14124 @cindex active file
14125 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
14126 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
14127 is rather large, as you might surmise.
14130 @cindex bogus groups
14131 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
14132 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
14133 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
14137 A machine than one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
14139 @item select method
14140 @cindex select method
14141 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
14144 @item virtual server
14145 @cindex virtual server
14146 A named select method. Since a select methods defines all there is to
14147 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the things as a
14148 whole is a virtual server.
14152 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
14153 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
14156 @item ephemeral groups
14157 @cindex ephemeral groups
14158 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
14159 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
14160 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
14163 @cindex solid groups
14164 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
14165 group buffer are solid groups.
14170 @node Customization
14171 @section Customization
14172 @cindex general customization
14174 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
14175 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
14176 for some quite common situations.
14179 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
14180 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
14181 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
14182 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
14186 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
14187 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
14189 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
14190 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
14191 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
14195 @item gnus-read-active-file
14196 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
14197 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
14198 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-news} and
14199 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
14200 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
14202 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
14203 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
14204 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
14205 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
14209 @node Slow Terminal Connection
14210 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
14212 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that
14213 runs Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce the
14214 amount of data that is sent over the wires as much as possible.
14218 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
14219 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
14220 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
14221 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
14222 horizontal and vertical recentering.
14224 @item gnus-visible-headers
14225 Cut down on the headers that are included in the articles to the
14226 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
14227 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
14228 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
14230 @item gnus-article-display-hook
14231 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
14233 (setq gnus-article-display-hook
14234 '(gnus-article-hide-headers gnus-article-hide-signature
14235 gnus-article-hide-citation))
14238 @item gnus-use-full-window
14239 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
14240 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
14241 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
14242 want to read them anyway.
14244 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
14245 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
14248 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
14249 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
14250 lines, which might save some time.
14254 @node Little Disk Space
14255 @subsection Little Disk Space
14258 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
14259 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
14263 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
14264 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
14265 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
14266 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
14269 @item gnus-save-killed-list
14270 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
14271 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
14272 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
14273 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
14279 @subsection Slow Machine
14280 @cindex slow machine
14282 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
14283 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
14285 Set@code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
14286 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
14288 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
14289 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
14290 summary buffer faster.
14292 Set @code{gnus-article-display-hook} to @code{nil} to make article
14293 processing a bit faster.
14296 @node Troubleshooting
14297 @section Troubleshooting
14298 @cindex troubleshooting
14300 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
14308 Make sure your computer is switched on.
14311 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
14312 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
14316 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
14317 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
14318 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
14319 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
14322 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
14326 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
14327 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
14328 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
14329 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
14330 something like that.
14333 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
14336 @cindex reporting bugs
14338 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
14340 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
14341 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
14342 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
14343 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
14345 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
14346 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
14347 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
14348 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
14351 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
14352 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you send back
14353 just ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
14354 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
14355 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
14356 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
14358 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
14359 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
14360 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
14363 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
14364 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
14366 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
14367 @cindex ding mailing list
14368 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@ifi.uio.no}.
14369 Write to @samp{ding-request@@ifi.uio.no} to subscribe.
14372 @node A Programmers Guide to Gnus
14373 @section A Programmer@'s Guide to Gnus
14375 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
14376 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
14377 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
14378 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
14381 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
14382 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
14383 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
14384 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
14385 and general method of operations.
14388 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
14389 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
14390 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
14391 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
14392 * Group Info:: The group info format.
14393 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
14394 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
14398 @node Backend Interface
14399 @subsection Backend Interface
14401 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
14402 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
14403 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
14404 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
14405 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
14406 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
14408 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
14409 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
14410 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
14411 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
14412 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
14413 been opened, the function should fail.
14415 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
14416 name. Take this example:
14420 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
14421 (nntp-port-number 4324))
14424 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
14425 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
14427 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
14428 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
14429 server environments that it pulls down/pushes up when needed.
14431 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
14432 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
14433 always check whether are present before attempting to call.
14435 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
14436 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
14437 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
14438 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
14439 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
14440 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
14443 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
14444 some might be said to not be. The latter are backends that generally
14445 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
14446 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
14449 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
14452 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
14455 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
14456 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
14457 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
14458 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
14459 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
14463 @node Required Backend Functions
14464 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
14468 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
14470 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
14471 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
14472 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
14473 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
14475 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
14476 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
14477 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
14478 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
14480 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try to fetch "extra
14481 headers, in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
14482 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
14483 article number in @code{articles}, and fill in the gaps as well. The
14484 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
14485 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
14486 number, do maximum fetches.
14488 Here's an example HEAD:
14491 221 1056 Article retrieved.
14492 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
14493 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
14494 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
14495 Subject: Re: Something very droll
14496 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
14497 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
14499 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
14500 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
14501 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
14505 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
14506 these in the data buffer.
14508 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
14512 head = error / valid-head
14513 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
14514 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
14515 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
14516 header = <text> eol
14519 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
14520 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
14524 nov-buffer = *nov-line
14525 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
14526 field = <text except TAB>
14529 For a closer explanation what should be in those fields,
14533 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
14535 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
14536 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that defines this virtual server.
14538 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
14539 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
14540 server. In fact, it should do so.
14542 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
14543 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
14546 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
14548 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
14549 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
14552 There should be no data returned.
14555 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
14557 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
14558 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
14559 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
14560 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
14562 There should be no data returned.
14565 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
14567 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
14568 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
14569 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
14570 attempt to reconnect to a server that is has lost connection to.
14572 There should be no data returned.
14575 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
14577 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
14579 There should be no data returned.
14582 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
14584 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
14585 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
14586 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
14587 it would be nice if that were possible.
14589 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
14590 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
14591 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
14592 another, and Gnus mainly request articles to be inserted directly into
14593 its article buffer.
14595 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
14596 the car is the group name the article was fetched from, and the cdr is
14597 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
14598 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
14599 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
14600 on successful article retrievement.
14603 @item (nnchoke-open-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
14605 Make @var{group} the current group.
14607 There should be no data returned by this function.
14610 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
14612 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
14613 making @var{group} the current group.
14615 If @var{FAST}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
14618 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
14621 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
14624 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
14625 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
14626 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
14627 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
14628 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
14629 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
14630 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
14631 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
14634 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
14635 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
14636 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
14640 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
14642 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
14643 a no-op on most backends.
14645 There should be no data returned.
14648 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
14650 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
14653 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
14656 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
14657 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
14660 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
14661 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
14664 active-file = *active-line
14665 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
14667 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
14670 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
14671 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
14672 (@samp{=other-group} or none of the above (@samp{y}).
14675 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
14677 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
14678 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
14679 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
14680 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
14681 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
14682 clear if the posting could not be completed.
14684 There should be no result data from this function.
14689 @node Optional Backend Functions
14690 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
14694 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
14696 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
14697 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
14698 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
14700 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
14701 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
14702 former is in the same format as the data from
14703 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
14704 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
14707 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
14711 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
14713 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
14714 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
14715 information (as is the case with virtual an imap groups). This function
14716 may alter the info in any manner it sees fit, and should return the
14717 (altered) group info. This function may alter the group info
14718 destructively, so no copying is needed before boogeying.
14720 There should be no result data from this function.
14723 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
14725 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
14726 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
14727 user is following up is news or mail. This function should return
14728 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
14729 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
14730 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
14731 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
14732 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
14734 There should be no result data from this function.
14737 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
14739 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
14740 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
14741 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
14742 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
14743 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
14745 The only use for this that I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
14746 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
14747 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
14750 There should be no result data from this function.
14753 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
14755 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
14756 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
14757 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
14758 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
14759 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
14760 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
14761 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
14763 There should be no result data from this function.
14766 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
14768 The result data from this function should be a description of
14772 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
14774 description = <text>
14777 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
14779 The result data from this function should be the description of all
14780 groups available on the server.
14783 description-buffer = *description-line
14787 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
14789 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
14790 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
14791 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
14794 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
14796 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
14798 There should be no return data.
14801 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
14803 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
14804 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
14805 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
14806 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
14807 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
14810 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
14813 There should be no result data returned.
14816 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
14819 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
14820 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
14822 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
14823 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
14824 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
14825 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
14826 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
14827 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
14829 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
14830 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
14833 The function should return a cons where the car is the group name and
14834 the cdr is the article number that the article was entered as.
14836 There should be no data returned.
14839 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
14841 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
14842 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
14843 this function in short order.
14845 The function should return a cons where the car is the group name and
14846 the cdr is the article number that the article was entered as.
14848 There should be no data returned.
14851 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
14853 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
14854 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
14856 There should be no data returned.
14859 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
14861 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
14862 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
14863 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
14865 There should be no data returned.
14868 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
14870 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
14871 articles that are in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
14873 There should be no data returned.
14878 @node Error Messaging
14879 @subsubsection Error Messaging
14881 @findex nnheader-report
14882 @findex nnheader-get-report
14883 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
14884 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
14885 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
14886 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
14887 there are many of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
14888 This function always returns @code{nil}.
14891 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
14893 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
14896 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
14897 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
14898 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
14899 takes one argument---the server symbol.
14901 Internally, these function access @var{backend}@code{-status-string}, so
14902 the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
14903 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
14906 @node Writing New Backends
14907 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
14909 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
14910 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
14911 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
14912 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
14913 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
14916 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
14917 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
14918 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
14920 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
14921 package called @code{nnoo}.
14923 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
14924 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
14931 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
14932 parameters. For instance:
14935 (nnoo-declare nndir
14939 @code{nndir} has here declared that it intends to inherit functions from
14940 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
14943 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
14944 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
14945 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
14947 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
14948 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
14949 a function in those backends.
14952 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
14953 "Where nndir will look for groups."
14954 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
14957 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
14958 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
14959 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
14961 @item nnoo-define-basics
14962 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
14966 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
14970 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
14971 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
14972 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
14974 @item nnoo-map-functions
14975 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
14976 functions from the parent backends.
14979 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
14980 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
14981 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
14984 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
14985 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
14986 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
14987 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
14990 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
14991 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
14992 haven't already been defined.
14998 nnmh-request-newgroups)
15002 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
15003 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
15004 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
15009 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
15012 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
15013 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
15017 (require 'nnheader)
15021 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
15023 (nnoo-declare nndir
15026 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
15027 "Where nndir will look for groups."
15028 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
15030 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
15031 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
15034 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
15035 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
15036 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
15038 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
15039 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
15041 ;;; Interface functions.
15043 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
15045 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
15046 (setq nndir-directory
15047 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
15049 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
15050 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
15051 (push `(nndir-current-group
15052 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
15054 (push `(nndir-top-directory
15055 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
15057 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
15059 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
15060 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
15061 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
15062 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
15063 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
15067 nnmh-status-message
15069 nnmh-request-newgroups))
15075 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
15076 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
15078 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
15079 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
15080 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
15081 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
15083 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
15084 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
15089 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
15092 The abilities can be:
15096 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
15098 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
15100 This backend supports both mail and news.
15102 This is neither a post or mail backend---it's something completely
15105 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
15106 articles and groups.
15108 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
15109 true for almost all backends.
15110 @item prompt-address
15111 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
15112 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
15113 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
15118 @node Score File Syntax
15119 @subsection Score File Syntax
15121 Score files are meant to be easily parsable, but yet extremely
15122 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
15123 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
15125 Here's a typical score file:
15129 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
15136 BNF definition of a score file:
15139 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
15140 element = rule / atom
15141 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
15142 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
15143 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
15144 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
15146 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
15147 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
15148 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
15149 date-header = "date"
15150 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
15151 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
15152 score = "nil" / <integer>
15153 date = "nil" / <natural number>
15154 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
15155 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
15156 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
15157 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
15158 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
15159 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
15160 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
15161 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
15162 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
15163 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
15164 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
15165 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
15166 exclude-files / read-only / touched
15167 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
15168 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
15169 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
15170 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
15171 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
15172 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
15173 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
15174 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
15175 adapt = "adapt" [ space "nil" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
15176 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
15177 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
15178 eval = "eval" space <form>
15179 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
15182 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
15185 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
15186 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
15187 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
15188 one looong line, then that's ok.
15190 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
15195 @subsection Headers
15197 Gnus uses internally a format for storing article headers that
15198 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
15199 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
15200 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
15202 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
15203 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
15204 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
15205 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
15206 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
15207 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
15208 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
15210 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
15211 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
15212 @code{xref}. There are macros for accessing and setting these
15213 slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
15214 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
15216 The @code{xref} slot is really a @code{misc} slot. Any extra info will
15223 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
15224 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
15226 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
15227 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
15228 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
15229 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
15231 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
15235 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
15238 is transformed into
15241 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
15244 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
15245 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
15248 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
15251 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
15252 is slightly tricky:
15255 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
15261 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
15264 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
15270 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
15277 and is equal to the previous range.
15279 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
15280 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
15281 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
15285 range = simple-range / normal-range
15286 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
15287 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
15288 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
15289 number *[ " " contents ]
15292 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
15293 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
15294 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
15295 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
15296 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
15301 @subsection Group Info
15303 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
15304 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
15305 describes the group.
15307 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
15308 second is a more complex one:
15311 ("no.group" 5 (1 . 54324))
15313 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
15314 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
15316 (auto-expire (to-address "ding@@ifi.uio.no")))
15319 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
15320 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
15321 normally is a small integer. The third element is a list of ranges of
15322 read articles. The fourth element is a list of lists of article marks
15323 of various kinds. The fifth element is the select method (or virtual
15324 server, if you like). The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group
15325 parameters}, which is what this section is about.
15327 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
15328 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
15329 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
15331 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
15334 info = "(" group space level space read
15335 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
15336 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
15337 group = quote <string> quote
15338 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
15340 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
15341 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
15342 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
15343 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
15346 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
15347 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
15351 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
15352 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
15356 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
15357 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
15358 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
15360 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
15361 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
15362 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
15363 Gnus, that's very useful.
15365 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
15366 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
15367 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
15368 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
15369 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
15370 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
15371 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
15372 following function:
15375 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
15379 (,function ,@@args))
15383 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
15384 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
15385 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
15388 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
15389 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
15390 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
15393 @node Various File Formats
15394 @subsection Various File Formats
15397 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
15398 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
15402 @node Active File Format
15403 @subsubsection Active File Format
15405 The active file lists all groups that are available on the server in
15406 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
15409 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
15412 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
15413 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
15414 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
15415 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
15416 no.general 1000 900 y
15419 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
15422 active = *group-line
15423 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
15424 group = <non-white-space string>
15426 high-number = <non-negative integer>
15427 low-number = <positive integer>
15428 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
15432 @node Newsgroups File Format
15433 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
15435 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
15436 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
15437 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
15440 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
15441 Here's the definition:
15445 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
15446 group = <non-white-space string>
15448 description = <string>
15452 @node Emacs for Heathens
15453 @section Emacs for Heathens
15455 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
15456 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
15457 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
15458 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
15459 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
15460 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
15461 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
15465 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
15466 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
15471 @subsection Keystrokes
15475 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
15478 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
15481 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
15482 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
15483 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
15484 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
15485 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
15486 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
15488 The shift key is normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
15489 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
15490 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
15491 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
15492 keyboards. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
15493 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
15494 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
15496 Now, us Emacs people doesn't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
15497 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
15498 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
15499 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
15500 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
15501 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
15502 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
15504 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
15505 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
15506 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
15507 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
15508 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
15514 @subsection Emacs Lisp
15516 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
15517 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
15518 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
15519 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
15521 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
15522 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
15523 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
15524 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
15525 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
15526 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
15527 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
15530 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
15531 write the following:
15534 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
15537 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
15538 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
15539 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
15542 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
15543 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
15544 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
15545 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
15546 previous ``form'', which here is a simple @code{setq} statement.
15548 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
15549 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
15550 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
15554 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
15558 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
15561 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
15562 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
15565 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
15568 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
15569 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
15572 @include gnus-faq.texi