10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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289 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
290 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
293 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
294 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
295 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
296 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
297 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
298 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
299 License'' in the Emacs manual.
301 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
302 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
303 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
305 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
306 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
307 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
308 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
316 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
318 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
319 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
321 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
322 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
323 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
324 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
325 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
326 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
327 License'' in the Emacs manual.
329 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
330 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
331 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
333 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
334 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
335 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
336 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
344 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
347 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
348 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
349 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
351 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
352 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
353 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
354 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
355 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
356 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
357 License'' in the Emacs manual.
359 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
360 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
361 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
363 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
364 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
365 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
366 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
375 @top The Gnus Newsreader
379 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
380 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
381 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
384 This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v.
395 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
396 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
398 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
399 being accused of plagiarism:
401 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
402 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
403 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
404 can even read news with it!
406 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
407 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
408 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
409 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
410 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
416 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
417 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
418 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
419 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
420 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
421 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
422 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
423 * Various:: General purpose settings.
424 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
425 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
426 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
427 * Key Index:: Key Index.
430 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
434 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
435 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
436 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
437 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
438 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
439 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
440 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
441 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
442 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
443 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
444 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
448 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
449 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
450 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
454 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
455 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
456 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
457 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
458 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
459 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
460 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
461 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
462 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
463 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
464 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
465 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
466 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
467 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
468 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
469 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
470 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
474 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
475 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
476 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
480 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
481 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
482 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
483 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
484 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
488 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
489 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
490 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
491 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
492 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
496 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
497 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
498 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
499 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
500 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
502 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
503 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
504 * Threading:: How threads are made.
505 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
506 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
507 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
508 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
509 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
510 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
511 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
512 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
513 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
514 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
515 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
516 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
517 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
518 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
519 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
520 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
521 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
522 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
523 or reselecting the current group.
524 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
525 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
526 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
527 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
529 Summary Buffer Format
531 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
532 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
533 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
534 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
538 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
539 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
541 Reply, Followup and Post
543 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
544 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
545 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
546 * Canceling and Superseding::
550 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
551 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
552 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
554 * Generic Marking Commands::
555 * Setting Process Marks::
559 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
560 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
561 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
565 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
566 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
568 Customizing Threading
570 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
571 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
572 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
573 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
577 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
578 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
579 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
580 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
581 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
582 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
586 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
587 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
588 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
592 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
593 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
594 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
595 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
596 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
597 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
598 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
599 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
601 Alternative Approaches
603 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
604 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
606 Various Summary Stuff
608 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
609 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
610 * Summary Generation Commands::
611 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
615 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
616 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
617 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
618 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
619 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
623 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
624 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
625 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
626 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
627 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
628 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
629 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
630 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
634 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
635 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
636 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
637 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
638 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
639 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
640 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
641 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
645 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
646 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
647 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
648 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
649 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
650 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
651 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
655 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
656 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
660 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
661 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
662 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
666 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
667 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
668 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
669 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
670 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
671 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
672 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
673 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
674 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
675 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
676 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
677 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
678 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
679 * Archiving Mail:: How to backup your mail.
683 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
684 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
685 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
687 Choosing a Mail Back End
689 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
690 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
691 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
692 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
693 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
694 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
698 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
699 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
700 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
701 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
702 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
703 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
707 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
708 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
709 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
713 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
714 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
715 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
716 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
717 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
721 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
725 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
726 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
727 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
731 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
732 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
736 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
737 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
738 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
739 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
740 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
741 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
742 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
743 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
744 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
745 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
749 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
750 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
751 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
755 * Group Agent Commands::
756 * Summary Agent Commands::
757 * Server Agent Commands::
761 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
762 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
763 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
764 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
765 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
766 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
767 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
768 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
769 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
770 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
771 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
772 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
773 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
774 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
775 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
776 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
777 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
781 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
782 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
783 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
784 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
788 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
789 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
790 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
794 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
795 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
796 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
797 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
798 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
799 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
800 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
801 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
802 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
803 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
804 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
805 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
806 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
807 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
808 * Image Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
809 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
810 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
811 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
815 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
816 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
817 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
818 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
819 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
820 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
821 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
822 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
826 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
827 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
828 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
829 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
833 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
834 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
835 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
836 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
837 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
841 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
842 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
843 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
844 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
845 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
846 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
847 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
851 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
852 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
853 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
854 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
855 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
856 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
857 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
858 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
859 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
863 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
864 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
865 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
866 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
867 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
871 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
872 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
873 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
874 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
878 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
879 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
880 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
881 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
882 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
883 * Group Info:: The group info format.
884 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
885 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
886 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
890 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
891 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
892 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
893 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
894 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
895 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
899 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
900 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
904 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
905 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
911 @chapter Starting Gnus
916 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
917 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
920 @findex gnus-other-frame
921 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
922 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
923 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
925 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
926 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
927 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
929 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
930 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
933 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
934 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
935 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
936 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
937 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
938 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
939 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
940 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
941 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
942 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
943 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
947 @node Finding the News
948 @section Finding the News
951 @vindex gnus-select-method
953 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
954 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
955 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
956 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
959 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
960 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
963 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
966 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
969 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
972 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
973 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
974 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
976 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
978 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
979 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
980 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
981 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
982 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
983 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
985 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
986 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
987 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
988 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
990 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
991 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
992 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
993 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
994 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
995 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
996 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
997 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
998 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1001 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1003 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1004 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1005 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1006 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1007 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1008 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1010 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1012 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1013 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1014 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1015 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1016 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1017 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1020 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1021 you would typically set this variable to
1024 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1028 @node The First Time
1029 @section The First Time
1030 @cindex first time usage
1032 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
1033 be subscribed by default.
1035 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1036 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1037 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1038 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1041 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1042 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1043 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1045 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1046 help you with most common problems.
1048 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1049 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1053 @node The Server is Down
1054 @section The Server is Down
1055 @cindex server errors
1057 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1058 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1059 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1061 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1062 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1063 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1064 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1065 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1066 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1067 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1069 @findex gnus-no-server
1070 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1072 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1073 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1074 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1075 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1076 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1077 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1078 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1082 @section Slave Gnusae
1085 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1086 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1087 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1088 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1090 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1091 @code{.newsrc} file.
1093 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1094 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1095 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1096 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1097 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1098 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1099 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1101 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1102 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1103 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1104 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1105 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1106 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1107 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1108 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1110 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1111 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1114 @node Fetching a Group
1115 @section Fetching a Group
1116 @cindex fetching a group
1118 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1119 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1120 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1121 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1122 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1123 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1129 @cindex subscription
1131 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1132 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1133 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1134 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1135 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1136 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1137 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1138 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1139 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1142 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1143 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1144 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1148 @node Checking New Groups
1149 @subsection Checking New Groups
1151 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1152 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1153 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1154 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1155 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1156 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1157 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1158 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1159 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1160 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1162 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1163 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1164 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1165 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1166 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1167 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1168 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1169 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1170 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1171 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1172 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1174 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1175 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1176 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1177 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1178 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1179 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1182 @node Subscription Methods
1183 @subsection Subscription Methods
1185 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1186 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1187 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1189 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1190 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1192 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1196 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1197 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1198 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1199 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1200 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1202 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1203 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1204 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1205 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1207 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1208 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1209 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1211 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1212 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1213 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1214 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1215 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1216 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1217 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1218 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1219 up. Or something like that.
1221 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1222 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1223 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1224 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1225 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1227 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1228 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1229 Kill all new groups.
1231 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1232 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1233 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1234 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1235 topic parameter that looks like
1241 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1244 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1249 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1250 A closely related variable is
1251 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1252 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1253 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1254 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1257 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1258 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1259 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1260 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1263 @node Filtering New Groups
1264 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1266 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1267 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1268 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1271 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1274 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1275 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1276 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1277 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1278 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1279 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1280 subscribing these groups.
1281 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1282 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1284 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1285 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1286 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1287 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1288 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1289 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1290 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1291 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1293 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1294 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1295 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1296 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1297 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1298 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1299 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1300 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1301 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1302 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1304 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1305 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1308 @node Changing Servers
1309 @section Changing Servers
1310 @cindex changing servers
1312 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1313 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1314 very flaky and you want to use another.
1316 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1317 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1321 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1322 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1323 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1324 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1327 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1328 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1329 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1330 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1332 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1333 @findex gnus-change-server
1334 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1335 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1336 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1337 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1338 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1340 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1341 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1342 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1343 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1344 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1346 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1347 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1348 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1349 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1350 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1351 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1353 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1354 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1355 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1359 @section Startup Files
1360 @cindex startup files
1365 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1366 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1368 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1369 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1370 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1371 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1372 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1373 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1374 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1376 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1377 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1378 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1379 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1380 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1381 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1383 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1384 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1385 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1386 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1387 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1388 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1389 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1390 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1391 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1392 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1394 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1395 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1396 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1397 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1398 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1399 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1400 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1401 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1402 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1403 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1404 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1405 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1407 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1408 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1409 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1410 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1412 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1413 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1414 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1415 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1416 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1417 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1418 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1419 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1420 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1421 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1424 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1425 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1427 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1428 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1431 @vindex gnus-init-file
1432 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1433 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1434 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1435 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1436 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1437 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1438 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1439 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1440 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1446 @cindex dribble file
1449 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1450 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1451 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1452 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1453 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1456 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1457 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1460 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1461 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1462 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1464 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1465 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1466 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1467 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1468 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1469 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1471 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1472 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1473 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1476 @node The Active File
1477 @section The Active File
1479 @cindex ignored groups
1481 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1482 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1483 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1485 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1486 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1487 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1488 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1489 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1490 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1491 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1494 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1495 @c if you set it to anything else.
1497 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1499 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1500 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1501 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1503 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1504 you actually subscribe to.
1506 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1507 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1508 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1509 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1511 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1512 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1513 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1514 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1515 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1516 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1518 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1519 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1520 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1523 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1524 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1525 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1526 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1527 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1528 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1530 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1531 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1533 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1534 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1536 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1537 secondary select methods.
1540 @node Startup Variables
1541 @section Startup Variables
1545 @item gnus-load-hook
1546 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1547 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1548 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1549 times you start Gnus.
1551 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1552 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1553 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1555 @item gnus-startup-hook
1556 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1557 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1559 @item gnus-started-hook
1560 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1561 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1564 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1565 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1566 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1567 generating the group buffer.
1569 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1570 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1571 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1572 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1573 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1574 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1575 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1576 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1578 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1579 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1580 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1581 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1582 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1583 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1585 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1586 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1587 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1589 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1590 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1591 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1593 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1594 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1595 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1596 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1602 @chapter Group Buffer
1603 @cindex group buffer
1605 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1607 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1608 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1609 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1610 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1611 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1612 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1613 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1614 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1615 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1616 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1617 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1618 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1619 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1620 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1621 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1622 @c human rights at 9...
1625 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1626 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1627 long as Gnus is active.
1631 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1632 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1633 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1634 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1635 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1636 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1637 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1638 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1644 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1645 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1646 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1647 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1648 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1649 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1650 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1651 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1652 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1653 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1654 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1655 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1656 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1657 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1658 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1659 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1660 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1664 @node Group Buffer Format
1665 @section Group Buffer Format
1668 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1669 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1670 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1674 @node Group Line Specification
1675 @subsection Group Line Specification
1676 @cindex group buffer format
1678 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1679 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1681 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1684 25: news.announce.newusers
1685 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1690 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1691 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1692 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1693 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1695 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1696 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1697 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1698 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1699 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1700 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1702 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1704 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1705 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1706 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1707 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1708 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1710 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1711 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1712 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1714 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1719 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1722 Whether the group is subscribed.
1725 Level of subscribedness.
1728 Number of unread articles.
1731 Number of dormant articles.
1734 Number of ticked articles.
1737 Number of read articles.
1740 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1741 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1743 Gnus uses this estimation because the NNTP protocol provides efficient
1744 access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting the true
1745 unread message count is not possible efficiently. For hysterical
1746 raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of unread
1747 messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1748 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the
1749 back end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1750 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1753 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1756 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1765 Newsgroup description.
1768 @samp{m} if moderated.
1771 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1780 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1784 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1787 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1788 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1789 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1790 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1791 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1794 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1796 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1800 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1803 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1807 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1808 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1809 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1810 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1811 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1812 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1817 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1818 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1819 group, or a bogus native group.
1822 @node Group Modeline Specification
1823 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1824 @cindex group modeline
1826 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1827 The mode line can be changed by setting
1828 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1829 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1833 The native news server.
1835 The native select method.
1839 @node Group Highlighting
1840 @subsection Group Highlighting
1841 @cindex highlighting
1842 @cindex group highlighting
1844 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1845 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1846 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1847 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1848 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1850 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1854 (cond (window-system
1855 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1856 (defface my-group-face-1
1857 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1858 (defface my-group-face-2
1859 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1860 (defface my-group-face-3
1861 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1862 (defface my-group-face-4
1863 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1864 (defface my-group-face-5
1865 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1867 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1868 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1869 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1870 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1871 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1872 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1875 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1877 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1884 The number of unread articles in the group.
1888 Whether the group is a mail group.
1890 The level of the group.
1892 The score of the group.
1894 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1896 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1897 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1899 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1900 topic being inserted.
1903 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1904 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1905 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1907 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1908 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1909 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1910 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1911 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1914 @node Group Maneuvering
1915 @section Group Maneuvering
1916 @cindex group movement
1918 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1919 expected, hopefully.
1925 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1926 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1927 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1933 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1934 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1935 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1939 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1940 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1944 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1945 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1949 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1950 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1951 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1955 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1956 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1957 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1960 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1966 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1967 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1968 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1973 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1974 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1975 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1979 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1980 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1981 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1984 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1985 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1986 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1987 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1991 @node Selecting a Group
1992 @section Selecting a Group
1993 @cindex group selection
1998 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1999 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2000 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2001 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2002 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2003 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2004 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2005 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2006 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2007 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2009 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2010 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2011 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2013 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2014 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2019 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2020 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2021 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2022 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2023 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2027 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2028 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2029 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2030 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2031 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2032 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2033 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2034 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2035 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2036 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2039 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2040 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2041 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2042 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2043 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2046 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2047 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2048 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2049 doing any processing of its contents
2050 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2051 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2052 manner will have no permanent effects.
2056 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2057 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
2058 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2059 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2060 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2061 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2062 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2063 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2066 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2067 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2068 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2069 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2070 Which article this is is controlled by the
2071 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2077 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2080 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2083 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2086 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2090 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2091 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2093 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2094 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2095 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2096 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2100 @node Subscription Commands
2101 @section Subscription Commands
2102 @cindex subscription
2110 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2111 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2112 Toggle subscription to the current group
2113 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2119 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2120 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2121 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2122 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2128 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2129 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2130 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2136 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2137 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2140 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2141 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2142 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2143 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2144 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2150 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2151 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2155 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2156 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2159 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2160 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2161 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2162 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2163 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2164 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2165 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2166 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2167 @file{.newsrc} file.
2171 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2181 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2182 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2183 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2184 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2185 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2186 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2191 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2192 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2193 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2197 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2198 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2199 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2201 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2202 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2203 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2204 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2205 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2206 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2213 @section Group Levels
2217 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2218 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2219 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2220 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2221 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2223 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2229 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2230 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2231 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2232 prompted for a level.
2235 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2236 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2237 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2238 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2239 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2240 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2241 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2242 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2243 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2244 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2245 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2246 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2247 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2248 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2249 reasons of efficiency.
2251 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2252 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2254 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2255 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2256 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2257 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2258 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2259 groups are hidden, in a way.
2261 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2262 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2263 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2264 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2265 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2266 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2268 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2269 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2270 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2271 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2272 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2273 list of killed groups.)
2275 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2276 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2277 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2279 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2280 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2281 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2282 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2283 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2284 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2285 relevant valid ranges.
2287 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2288 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2289 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2290 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2291 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2292 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2295 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2296 one with the best level.
2298 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2299 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2300 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2303 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2304 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2305 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2306 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2309 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2310 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2311 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2312 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2314 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2315 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2316 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2317 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2318 to 5. The default is 6.
2322 @section Group Score
2327 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2328 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2329 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2332 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2333 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2334 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2335 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2336 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2337 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2338 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2339 least significant part.))
2341 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2342 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2343 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2344 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2345 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2346 action after each summary exit, you can add
2347 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2348 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2349 slow things down somewhat.
2352 @node Marking Groups
2353 @section Marking Groups
2354 @cindex marking groups
2356 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2357 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2358 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2359 bidding on those groups.
2361 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2362 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2363 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2371 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2372 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2378 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2379 Remove the mark from the current group
2380 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2384 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2385 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2389 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2390 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2394 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2395 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2399 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2400 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2401 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2404 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2406 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2407 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2408 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2409 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2410 the command to be executed.
2413 @node Foreign Groups
2414 @section Foreign Groups
2415 @cindex foreign groups
2417 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2418 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2419 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2420 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2427 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2428 @cindex making groups
2429 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2430 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2431 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2435 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2436 @cindex renaming groups
2437 Rename the current group to something else
2438 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2439 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2445 @findex gnus-group-customize
2446 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2450 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2451 @cindex renaming groups
2452 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2453 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2457 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2458 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2459 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2463 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2464 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2465 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2469 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2471 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2472 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2477 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2478 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2482 @cindex (ding) archive
2483 @cindex archive group
2484 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2485 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2486 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2487 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2488 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2489 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2490 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2494 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2496 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2497 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2498 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2499 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2503 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2505 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2506 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2507 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2511 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2512 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2514 Make a group based on some file or other
2515 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2516 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2517 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2518 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2519 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2520 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2521 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2522 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2523 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2527 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2528 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2529 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2530 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2534 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2539 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2540 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2541 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2542 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2543 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2544 @xref{Web Searches}.
2546 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2547 to a particular group by using a match string like
2548 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2551 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2552 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2553 This function will delete the current group
2554 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2555 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2556 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2557 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2558 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2562 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2563 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2564 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2568 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2569 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2570 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2573 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2576 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2577 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2578 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2579 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2580 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2581 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2585 @node Group Parameters
2586 @section Group Parameters
2587 @cindex group parameters
2589 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2590 Here's an example group parameter list:
2593 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2597 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2598 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2599 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2600 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2602 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2603 is an alist of regexps and values.
2605 The following group parameters can be used:
2610 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2613 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2616 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2617 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2618 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2619 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2620 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2622 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2623 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2624 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2625 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2626 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2627 list address instead.
2629 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2633 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2636 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2639 It is totally ignored
2640 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2641 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2643 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2644 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2645 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2646 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2647 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2649 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2650 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2651 sending the message.
2653 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2654 @cindex Mail List Groups
2655 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2656 entering summary buffer.
2658 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2662 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2663 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2664 of whether it has any unread articles.
2666 @item broken-reply-to
2667 @cindex broken-reply-to
2668 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2669 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2670 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2671 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2672 broken behavior. So there!
2676 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2677 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2681 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2682 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2683 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2688 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2689 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2690 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2691 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2692 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2693 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2694 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2698 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2699 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2700 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2702 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2705 @cindex total-expire
2706 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2707 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2708 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2709 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2712 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2716 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2717 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2718 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2719 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2720 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2721 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2724 @cindex score file group parameter
2725 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2726 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2727 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2730 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2731 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2732 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2733 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2736 @cindex admin-address
2737 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2738 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2739 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2740 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2744 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2745 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2749 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2752 Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
2753 entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
2756 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2760 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2762 Here are some examples:
2766 Display only read articles.
2769 Display everything except expirable articles.
2771 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2772 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2776 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2777 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2778 @code{read}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2779 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2780 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{seen} and @code{recent}.
2784 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2785 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2786 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2790 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2791 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2792 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2797 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2798 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2799 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2801 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2803 @item ignored-charsets
2804 @cindex ignored-charset
2805 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2806 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2807 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2809 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2812 @cindex posting-style
2813 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2814 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2815 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2816 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2817 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2819 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2820 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2821 like this in the group parameters:
2826 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2831 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2832 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2836 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2837 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2838 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2839 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2840 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2844 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2845 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2846 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2847 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2849 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2850 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2851 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2852 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2855 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2856 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2860 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2863 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2864 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2865 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2866 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2867 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2868 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2869 @code{eval}ed there.
2871 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2872 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2873 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2874 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2875 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2879 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2880 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2881 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2882 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2883 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2885 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2886 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2890 (setq gnus-parameters
2892 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2893 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2894 (gnus-summary-line-format
2895 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2899 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2903 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2907 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2910 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2911 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2914 @node Listing Groups
2915 @section Listing Groups
2916 @cindex group listing
2918 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2926 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2927 List all groups that have unread articles
2928 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2929 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2930 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2931 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2938 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2939 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2940 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2941 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2942 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2943 unsubscribed groups).
2947 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2948 List all unread groups on a specific level
2949 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2950 with no unread articles.
2954 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2955 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2956 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2957 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2962 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2963 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2967 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2968 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2969 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2973 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2974 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2978 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2979 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2980 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2981 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2982 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2983 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2984 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2985 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2989 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2990 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2991 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2995 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2996 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2997 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3001 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3002 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3006 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3007 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3011 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3012 List groups limited within the current selection
3013 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3017 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3018 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3022 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3023 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3027 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3028 @cindex visible group parameter
3029 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3030 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3031 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3032 get the same effect.
3034 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3035 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3036 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3037 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3038 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3041 @node Sorting Groups
3042 @section Sorting Groups
3043 @cindex sorting groups
3045 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3046 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3047 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3048 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3049 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3050 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3055 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3056 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3057 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3059 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3060 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3061 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3063 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3064 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3065 Sort by group level.
3067 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3068 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3069 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3071 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3072 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3073 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3074 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3076 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3077 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3078 Sort by number of unread articles.
3080 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3081 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3082 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3084 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3085 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3086 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3091 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3092 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3096 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3097 some sorting criteria:
3101 @kindex G S a (Group)
3102 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3103 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3104 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3107 @kindex G S u (Group)
3108 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3109 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3110 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3113 @kindex G S l (Group)
3114 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3115 Sort the group buffer by group level
3116 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3119 @kindex G S v (Group)
3120 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3121 Sort the group buffer by group score
3122 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3125 @kindex G S r (Group)
3126 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3127 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3128 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3131 @kindex G S m (Group)
3132 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3133 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3134 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3138 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3139 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3141 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3142 commands will sort in reverse order.
3144 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3148 @kindex G P a (Group)
3149 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3150 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3151 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3154 @kindex G P u (Group)
3155 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3156 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3157 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3160 @kindex G P l (Group)
3161 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3162 Sort the groups by group level
3163 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3166 @kindex G P v (Group)
3167 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3168 Sort the groups by group score
3169 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3172 @kindex G P r (Group)
3173 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3174 Sort the groups by group rank
3175 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3178 @kindex G P m (Group)
3179 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3180 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3181 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3185 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3189 @node Group Maintenance
3190 @section Group Maintenance
3191 @cindex bogus groups
3196 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3197 Find bogus groups and delete them
3198 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3202 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3203 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3204 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3205 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3206 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3210 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3211 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3212 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3213 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3214 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3215 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3218 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3219 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3220 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3221 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3226 @node Browse Foreign Server
3227 @section Browse Foreign Server
3228 @cindex foreign servers
3229 @cindex browsing servers
3234 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3235 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3236 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3237 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3240 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3241 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3242 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3243 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3245 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3250 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3251 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3255 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3256 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3259 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3260 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3261 Enter the current group and display the first article
3262 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3265 @kindex RET (Browse)
3266 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3267 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3271 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3272 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3273 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3279 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3280 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3284 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3285 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3286 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3291 @section Exiting Gnus
3292 @cindex exiting Gnus
3294 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3299 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3300 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3301 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3302 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3306 @findex gnus-group-exit
3307 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3308 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3312 @findex gnus-group-quit
3313 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3314 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3317 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3318 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3319 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3320 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3321 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3326 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3327 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3328 trying to customize meta-variables.
3333 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3334 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3335 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3341 @section Group Topics
3344 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3345 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3346 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3347 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3348 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3349 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3353 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3354 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3365 2: alt.religion.emacs
3368 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3370 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3371 13: comp.sources.unix
3374 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3376 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3377 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3378 is a toggling command.)
3380 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3381 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3382 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3383 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3386 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3387 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3388 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3391 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3395 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3396 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3397 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3398 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3399 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3403 @node Topic Commands
3404 @subsection Topic Commands
3405 @cindex topic commands
3407 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3408 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3409 definitions slightly.
3411 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3412 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3413 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3414 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3415 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3416 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3418 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3425 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3426 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3427 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3431 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3433 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3434 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3435 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3436 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3439 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3440 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3441 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3442 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3446 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3447 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3448 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3449 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3455 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3456 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3457 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3461 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3462 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3463 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3466 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3467 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3468 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3469 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3470 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3472 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3473 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3477 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3478 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3485 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3487 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3488 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3489 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3490 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3491 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3492 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3496 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3502 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3503 Move the current group to some other topic
3504 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3505 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3509 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3510 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3514 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3515 Copy the current group to some other topic
3516 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3517 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3521 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3522 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3523 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3527 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3528 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3529 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3533 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3534 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3535 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3536 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3537 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3538 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3539 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3542 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3543 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3547 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3548 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3549 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3553 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3554 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3555 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3559 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3560 Toggle hiding empty topics
3561 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3565 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3566 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3567 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3570 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3571 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3572 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3573 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3576 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3577 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3578 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3579 expiry process (if any)
3580 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3584 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3585 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3588 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3589 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3590 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3594 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3595 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3596 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3600 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3601 @cindex group parameters
3602 @cindex topic parameters
3604 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3605 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3610 @node Topic Variables
3611 @subsection Topic Variables
3612 @cindex topic variables
3614 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3615 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3617 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3618 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3619 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3632 Number of groups in the topic.
3634 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3636 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3639 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3640 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3641 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3644 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3645 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3647 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3648 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3649 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3653 @subsection Topic Sorting
3654 @cindex topic sorting
3656 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3662 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3663 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3664 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3665 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3668 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3669 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3670 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3671 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3674 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3675 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3676 Sort the current topic by group level
3677 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3680 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3681 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3682 Sort the current topic by group score
3683 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3686 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3687 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3688 Sort the current topic by group rank
3689 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3692 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3693 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3694 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3695 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3698 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3699 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3700 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3701 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3705 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3708 @node Topic Topology
3709 @subsection Topic Topology
3710 @cindex topic topology
3713 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3719 2: alt.religion.emacs
3722 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3724 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3725 13: comp.sources.unix
3728 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3729 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3730 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3735 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3736 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3740 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3741 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3742 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3743 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3744 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3745 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3747 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3748 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3749 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3752 @node Topic Parameters
3753 @subsection Topic Parameters
3754 @cindex topic parameters
3756 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3757 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3758 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3760 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3765 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3766 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3767 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3770 @item subscribe-level
3771 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3772 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3773 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3777 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3778 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3779 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3780 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3786 2: alt.religion.emacs
3790 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3792 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3793 13: comp.sources.unix
3797 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3798 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3799 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3800 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3801 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3802 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3804 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3805 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3806 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3807 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3808 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3810 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3811 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3812 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3813 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3814 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3815 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3816 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3817 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3820 @node Misc Group Stuff
3821 @section Misc Group Stuff
3824 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3825 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3826 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3827 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3828 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3835 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3836 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3837 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3841 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3842 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3843 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3844 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3845 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3846 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3847 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3851 @findex gnus-group-mail
3852 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3853 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3854 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3855 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3859 @findex gnus-group-news
3860 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
3861 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
3862 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3864 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
3865 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
3866 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
3867 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
3868 for this to work though.
3872 Variables for the group buffer:
3876 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3877 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3878 is called after the group buffer has been
3881 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3882 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3883 is called after the group buffer is
3884 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3887 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3888 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3889 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3890 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3892 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3893 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3894 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3895 whether they are empty or not.
3897 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3898 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3899 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3900 non-ASCII group names.
3904 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3905 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3908 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3909 @cindex UTF-8 group names
3910 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3911 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
3912 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
3913 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is nil.
3917 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3918 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3923 @node Scanning New Messages
3924 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3925 @cindex new messages
3926 @cindex scanning new news
3932 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3933 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3934 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3935 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3936 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3937 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3942 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3943 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3944 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3945 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3946 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3947 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3948 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3950 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3951 @cindex activating groups
3953 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3954 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3959 @findex gnus-group-restart
3960 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3961 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3962 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
3966 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3967 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3969 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3970 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3974 @node Group Information
3975 @subsection Group Information
3976 @cindex group information
3977 @cindex information on groups
3984 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3985 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3988 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3989 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3990 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3991 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3992 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3993 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3994 for fetching the file.
3996 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
3997 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4001 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4003 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4004 @cindex describing groups
4005 @cindex group description
4006 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4007 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4008 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4012 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4013 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4014 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4021 @findex gnus-version
4022 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4026 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4027 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4030 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4033 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4034 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4038 @node Group Timestamp
4039 @subsection Group Timestamp
4041 @cindex group timestamps
4043 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4044 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4045 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4048 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4051 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4053 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4054 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4057 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4058 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4061 This will result in lines looking like:
4064 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4065 0: custom 19961002T012713
4068 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4069 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4073 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4074 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4079 @subsection File Commands
4080 @cindex file commands
4086 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4087 @vindex gnus-init-file
4088 @cindex reading init file
4089 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4090 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4094 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4095 @cindex saving .newsrc
4096 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4097 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4098 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4101 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4102 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4103 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4108 @node Sieve Commands
4109 @subsection Sieve Commands
4110 @cindex group sieve commands
4112 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4113 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4114 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4115 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4116 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4118 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4119 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4120 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4121 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4122 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4123 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4124 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4125 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4126 regenerate the Sieve script.
4128 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4129 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4130 is generated. If it is non-nil (the default) articles is placed in
4131 all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article is only
4132 placed in the group with the first matching rule. For example, the
4133 group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4134 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4135 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is nil. (When
4136 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-nil, it looks the same except that
4137 the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4140 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4141 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4146 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4152 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4153 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4154 @cindex generating sieve script
4155 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4156 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4160 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4161 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4162 @cindex updating sieve script
4163 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4164 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4165 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4170 @node Summary Buffer
4171 @chapter Summary Buffer
4172 @cindex summary buffer
4174 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4175 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4177 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4178 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4180 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4183 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4184 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4185 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4186 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4187 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4188 * Delayed Articles::
4189 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4190 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4191 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4192 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4193 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4194 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4195 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4196 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4197 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4198 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4199 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4200 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4201 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4202 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4203 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4204 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4205 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4206 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4207 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4208 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4209 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4210 or reselecting the current group.
4211 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4212 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4213 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4214 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4218 @node Summary Buffer Format
4219 @section Summary Buffer Format
4220 @cindex summary buffer format
4224 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4225 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4226 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4232 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4233 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4234 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4235 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4238 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4239 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4240 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4241 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4242 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4243 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4244 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4245 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4246 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4247 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4248 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4251 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4252 'mail-extract-address-components)
4255 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4256 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4257 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4258 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4261 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4262 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4264 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4265 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4266 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4267 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4268 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4270 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4271 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4272 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4273 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4274 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4275 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4277 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%) %s\n}.
4279 The following format specification characters and extended format
4280 specification(s) are understood:
4286 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4287 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4289 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4290 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4291 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4293 Full @code{From} header.
4295 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4297 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
4298 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
4300 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4301 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4302 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4303 may be more thorough.
4305 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4308 Number of lines in the article.
4310 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4311 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4313 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4315 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4318 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4319 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4321 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4322 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4324 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4325 for adopted articles.
4327 One space for each thread level.
4329 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4331 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4334 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4335 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4336 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4339 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4341 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4342 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4343 default level. If the difference between
4344 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4345 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4353 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4355 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4361 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4362 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4364 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4365 article has any children.
4371 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4372 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4374 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4375 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4376 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4377 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4378 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4379 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4382 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4383 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4384 There can only be one such area.
4386 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4387 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4388 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4389 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4390 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4391 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4393 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4394 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4396 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4399 @node To From Newsgroups
4400 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4404 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4405 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4406 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4407 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4408 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4412 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4413 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4414 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4418 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4419 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4422 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4423 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4426 @findex gnus-extra-header
4427 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4428 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4429 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4432 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4436 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4437 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4438 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4439 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4440 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4441 headers are used instead.
4445 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4446 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4447 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4448 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4451 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4452 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4453 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4454 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4456 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4460 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4462 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4463 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4464 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4465 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4469 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4470 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4477 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4478 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4481 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4482 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4484 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4485 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4486 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4487 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4489 Here are the elements you can play with:
4495 Unprefixed group name.
4497 Current article number.
4499 Current article score.
4503 Number of unread articles in this group.
4505 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4508 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4509 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4510 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4511 and no unselected ones.
4513 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4514 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4516 Subject of the current article.
4518 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4520 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4522 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4524 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4526 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4528 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4532 @node Summary Highlighting
4533 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4537 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4538 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4539 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4540 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4541 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4543 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4544 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4545 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4546 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4548 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4549 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4550 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4551 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4553 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4554 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4555 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4556 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4557 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4558 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4561 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4562 ((> score default) . bold))
4564 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4565 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4569 @node Summary Maneuvering
4570 @section Summary Maneuvering
4571 @cindex summary movement
4573 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4574 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4576 None of these commands select articles.
4581 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4582 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4583 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4584 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4585 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4589 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4590 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4591 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4592 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4593 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4596 @kindex G g (Summary)
4597 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4598 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4599 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4602 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4603 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4604 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4605 to the group buffer.
4607 Variables related to summary movement:
4611 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4612 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4613 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4614 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4615 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4616 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4617 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4618 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4619 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
4620 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4621 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4622 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4623 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4624 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4626 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4627 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4628 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4629 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4630 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4631 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4632 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4634 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4636 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4637 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4638 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4639 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4640 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4642 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4643 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4644 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4645 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4646 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4647 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4648 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4649 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4652 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4653 the given number of lines from the top.
4658 @node Choosing Articles
4659 @section Choosing Articles
4660 @cindex selecting articles
4663 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4664 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4668 @node Choosing Commands
4669 @subsection Choosing Commands
4671 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4672 and they all select and display an article.
4674 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4675 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4679 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4680 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4681 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4682 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4687 @kindex G n (Summary)
4688 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4689 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4690 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4695 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4696 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4697 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4702 @kindex G N (Summary)
4703 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4704 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4709 @kindex G P (Summary)
4710 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4711 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4714 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4715 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4716 Go to the next article with the same subject
4717 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4720 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4721 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4722 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4723 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4727 @kindex G f (Summary)
4729 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4730 Go to the first unread article
4731 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4735 @kindex G b (Summary)
4737 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4738 Go to the article with the highest score
4739 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4744 @kindex G l (Summary)
4745 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4746 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4749 @kindex G o (Summary)
4750 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4752 @cindex article history
4753 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4754 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4755 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4756 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4757 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4758 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4763 @kindex G j (Summary)
4764 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4765 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4766 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4771 @node Choosing Variables
4772 @subsection Choosing Variables
4774 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4777 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4778 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4779 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4780 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4781 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4782 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4784 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4785 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4786 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4787 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4789 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4790 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4791 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4792 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4793 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4794 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4795 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4796 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4797 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4798 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4799 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4800 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4801 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4802 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4807 @node Paging the Article
4808 @section Scrolling the Article
4809 @cindex article scrolling
4814 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4815 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4816 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4817 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4818 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4821 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4822 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4823 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4826 @kindex RET (Summary)
4827 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4828 Scroll the current article one line forward
4829 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4832 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4833 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4834 Scroll the current article one line backward
4835 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4839 @kindex A g (Summary)
4841 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4842 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4843 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4844 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4845 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4846 the way it came from the server.
4848 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4849 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4850 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4853 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4858 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4863 @kindex A < (Summary)
4864 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4865 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4866 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4871 @kindex A > (Summary)
4872 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4873 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4877 @kindex A s (Summary)
4879 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4880 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4881 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4885 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4886 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4891 @node Reply Followup and Post
4892 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4895 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4896 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4897 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4898 * Canceling and Superseding::
4902 @node Summary Mail Commands
4903 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4905 @cindex composing mail
4907 Commands for composing a mail message:
4913 @kindex S r (Summary)
4915 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4916 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4917 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4918 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4919 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4924 @kindex S R (Summary)
4925 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4926 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4927 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4928 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4929 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4932 @kindex S w (Summary)
4933 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4934 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4935 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4936 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4937 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4940 @kindex S W (Summary)
4941 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4942 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4943 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4944 the process/prefix convention.
4947 @kindex S v (Summary)
4948 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
4949 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
4950 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
4951 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4952 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
4953 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
4957 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4958 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
4959 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4960 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4961 Forward the current article to some other person
4962 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
4963 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
4964 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
4965 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
4966 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
4967 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
4968 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
4969 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
4970 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
4975 @kindex S m (Summary)
4976 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4977 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4978 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
4979 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
4980 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4985 @kindex S i (Summary)
4986 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
4987 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
4988 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
4989 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
4991 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4992 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
4993 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4994 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4995 for this to work though.
4998 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4999 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5000 @cindex bouncing mail
5001 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5002 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5003 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5004 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5005 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5006 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5007 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5008 very well fail, though.
5011 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5012 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5013 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5014 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5015 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5016 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5017 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5018 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5019 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5020 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5022 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5023 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5024 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5025 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5026 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
5028 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5029 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5032 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5033 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5034 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5035 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5036 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5039 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5040 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5041 @cindex crossposting
5042 @cindex excessive crossposting
5043 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5044 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5046 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5047 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5048 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5049 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5050 command understands the process/prefix convention
5051 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5055 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5056 Manual}, for more information.
5059 @node Summary Post Commands
5060 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5062 @cindex composing news
5064 Commands for posting a news article:
5070 @kindex S p (Summary)
5071 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5072 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5073 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5074 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5075 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5080 @kindex S f (Summary)
5081 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5082 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5083 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5087 @kindex S F (Summary)
5089 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5090 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5091 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5092 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5093 process/prefix convention.
5096 @kindex S n (Summary)
5097 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5098 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5099 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5102 @kindex S N (Summary)
5103 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5104 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5105 message through mail and include the original message
5106 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5107 the process/prefix convention.
5110 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5111 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5112 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5113 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5114 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5115 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5116 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5117 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5118 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5119 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5120 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5121 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5122 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
5125 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5126 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5128 @cindex making digests
5129 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5130 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
5131 process/prefix convention.
5134 @kindex S u (Summary)
5135 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5136 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5137 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5138 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5141 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5142 Manual}, for more information.
5145 @node Summary Message Commands
5146 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5150 @kindex S y (Summary)
5151 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5152 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5153 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5154 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5155 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5160 @node Canceling and Superseding
5161 @subsection Canceling Articles
5162 @cindex canceling articles
5163 @cindex superseding articles
5165 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5166 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5168 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5170 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5172 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5173 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5174 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5175 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5176 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5177 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5179 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5180 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5183 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5184 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5185 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5187 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5188 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5189 your original article.
5191 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5193 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5194 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5195 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5198 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5199 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5200 have posted almost the same article twice.
5202 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5203 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5204 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5205 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5206 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5207 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5208 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5209 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5210 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5211 canceled/superseded.
5213 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5215 @node Delayed Articles
5216 @section Delayed Articles
5217 @cindex delayed sending
5218 @cindex send delayed
5220 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5221 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5222 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5223 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5226 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5229 @findex gnus-delay-article
5230 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5231 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5232 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5233 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5237 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5238 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5239 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5240 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5243 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5244 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5245 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5248 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5249 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5250 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5251 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5252 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5253 that means a time tomorrow.
5256 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5257 couple of variables:
5260 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5261 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5262 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5263 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5265 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5266 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5267 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5268 formats described above.
5270 @item gnus-delay-group
5271 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5272 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5273 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5274 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5276 @item gnus-delay-header
5277 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5278 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5279 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5280 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5283 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5284 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5285 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5286 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5287 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5289 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5290 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts}
5291 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5292 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5293 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5294 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts} function.
5297 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5298 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5299 By default, this function installs the @kbd{C-c C-j} key binding in
5300 Message mode and @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts} in
5301 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts two optional arguments,
5302 @code{no-keymap} and @code{no-check}. If @code{no-keymap} is non-nil,
5303 the @kbd{C-c C-j} binding is not intalled. If @code{no-check} is
5304 non-nil, @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed.
5306 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to change the
5307 keymap but not to change @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. Presumably, you
5308 want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles. Just don't
5309 forget to set that up :-)
5313 @node Marking Articles
5314 @section Marking Articles
5315 @cindex article marking
5316 @cindex article ticking
5319 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5321 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5322 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5323 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5325 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5328 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5329 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5330 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5334 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5338 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5339 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5340 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5344 @node Unread Articles
5345 @subsection Unread Articles
5347 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5352 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5353 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5355 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5356 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5357 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5358 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5359 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5360 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5361 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5364 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5365 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5367 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5368 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5369 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5370 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5374 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5375 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5377 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5382 @subsection Read Articles
5383 @cindex expirable mark
5385 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5390 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5391 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5392 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5395 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5396 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5399 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5400 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5401 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5404 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5405 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5408 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5409 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5412 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5413 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5416 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5417 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5420 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5421 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5424 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5425 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5428 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5429 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5433 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5434 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5435 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5439 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5440 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5442 One more special mark, though:
5446 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5447 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5449 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5450 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5451 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5452 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5458 @subsection Other Marks
5459 @cindex process mark
5462 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5468 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5469 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5470 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5471 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5472 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5475 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5476 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5477 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5478 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5480 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5481 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5482 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5484 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5485 Articles that are ``recently'' arrived in the group will be marked
5486 with an @samp{N} in the second column (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Most
5487 back end doesn't support the mark, in which case it's not shown.
5490 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5491 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5492 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5495 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5496 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5497 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5498 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5501 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5502 Articles that according to the back end haven't been seen by the user
5503 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5504 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all back ends support this
5505 mark, in which case it simply never appear.
5508 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5509 Articles that haven't been seen by the user before are marked with a
5510 @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5513 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5514 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5515 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5516 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5517 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5520 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5521 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5522 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5523 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5524 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5525 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5529 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5530 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5531 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5533 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5534 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5535 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5539 @subsection Setting Marks
5540 @cindex setting marks
5542 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5547 @kindex M c (Summary)
5548 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5549 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5550 @cindex mark as unread
5551 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5552 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5558 @kindex M t (Summary)
5559 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5560 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5561 @xref{Article Caching}.
5566 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5567 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5568 Mark the current article as dormant
5569 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5573 @kindex M d (Summary)
5575 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5576 Mark the current article as read
5577 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5581 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5582 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5583 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5588 @kindex M k (Summary)
5589 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5590 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5591 and then select the next unread article
5592 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5596 @kindex M K (Summary)
5597 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5598 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5599 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5600 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5603 @kindex M C (Summary)
5604 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5605 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5606 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5609 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5610 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5611 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5612 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5615 @kindex M H (Summary)
5616 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5617 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5618 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5621 @kindex M h (Summary)
5622 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5623 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5624 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5627 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5628 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5629 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5630 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5633 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5634 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5635 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5636 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5640 @kindex M e (Summary)
5642 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5643 Mark the current article as expirable
5644 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5647 @kindex M b (Summary)
5648 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5649 Set a bookmark in the current article
5650 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5653 @kindex M B (Summary)
5654 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5655 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5656 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5659 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5660 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5661 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5662 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5665 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5666 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5667 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5668 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5671 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5672 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5673 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5674 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5675 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5678 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5679 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5680 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5681 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5682 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5683 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5684 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5685 The default is @code{t}.
5688 @node Generic Marking Commands
5689 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5691 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5692 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5693 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5694 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5695 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5698 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5699 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5702 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5703 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5704 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5705 to list in this manual.
5707 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5708 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5709 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5710 article, you could say something like:
5713 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5714 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5715 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5721 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5722 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5726 @node Setting Process Marks
5727 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5728 @cindex setting process marks
5735 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5736 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5737 Mark the current article with the process mark
5738 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5739 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5743 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5744 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5745 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5746 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5749 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5750 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5751 Remove the process mark from all articles
5752 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5755 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5756 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5757 Invert the list of process marked articles
5758 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5761 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5762 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5763 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5764 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5767 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5768 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5769 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5770 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5773 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5774 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5775 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5778 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5779 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5780 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5781 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5784 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5785 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5786 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5787 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5790 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5791 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5792 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5793 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5796 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5797 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5798 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5801 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5802 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5803 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5804 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5807 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5808 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5809 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5812 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5813 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5814 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5815 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5818 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5819 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5820 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5821 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5824 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5825 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5826 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5827 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5830 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5831 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5832 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5833 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5837 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5838 set process marks based on article body contents.
5845 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5846 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5847 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5850 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5851 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5852 additional articles.
5858 @kindex / / (Summary)
5859 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5860 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5861 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
5865 @kindex / a (Summary)
5866 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5867 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5868 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
5872 @kindex / x (Summary)
5873 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5874 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5875 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5876 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
5881 @kindex / u (Summary)
5883 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5884 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5885 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5886 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5887 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5890 @kindex / m (Summary)
5891 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5892 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5893 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5896 @kindex / t (Summary)
5897 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5898 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5899 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5900 articles younger than that number of days.
5903 @kindex / n (Summary)
5904 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5905 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5906 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5907 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5910 @kindex / w (Summary)
5911 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5912 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5913 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5917 @kindex / v (Summary)
5918 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5919 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5920 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5923 @kindex / p (Summary)
5924 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter
5925 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
5926 group parameter predicate
5927 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter}). See @pxref{Group
5928 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
5932 @kindex M S (Summary)
5933 @kindex / E (Summary)
5934 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5935 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5936 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5939 @kindex / D (Summary)
5940 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5941 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5942 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5945 @kindex / * (Summary)
5946 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5947 Include all cached articles in the limit
5948 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5951 @kindex / d (Summary)
5952 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5953 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5954 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5957 @kindex / M (Summary)
5958 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5959 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5962 @kindex / T (Summary)
5963 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5964 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5967 @kindex / c (Summary)
5968 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5969 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5970 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5973 @kindex / C (Summary)
5974 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5975 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5976 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5977 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5980 @kindex / N (Summary)
5981 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
5982 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
5983 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
5986 @kindex / o (Summary)
5987 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
5988 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
5989 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
5997 @cindex article threading
5999 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6000 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6001 hierarchical fashion.
6003 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6004 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6005 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6006 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6007 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6008 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6009 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6011 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6015 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6018 A tree-like article structure.
6021 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6024 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6025 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6026 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6027 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6028 called loose threads.
6030 @item thread gathering
6031 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6033 @item sparse threads
6034 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6035 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6041 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6042 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6046 @node Customizing Threading
6047 @subsection Customizing Threading
6048 @cindex customizing threading
6051 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6052 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6053 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6054 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
6059 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6062 @cindex loose threads
6065 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6066 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6067 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6068 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6069 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6070 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6072 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6073 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6074 There are four possible values:
6078 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6079 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6080 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6081 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6082 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6087 @cindex adopting articles
6092 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6093 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6094 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6095 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6098 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6099 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6100 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6101 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6102 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6103 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6104 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6107 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6108 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6109 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6113 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6114 display them after one another.
6117 Don't gather loose threads.
6120 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6121 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6122 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6123 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6124 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6125 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6126 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6127 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6128 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6129 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6130 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6132 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6133 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6134 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6137 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6138 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6139 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6140 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6141 simplification is used.
6143 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6144 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6145 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6146 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6148 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6150 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6156 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6157 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6158 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6159 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6164 (mapconcat 'identity
6165 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6167 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6170 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6173 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6174 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6175 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6176 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6177 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6178 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6180 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6183 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6184 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6185 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6187 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6188 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6191 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6192 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6193 Remove excessive whitespace.
6196 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6199 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6200 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6201 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6202 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6203 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6204 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6205 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6206 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6208 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6209 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6210 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6211 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6212 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6213 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6214 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6215 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6216 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6220 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6221 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6222 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6223 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6225 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6226 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6227 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6230 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6234 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6235 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6241 @node Filling In Threads
6242 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6245 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6246 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6247 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6248 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6249 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6250 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6251 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6252 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6253 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6254 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
6255 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
6256 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
6258 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6259 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6260 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6262 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6263 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6264 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6265 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6266 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6267 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6268 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6269 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6270 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6271 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6272 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6273 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6274 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6275 @code{nil} by default.
6277 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6278 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6279 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6280 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6281 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6282 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6283 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6285 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6286 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6287 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6292 @node More Threading
6293 @subsubsection More Threading
6296 @item gnus-show-threads
6297 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6298 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6299 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6300 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6301 slower and more awkward.
6303 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6304 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6305 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6308 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6309 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6310 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6311 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6312 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6313 threads are expunged.
6315 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6316 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6317 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6320 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6321 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6322 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6323 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6324 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6325 result in a new thread.
6327 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6328 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6329 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6332 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6333 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6334 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6335 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6336 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6337 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6338 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6339 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6340 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6341 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6342 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6347 @node Low-Level Threading
6348 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6352 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6353 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6354 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6356 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6357 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6358 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6359 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6360 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6361 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6362 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6363 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6364 meaningful. Here's one example:
6367 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6369 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6370 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6372 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6374 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6381 @node Thread Commands
6382 @subsection Thread Commands
6383 @cindex thread commands
6389 @kindex T k (Summary)
6390 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6391 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6392 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6393 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6394 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6399 @kindex T l (Summary)
6400 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6401 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6402 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6403 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6406 @kindex T i (Summary)
6407 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6408 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6409 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6412 @kindex T # (Summary)
6413 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6414 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6415 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6418 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6419 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6420 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6421 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6424 @kindex T T (Summary)
6425 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6426 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6429 @kindex T s (Summary)
6430 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6431 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6432 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6435 @kindex T h (Summary)
6436 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6437 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6440 @kindex T S (Summary)
6441 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6442 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6445 @kindex T H (Summary)
6446 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6447 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6450 @kindex T t (Summary)
6451 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6452 Re-thread the current article's thread
6453 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6454 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6457 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6458 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6459 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6460 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6464 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6465 understand the numeric prefix.
6470 @kindex T n (Summary)
6472 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6474 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6475 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6476 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6479 @kindex T p (Summary)
6481 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6483 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6484 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6485 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6488 @kindex T d (Summary)
6489 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6490 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6493 @kindex T u (Summary)
6494 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6495 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6498 @kindex T o (Summary)
6499 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6500 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6503 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6504 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6505 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6506 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6507 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6508 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6509 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6510 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6511 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6512 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6513 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6514 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6518 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6519 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6521 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6522 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6523 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6524 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6525 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6526 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6527 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6528 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6529 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6530 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6531 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6533 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6534 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6535 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6536 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
6537 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6539 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6540 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6541 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6543 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6544 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6545 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6546 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6547 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6548 ascending article order.
6550 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6551 by number, you could do something like:
6554 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6555 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6556 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6557 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6560 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6561 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6562 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6563 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6564 which the articles arrived.
6566 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6570 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6572 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6573 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6576 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6577 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6578 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6579 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6582 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6583 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6584 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6585 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6586 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6587 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6588 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6589 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6590 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6591 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6592 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6593 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6594 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6596 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6600 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6601 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6602 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6607 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6608 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6609 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6610 @cindex article pre-fetch
6613 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6614 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6615 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6616 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6617 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6619 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6620 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
6622 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6623 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6624 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6625 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6626 connection is blocked.
6628 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6629 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6630 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6631 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
6633 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6634 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6635 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6636 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6639 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6642 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6643 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6644 happen automatically.
6646 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6647 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6648 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6649 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6650 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6651 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6652 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6654 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6655 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6656 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6657 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6658 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6659 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6660 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6661 data structure as the only parameter.
6663 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6666 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6667 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6668 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6669 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6672 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6675 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6676 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
6677 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6679 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6680 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6681 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6682 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6686 Remove articles when they are read.
6689 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6692 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6694 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6695 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6696 @c from the next group.
6699 @node Article Caching
6700 @section Article Caching
6701 @cindex article caching
6704 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6705 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6706 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6707 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6708 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6710 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6712 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6713 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6714 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6715 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6716 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6717 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6718 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6719 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6721 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6722 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6723 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6724 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6725 as dormant, and don't worry.
6727 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6729 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6730 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6731 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6732 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6733 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6734 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6735 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6736 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6737 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6738 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6740 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6741 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6742 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6743 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6744 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6745 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6746 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6747 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6748 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6749 not then be downloaded by this command.
6751 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6752 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6753 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6754 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6755 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6756 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6758 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6759 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6760 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6761 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6762 variables, the group is not cached.
6764 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6765 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6766 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6767 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6768 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6769 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
6770 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6771 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6772 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6776 @node Persistent Articles
6777 @section Persistent Articles
6778 @cindex persistent articles
6780 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6781 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6782 useful in my opinion.
6784 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6785 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6786 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6787 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6788 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6789 the expiry going on at the news server.
6791 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6792 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6793 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6799 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6800 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6803 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6804 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6805 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6806 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6810 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6812 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6813 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6814 interested in persistent articles:
6817 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6821 @node Article Backlog
6822 @section Article Backlog
6824 @cindex article backlog
6826 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6827 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6828 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
6829 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6830 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6831 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6832 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
6833 increase memory usage some.
6835 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6836 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
6837 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6838 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
6839 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6840 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6841 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6843 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6846 @node Saving Articles
6847 @section Saving Articles
6848 @cindex saving articles
6850 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6851 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6852 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6853 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6854 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6856 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6857 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
6858 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6860 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6861 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6862 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6863 deleted before saving.
6869 @kindex O o (Summary)
6871 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6872 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6873 Save the current article using the default article saver
6874 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6877 @kindex O m (Summary)
6878 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6879 Save the current article in mail format
6880 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6883 @kindex O r (Summary)
6884 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6885 Save the current article in rmail format
6886 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6889 @kindex O f (Summary)
6890 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6891 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6892 Save the current article in plain file format
6893 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6896 @kindex O F (Summary)
6897 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6898 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6899 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6902 @kindex O b (Summary)
6903 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6904 Save the current article body in plain file format
6905 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6908 @kindex O h (Summary)
6909 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6910 Save the current article in mh folder format
6911 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6914 @kindex O v (Summary)
6915 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6916 Save the current article in a VM folder
6917 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6921 @kindex O p (Summary)
6923 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6924 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6925 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6928 @kindex O P (Summary)
6929 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
6930 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
6931 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
6932 external program Muttprint (see
6933 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
6934 options to use is controlled by the variable
6935 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
6939 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6940 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6941 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6942 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6943 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6944 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6945 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6946 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6947 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6948 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6949 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6950 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6954 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6955 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6956 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6957 functions below, or you can create your own.
6961 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6962 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6963 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6964 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6965 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6966 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6967 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6969 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6970 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6971 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6972 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6973 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6974 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6976 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6977 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6978 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6979 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6980 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6981 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6982 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6984 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
6985 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
6986 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
6987 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
6988 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6989 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6991 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6992 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6993 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6994 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6995 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6997 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6998 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6999 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7000 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7001 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7004 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7005 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7006 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7007 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7008 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7010 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7011 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7012 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7013 reader to use this setting.
7016 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7017 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7018 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7019 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7022 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7023 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7024 available functions that generate names:
7028 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7029 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7030 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7032 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7033 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7034 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7036 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7037 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7038 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7040 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7041 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7042 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7044 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7045 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7046 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7049 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7050 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7051 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7052 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7053 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7057 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7058 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7059 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7060 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7063 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7064 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7065 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7066 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7067 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7068 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7069 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7070 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7071 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7073 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7074 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7075 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7076 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7078 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7079 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7080 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7083 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7084 lots of mail groups called things like
7085 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7086 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7087 following will do just that:
7090 (defun my-save-name (group)
7091 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7092 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7094 (setq gnus-split-methods
7095 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7100 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7101 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7102 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7103 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7104 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7105 all the files in the top level directory
7106 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7107 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7108 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7109 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7111 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7112 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7113 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7114 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7115 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7118 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7122 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7123 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7124 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7127 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7128 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7129 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7130 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7133 @node Decoding Articles
7134 @section Decoding Articles
7135 @cindex decoding articles
7137 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7138 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7141 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7142 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7143 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7144 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7145 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7146 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7150 @cindex article series
7151 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7152 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7153 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7154 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7155 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7157 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7158 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7159 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7161 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7162 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7163 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7165 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7166 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7167 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7170 @node Uuencoded Articles
7171 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7173 @cindex uuencoded articles
7178 @kindex X u (Summary)
7179 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7180 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7181 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7184 @kindex X U (Summary)
7185 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7186 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7187 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7190 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7191 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7192 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7195 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7196 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7197 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7198 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7202 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7203 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7204 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7205 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7206 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7208 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7209 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7210 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7211 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7214 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7215 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7216 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7217 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7218 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7219 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7223 @node Shell Archives
7224 @subsection Shell Archives
7226 @cindex shell archives
7227 @cindex shared articles
7229 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7230 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7231 some commands to deal with these:
7236 @kindex X s (Summary)
7237 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7238 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7241 @kindex X S (Summary)
7242 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7243 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7246 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7247 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7248 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7251 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7252 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7253 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7254 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7258 @node PostScript Files
7259 @subsection PostScript Files
7265 @kindex X p (Summary)
7266 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7267 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7270 @kindex X P (Summary)
7271 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7272 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7273 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7276 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7277 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7278 View the current PostScript series
7279 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7282 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7283 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7284 View and save the current PostScript series
7285 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7290 @subsection Other Files
7294 @kindex X o (Summary)
7295 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7296 Save the current series
7297 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7300 @kindex X b (Summary)
7301 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7302 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7303 doesn't really work yet.
7307 @node Decoding Variables
7308 @subsection Decoding Variables
7310 Adjective, not verb.
7313 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7314 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7315 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7319 @node Rule Variables
7320 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7321 @cindex rule variables
7323 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7324 variables are of the form
7327 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7334 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7335 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7337 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7338 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7341 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7342 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7345 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7346 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7347 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7348 user and default view rules.
7350 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7351 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7352 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7357 @node Other Decode Variables
7358 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7361 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7363 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7364 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7365 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7366 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7367 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7371 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7372 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7375 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7376 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7377 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7380 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7381 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7382 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7383 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7384 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7387 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7388 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7389 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7391 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7392 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7393 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7394 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7395 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7398 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7399 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7400 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7402 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7403 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7404 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7405 looking for files to display.
7407 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7408 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7409 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7412 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7413 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7414 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7417 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7418 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7419 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7422 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7423 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7424 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7427 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7428 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7429 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7430 decoded articles as unread.
7432 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7433 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7434 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7435 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7437 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7438 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7439 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7441 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7442 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7444 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7445 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7446 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7447 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7449 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7450 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7451 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7452 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7453 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7454 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7455 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7456 simply dropped them.
7461 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7462 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7466 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7467 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7468 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7469 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7470 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7471 for you when you post the article.
7473 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7474 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7475 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7476 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7478 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7479 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7480 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7481 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7482 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7483 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7484 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7486 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7487 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7488 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7489 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7490 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7491 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7492 Default is @code{t}.
7498 @subsection Viewing Files
7499 @cindex viewing files
7500 @cindex pseudo-articles
7502 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7503 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7504 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7505 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7506 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7507 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7508 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7510 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7511 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7512 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7513 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7515 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7516 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7517 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7519 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7520 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7521 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7522 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7523 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7525 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7526 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7527 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7528 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7529 a list of parameters to that command.
7531 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7532 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7533 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7535 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7536 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7537 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7540 @node Article Treatment
7541 @section Article Treatment
7543 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7544 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7545 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7546 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7547 these articles easier.
7550 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7551 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7552 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7553 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7554 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7555 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7556 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7557 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7558 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7562 @node Article Highlighting
7563 @subsection Article Highlighting
7564 @cindex highlighting
7566 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7567 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7572 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7573 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7574 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7575 Do much highlighting of the current article
7576 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7577 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7580 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7581 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7582 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7583 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7584 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7585 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7586 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7587 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7588 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7589 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7590 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7591 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7594 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7595 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7596 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7598 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7601 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7603 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7604 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7605 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7607 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7608 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7609 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7611 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7612 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7613 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7614 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7615 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7616 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7618 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7619 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7620 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7622 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7623 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7624 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7626 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7627 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7628 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7629 that it's a citation.
7631 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7632 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7633 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7635 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7636 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7637 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7639 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7640 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7641 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7642 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7648 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7649 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7650 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7651 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7652 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7653 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7654 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7655 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7660 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7663 @node Article Fontisizing
7664 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7666 @cindex article emphasis
7668 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7669 @kindex W e (Summary)
7670 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7671 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7672 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7673 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7675 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7676 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7677 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7678 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7679 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7680 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7681 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7682 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7686 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7687 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7688 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7697 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7698 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7699 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7700 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7701 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7702 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7703 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7704 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7705 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7706 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7707 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7708 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7709 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7711 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7712 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7713 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7717 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7720 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7722 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7723 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7724 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7725 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7727 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7730 @node Article Hiding
7731 @subsection Article Hiding
7732 @cindex article hiding
7734 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7735 too much cruft in most articles.
7740 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7741 @findex gnus-article-hide
7742 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7743 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7744 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7747 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7748 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
7749 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7753 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7754 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7755 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7756 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7759 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7760 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7761 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7765 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7766 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7767 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7768 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7769 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7770 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7771 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7772 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7776 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7777 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7778 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7779 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7784 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7785 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7786 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7787 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7788 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7789 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7790 articles that have signatures in them do:
7792 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7794 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7796 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7797 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7799 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7802 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7807 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7808 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7809 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7810 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7813 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7814 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7817 @cindex stripping advertisements
7818 @cindex advertisements
7819 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7820 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7821 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7822 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7823 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7824 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7825 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7826 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7827 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7828 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7832 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7833 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7834 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7835 customizing the hiding:
7839 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7840 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7841 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7842 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7843 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7844 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7845 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7850 Starting point of the hidden text.
7852 Ending point of the hidden text.
7854 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7856 Number of lines of hidden text.
7859 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7860 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7861 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7862 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7863 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7868 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7869 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7871 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7872 following two variables:
7875 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7876 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7877 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7878 50), hide the cited text.
7880 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7881 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7882 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7887 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7888 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7889 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7890 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7891 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7892 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7896 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7897 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7898 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7900 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7901 citation customization.
7903 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7907 @node Article Washing
7908 @subsection Article Washing
7910 @cindex article washing
7912 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7913 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7915 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7916 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7919 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
7920 articles by default.
7925 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
7926 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
7930 @kindex W l (Summary)
7931 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7932 Remove page breaks from the current article
7933 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7937 @kindex W r (Summary)
7938 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7939 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7940 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7941 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7942 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7943 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7945 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7946 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7947 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7948 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7952 @kindex W t (Summary)
7954 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
7955 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7956 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
7959 @kindex W v (Summary)
7960 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7961 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7962 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7965 @kindex W o (Summary)
7966 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7967 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7970 @kindex W d (Summary)
7971 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7972 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7974 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
7976 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7977 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7978 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7979 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7982 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
7983 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
7984 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
7985 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
7988 @kindex W w (Summary)
7989 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7990 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7992 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7996 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7997 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7998 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8001 @kindex W C (Summary)
8002 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8003 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8004 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8007 @kindex W c (Summary)
8008 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8009 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8010 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8011 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8012 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8015 @kindex W q (Summary)
8016 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8017 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8018 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
8019 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
8020 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
8021 readable to me. Note that the this is usually done automatically by
8022 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
8023 header that says that this encoding has been done.
8024 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8027 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8028 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8029 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8030 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8031 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
8032 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8033 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8035 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8038 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8039 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8040 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8041 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8042 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8045 @kindex W h (Summary)
8046 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8047 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
8048 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
8049 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
8051 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8054 @kindex W b (Summary)
8055 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8056 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8057 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8060 @kindex W B (Summary)
8061 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8062 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8063 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8066 @kindex W p (Summary)
8067 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8068 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8069 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8070 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8071 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8072 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8073 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8076 @kindex W s (Summary)
8077 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8078 Verify a signed (PGP, PGP/MIME or S/MIME) message
8079 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}).
8082 @kindex W u (Summary)
8083 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8084 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8087 @kindex W n (Summary)
8088 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8089 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8090 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8093 @kindex W W H (Summary)
8094 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
8095 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8096 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
8099 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8100 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8101 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8102 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8105 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8106 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8107 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8108 lines with a single empty line.
8109 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8112 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8113 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8114 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8115 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8118 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8119 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8120 Do all the three commands above
8121 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8124 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8125 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8126 Remove all blank lines
8127 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8130 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8131 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8132 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8133 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8136 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8137 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8138 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8139 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8143 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8146 @node Article Buttons
8147 @subsection Article Buttons
8150 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8151 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8152 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8153 button on these references.
8155 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8156 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
8157 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
8162 @item gnus-button-alist
8163 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8164 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8167 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8173 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
8174 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
8175 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
8178 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8179 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8180 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8183 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8184 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8185 avoid false matches.
8188 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8191 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8192 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8196 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8199 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8202 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8203 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8204 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8205 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8206 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8209 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8212 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8214 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8215 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8216 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8217 default values of the variables above.
8219 @item gnus-article-button-face
8220 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8221 Face used on buttons.
8223 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8224 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8225 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8229 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8233 @subsection Article Date
8235 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8236 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8237 when the article was sent.
8242 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8243 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8244 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8245 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8248 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8249 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8251 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8252 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8255 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8256 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8257 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8260 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8261 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8262 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8263 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8266 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8267 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8268 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8269 @findex format-time-string
8270 Display the date using a user-defined format
8271 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8272 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8273 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8274 for a list of possible format specs.
8277 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8278 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8279 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8280 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8281 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8282 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8285 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8288 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8289 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8292 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8293 into wonderful absurdities.
8295 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8298 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8301 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8302 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8306 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8307 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8308 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8309 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8310 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8311 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8312 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8316 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8317 preferred format automatically.
8320 @node Article Display
8321 @subsection Article Display
8326 These commands add various frivolous display gimmics to the article
8327 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8329 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8330 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8332 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8333 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8335 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8336 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8338 All these functions are toggles--if the elements already exist,
8343 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8344 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8345 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8346 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8349 @kindex W D s (Summary)
8350 @findex gnus-article-toggle-smiley
8351 Toggle whether to display smileys
8352 (@code{gnus-article-toggle-smiley}).
8355 @kindex W D f (Summary)
8356 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
8357 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8360 @kindex W D m (Summary)
8361 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
8362 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
8363 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
8366 @kindex W D n (Summary)
8367 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
8368 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
8369 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8375 @node Article Signature
8376 @subsection Article Signature
8378 @cindex article signature
8380 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8381 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8382 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8383 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8384 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8385 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8386 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8387 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8388 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8391 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8392 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8393 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8394 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8395 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8396 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8397 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8398 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8401 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8404 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8405 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8406 signature when displaying articles.
8410 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8413 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8416 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8417 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8419 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8420 in question is not a signature.
8423 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8424 listed above. Here's an example:
8427 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8428 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8431 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8432 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8433 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8434 signature after all.
8437 @node Article Miscellania
8438 @subsection Article Miscellania
8442 @kindex A t (Summary)
8443 @findex gnus-article-babel
8444 Translate the article from one language to another
8445 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8451 @section @sc{mime} Commands
8452 @cindex MIME decoding
8454 @cindex viewing attachments
8456 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8457 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8463 @kindex K v (Summary)
8464 View the @sc{mime} part.
8467 @kindex K o (Summary)
8468 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8471 @kindex K c (Summary)
8472 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8475 @kindex K e (Summary)
8476 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8479 @kindex K i (Summary)
8480 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8483 @kindex K | (Summary)
8484 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8487 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8492 @kindex K b (Summary)
8493 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8494 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8498 @kindex K m (Summary)
8499 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8500 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8501 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8502 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8503 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8506 @kindex X m (Summary)
8507 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8508 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8509 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8510 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8513 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8514 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
8515 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8516 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8519 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8520 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8521 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8524 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8525 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8526 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8528 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8529 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8530 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8531 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
8532 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
8533 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8536 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8537 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8538 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8545 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8546 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8547 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8548 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8551 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8554 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8558 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8559 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8560 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8561 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8562 displayed or this variable is overriden by
8563 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8566 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8567 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8568 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8569 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8570 displayed. This variable overrides
8571 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8573 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8574 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8575 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} to the default value.
8577 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8578 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8579 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8580 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8581 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8582 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8583 save all jpegs into some directory).
8585 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8588 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8589 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8591 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8592 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8593 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8594 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8595 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8598 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8599 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8600 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8602 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8603 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8604 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8605 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8607 Ready-made functions include@*
8608 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8609 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8610 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8611 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8612 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8613 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8614 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8615 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8616 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8617 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8618 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8619 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8621 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8622 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8624 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8625 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8626 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8629 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8630 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8631 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8632 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
8636 to your @file{.gnus} file.
8645 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8646 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8647 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8648 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8649 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8650 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8651 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8653 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8654 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8655 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
8656 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8658 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8659 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
8660 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
8661 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
8662 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
8663 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
8664 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
8665 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
8667 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8668 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8669 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8670 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8671 quoted-printable header encoding.
8673 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8674 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8675 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8679 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8682 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8683 means encode all charsets),
8685 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8686 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8687 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8694 @cindex coding system aliases
8695 @cindex preferred charset
8697 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8699 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8700 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8703 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8704 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8707 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8708 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8710 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8713 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8716 This will almost do the right thing.
8718 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8722 (codepage-setup 1251)
8723 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8727 @node Article Commands
8728 @section Article Commands
8735 @kindex A P (Summary)
8736 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8737 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8738 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8739 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
8740 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
8741 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
8746 @node Summary Sorting
8747 @section Summary Sorting
8748 @cindex summary sorting
8750 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8751 can't really see why you'd want that.
8756 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8757 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8758 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8761 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8762 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8763 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8766 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8767 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8768 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8771 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8772 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8773 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8776 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8777 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8778 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8781 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8782 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8783 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8786 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8787 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8788 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8791 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
8792 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
8793 Sort using the default sorting method
8794 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
8797 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8798 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8799 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8800 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8801 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8805 @node Finding the Parent
8806 @section Finding the Parent
8807 @cindex parent articles
8808 @cindex referring articles
8813 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8814 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8815 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8816 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8817 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8818 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8819 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8820 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8821 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8823 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8824 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8825 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
8826 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8827 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8831 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8832 @kindex A R (Summary)
8833 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8834 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8837 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8838 @kindex A T (Summary)
8839 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8840 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8841 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8842 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8843 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8844 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8845 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8847 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8848 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8849 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8850 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8851 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8852 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8855 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8856 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8858 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8859 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8860 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8861 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8862 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8863 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8864 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8867 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8868 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8869 by giving this command a prefix.
8871 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8872 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
8873 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8874 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8875 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8876 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8879 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8880 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8881 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8884 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8885 then ask Deja if that fails:
8888 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8890 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8893 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
8894 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox}
8895 and @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8896 @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder} and @code{nnimap}1 are only able to locate
8897 articles that have been posted to the current group. (Anything else
8898 would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at
8902 @node Alternative Approaches
8903 @section Alternative Approaches
8905 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8906 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8909 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8910 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8915 @subsection Pick and Read
8916 @cindex pick and read
8918 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8919 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8920 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8921 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8923 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8924 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8925 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8926 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8927 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8928 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8930 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8935 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8936 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8937 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8938 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8939 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8940 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8941 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8942 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8945 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8946 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8947 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8948 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8952 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8953 Unpick the thread or article
8954 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8955 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8956 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8957 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8958 the thread or article at that line.
8962 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8963 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8964 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8965 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8966 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8967 will still be visible when you are reading.
8971 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8972 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8973 which is mapped to the same function
8974 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8976 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8979 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8982 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8983 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8985 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8986 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8987 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8989 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8990 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8991 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8992 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8993 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8994 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8995 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8999 @subsection Binary Groups
9000 @cindex binary groups
9002 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9003 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9004 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9005 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9006 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9007 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9008 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9011 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9012 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9013 command, when you have turned on this mode
9014 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9016 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9017 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9021 @section Tree Display
9024 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9025 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
9026 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9027 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9030 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9033 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9034 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9035 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9037 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9038 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9039 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9040 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9041 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9043 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9044 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9045 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9046 default is @code{modeline}.
9048 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9049 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9050 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9051 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9052 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9053 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9054 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9060 The name of the poster.
9062 The @code{From} header.
9064 The number of the article.
9066 The opening bracket.
9068 The closing bracket.
9073 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9075 Variables related to the display are:
9078 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9079 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9080 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9081 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9082 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9083 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9085 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9086 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9087 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9088 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9092 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9093 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9094 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
9095 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
9096 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9097 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9098 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9099 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9100 other windows displayed next to it.
9102 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9106 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9107 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9110 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9111 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9112 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9113 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9114 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9115 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9116 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9120 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9123 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9133 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9137 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9138 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9140 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9142 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9147 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9148 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9149 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9152 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9153 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9154 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9155 (gnus-add-configuration
9159 (summary 0.75 point)
9164 @xref{Window Layout}.
9167 @node Mail Group Commands
9168 @section Mail Group Commands
9169 @cindex mail group commands
9171 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9172 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9174 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9175 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9180 @kindex B e (Summary)
9181 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9182 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9183 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9184 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9185 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9188 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9189 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9190 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9191 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9192 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9193 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9196 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9197 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9198 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9199 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9200 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9201 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9204 @kindex B m (Summary)
9206 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9207 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9208 Move the article from one mail group to another
9209 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9210 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9213 @kindex B c (Summary)
9215 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9216 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9217 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9218 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9219 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9222 @kindex B B (Summary)
9223 @cindex crosspost mail
9224 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9225 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9226 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9227 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9228 be properly updated.
9231 @kindex B i (Summary)
9232 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9233 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9234 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9235 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9238 @kindex B r (Summary)
9239 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9240 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9241 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9242 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9243 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9244 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9245 (which is the default).
9249 @kindex B w (Summary)
9251 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9252 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9253 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9254 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9255 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9256 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9259 @kindex B q (Summary)
9260 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9261 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9262 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9263 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9266 @kindex B t (Summary)
9267 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9268 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9269 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9272 @kindex B p (Summary)
9273 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9274 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9275 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9276 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9277 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9278 article from your news server (or rather, from
9279 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9280 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9281 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9282 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9283 just not have arrived yet.
9287 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9288 @cindex moving articles
9289 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
9290 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9291 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9292 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9293 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9294 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9295 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9298 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9299 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9300 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9301 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9305 @node Various Summary Stuff
9306 @section Various Summary Stuff
9309 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9310 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9311 * Summary Generation Commands::
9312 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9316 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9317 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9318 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9320 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9321 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9322 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9323 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9324 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9325 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9328 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9329 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9330 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9331 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9332 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9334 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9335 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9336 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9339 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9340 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9341 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9342 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9343 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9344 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9345 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
9346 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9347 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9348 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9350 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9351 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9352 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9353 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9354 list of articles to be selected.
9356 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9357 the list in one particular group:
9360 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9361 (if (string= group "some.group")
9362 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9366 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9367 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9368 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9369 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9370 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9371 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9372 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9373 buffers. For example:
9376 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9377 '(message-use-followup-to
9378 (gnus-visible-headers .
9379 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9385 @node Summary Group Information
9386 @subsection Summary Group Information
9391 @kindex H f (Summary)
9392 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9393 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9394 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9395 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9396 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9397 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9398 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9399 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9400 be used for fetching the file.
9403 @kindex H d (Summary)
9404 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9405 Give a brief description of the current group
9406 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9407 rereading the description from the server.
9410 @kindex H h (Summary)
9411 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9412 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9413 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9416 @kindex H i (Summary)
9417 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9418 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9422 @node Searching for Articles
9423 @subsection Searching for Articles
9428 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9429 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9430 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9431 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9434 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9435 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9436 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9437 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9441 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9442 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9443 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9444 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9445 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9446 search backward instead.
9448 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9449 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9452 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9453 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9454 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9455 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9458 @node Summary Generation Commands
9459 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9464 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9465 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9466 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9469 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9470 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9471 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9472 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9477 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9478 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9484 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9485 @kindex A D (Summary)
9486 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9487 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9488 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9489 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9490 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9491 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9492 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9493 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9497 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
9498 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9499 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9500 several documents into one biiig group
9501 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9502 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9503 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9504 command understands the process/prefix convention
9505 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9508 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9509 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9510 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9511 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9512 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9513 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9517 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9518 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9519 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9522 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
9523 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9524 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9525 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9528 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
9529 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9530 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9531 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9536 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9537 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9538 @cindex summary exit
9539 @cindex exiting groups
9541 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9542 group and return you to the group buffer.
9548 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9550 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9551 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9552 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9553 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9554 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9555 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9556 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9557 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9558 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9559 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9560 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9564 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9566 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9567 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9568 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9572 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9574 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9575 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9576 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9577 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9580 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9581 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9582 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9583 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9586 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9587 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9588 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9589 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9592 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9593 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9594 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9595 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9596 all articles, both read and unread.
9600 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9601 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9602 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9603 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9604 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9605 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9606 articles, both read and unread.
9609 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9610 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9611 Exit the group and go to the next group
9612 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9615 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9616 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9617 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9618 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9621 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9622 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9623 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9624 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9625 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9626 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9629 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9630 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9631 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9632 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9634 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9635 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
9636 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
9637 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
9638 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
9639 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
9640 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
9641 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
9642 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
9643 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
9644 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
9645 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
9647 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
9649 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
9650 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
9651 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
9652 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
9653 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
9654 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
9655 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
9656 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
9657 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
9660 @node Crosspost Handling
9661 @section Crosspost Handling
9665 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
9666 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
9667 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
9668 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
9669 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
9670 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
9673 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
9674 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
9675 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
9676 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
9677 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
9679 @cindex cross-posting
9682 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
9683 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
9684 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
9685 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
9686 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
9687 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
9688 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
9689 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
9690 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
9691 the cross reference mechanism.
9693 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
9694 @cindex overview.fmt
9695 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
9696 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
9697 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
9698 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
9699 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
9700 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9703 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9704 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9705 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9710 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9713 @node Duplicate Suppression
9714 @section Duplicate Suppression
9716 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9717 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9718 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9719 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9724 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9725 is evil and not very common.
9728 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9729 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9732 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9733 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9736 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9739 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9740 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9742 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9743 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9744 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9745 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9746 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9747 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9748 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9751 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9752 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9753 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9754 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9755 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9759 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9760 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9761 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9763 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9764 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9765 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9766 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9767 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
9768 session are suppressed.
9770 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9771 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9772 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9773 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9775 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9776 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9777 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9778 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9781 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
9782 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9783 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9784 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9785 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
9786 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9787 to you to figure out, I think.
9792 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
9793 The formats that are supported are PGP (plain text, RFC 1991 format),
9794 PGP/MIME (RFC 2015/3156) and S/MIME, however you need some external
9795 programs to get things to work:
9799 To verify or decrypt PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or
9800 gpg.el as well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG). @xref{Using GPG}.
9803 To verify or decrypt S/MIME message, you need to install OpenSSL.
9804 OpenSSL 0.9.6 or newer is recommended.
9808 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
9809 manual. @xref{Security, ,Security, message, The Message Manual}.
9812 @item mm-verify-option
9813 @vindex mm-verify-option
9814 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9815 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9816 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9818 @item mm-decrypt-option
9819 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9820 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9821 @code{always}, always decrypt @code{known}, only decrypt known
9822 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9827 @section Mailing List
9829 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
9830 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
9831 possibly using @kbd{A M} in the summary buffer, or say:
9834 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
9837 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
9842 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
9843 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
9844 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
9847 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
9848 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
9849 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
9852 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
9853 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
9854 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
9858 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
9859 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
9860 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
9863 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
9864 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9865 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
9868 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
9869 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9870 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
9874 @node Article Buffer
9875 @chapter Article Buffer
9876 @cindex article buffer
9878 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
9879 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
9880 tell Gnus otherwise.
9883 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
9884 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
9885 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
9886 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
9887 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
9891 @node Hiding Headers
9892 @section Hiding Headers
9893 @cindex hiding headers
9894 @cindex deleting headers
9896 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9897 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9899 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9900 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9901 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9902 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9903 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9904 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9905 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9906 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9907 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9909 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
9913 @item gnus-visible-headers
9914 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
9915 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
9916 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
9917 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
9919 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
9920 the article and the subject, you'd say:
9923 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
9926 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9929 @item gnus-ignored-headers
9930 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
9931 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
9932 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
9933 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
9934 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
9936 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
9937 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
9940 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
9943 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9946 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
9947 variable will have no effect.
9951 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
9952 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
9953 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
9954 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
9955 the headers are to be displayed.
9957 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
9958 and then the subject, you might say something like:
9961 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
9964 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
9965 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
9967 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9968 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
9969 You can hide further boring headers by setting
9970 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
9971 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
9972 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
9973 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
9976 These conditions are:
9979 Remove all empty headers.
9981 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
9982 @code{Newsgroups} header.
9984 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
9987 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
9990 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
9991 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
9993 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
9996 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
9998 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10001 To include these three elements, you could say something like;
10004 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10005 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10008 This is also the default value for this variable.
10012 @section Using MIME
10015 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10016 while people stand around yawning.
10018 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10019 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10021 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10022 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10023 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10025 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
10026 @findex gnus-display-mime
10027 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
10028 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
10029 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
10030 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
10032 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
10036 @findex gnus-article-press-button
10037 @item RET (Article)
10038 @kindex RET (Article)
10039 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
10040 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
10041 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}).
10043 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
10044 @item M-RET (Article)
10045 @kindex M-RET (Article)
10047 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10048 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
10050 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
10052 @kindex t (Article)
10053 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
10054 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
10056 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
10058 @kindex C (Article)
10059 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10060 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
10062 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
10064 @kindex o (Article)
10065 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
10066 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
10068 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
10069 @item C-o (Article)
10070 @kindex C-o (Article)
10071 Prompt for a file name, then save the @sc{mime} object and strip it from
10072 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
10073 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
10074 like. The stripped @sc{mime} object will be referred via the
10075 message/external-body @sc{mime} type.
10076 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
10078 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
10080 @kindex c (Article)
10081 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
10082 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
10084 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
10086 @kindex p (Article)
10087 Print the @sc{mime} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
10088 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
10089 @file{.mailcap} file.
10091 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
10093 @kindex i (Article)
10094 Insert the contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
10095 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
10096 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
10097 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
10098 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @pxref{Paging the
10101 @findex gnus-mime-internalize-part
10103 @kindex E (Article)
10104 View the @sc{mime} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
10105 viewer is available, use an external viewer
10106 (@code{gnus-mime-internalize-part}).
10108 @findex gnus-mime-externalize-part
10110 @kindex e (Article)
10111 View the @sc{mime} object with an external viewer.
10112 (@code{gnus-mime-externalize-part}).
10114 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
10116 @kindex | (Article)
10117 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
10119 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
10121 @kindex . (Article)
10122 Interactively run an action on the @sc{mime} object
10123 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
10127 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
10128 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs MIME
10131 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
10132 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
10133 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
10134 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
10135 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
10136 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
10137 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
10138 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
10139 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
10141 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10143 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10146 @node Customizing Articles
10147 @section Customizing Articles
10148 @cindex article customization
10150 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10151 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
10152 called automatically when you select the articles.
10154 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10155 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10156 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10157 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10159 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10160 for sensible values.
10164 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10167 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10170 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10173 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10176 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10180 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10181 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10182 regexps in the list.
10185 A list where the first element is not a string:
10187 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10188 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10189 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10193 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10198 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10199 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10200 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10201 considered to contain just a single part.
10203 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10204 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10205 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10206 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10207 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10208 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10209 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10211 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10212 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10213 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10214 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10217 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10218 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10219 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10220 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10221 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10222 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10223 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10224 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10225 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10226 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10227 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
10228 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10229 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10230 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10231 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10232 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10233 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10234 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10235 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10236 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10237 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10238 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10239 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10240 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10241 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10242 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10243 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10244 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10245 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10246 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10247 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10248 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
10249 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10250 @item gnus-treat-translate
10251 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10252 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10253 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10254 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10255 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10256 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10257 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10260 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10261 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10262 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10263 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10264 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10268 @node Article Keymap
10269 @section Article Keymap
10271 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10272 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10273 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10274 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10277 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10282 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10283 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10284 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10287 @kindex DEL (Article)
10288 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10289 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10292 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10293 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10294 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10295 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10296 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10299 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10300 @findex gnus-article-mail
10301 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10302 given a prefix, include the mail.
10305 @kindex s (Article)
10306 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10307 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10308 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10311 @kindex ? (Article)
10312 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10313 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10314 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10317 @kindex TAB (Article)
10318 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10319 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10320 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10323 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10324 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10325 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10331 @section Misc Article
10335 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10336 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10337 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10338 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10341 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10342 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10344 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10345 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10347 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10348 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10349 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10350 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10351 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10352 the contents of the article buffer.
10354 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10355 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10356 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10358 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10359 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10360 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10361 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10363 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10364 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10365 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10366 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10367 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10373 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10374 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10375 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10380 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10383 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10386 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10387 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10388 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10391 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10394 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10397 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10402 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10406 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10408 @item gnus-break-pages
10409 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10410 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10411 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10412 paging will not be done.
10414 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10415 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10416 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10421 @node Composing Messages
10422 @chapter Composing Messages
10423 @cindex composing messages
10426 @cindex sending mail
10432 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10433 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10434 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10435 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
10436 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10437 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10440 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10441 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
10442 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10443 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10444 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10445 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10446 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10447 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
10450 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10451 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10457 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10460 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10461 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10462 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10463 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
10465 @item gnus-add-to-list
10466 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10467 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10468 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10473 @node Posting Server
10474 @section Posting Server
10476 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10477 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10479 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10481 @vindex gnus-post-method
10483 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will post using the same
10484 select method as you're reading from (which might be convenient if
10485 you're reading lots of groups from different private servers).
10486 However. If the server you're reading from doesn't allow posting,
10487 just reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
10488 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
10489 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10492 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10495 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10496 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10497 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10498 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10500 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10501 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10503 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10504 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10507 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10508 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
10511 @node Mail and Post
10512 @section Mail and Post
10514 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10518 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10519 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10520 @cindex mailing lists
10522 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
10523 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
10524 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
10525 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
10526 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
10527 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
10528 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
10529 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
10530 still a pain, though.
10534 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
10535 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
10536 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
10539 @findex ispell-message
10541 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
10544 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
10545 you're in, you could say something like the following:
10548 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
10552 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
10553 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
10555 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
10558 Modify to suit your needs.
10561 @node Archived Messages
10562 @section Archived Messages
10563 @cindex archived messages
10564 @cindex sent messages
10566 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
10567 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
10568 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
10569 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
10572 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
10573 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
10574 use to store sent messages. The default is:
10577 (nnfolder "archive"
10578 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
10579 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
10580 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
10581 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
10584 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
10585 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
10586 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
10587 directory chosen, you could say something like:
10590 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
10591 '(nnfolder "archive"
10592 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
10593 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
10594 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
10597 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
10599 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
10600 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
10601 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
10603 This variable can be used to do the following:
10608 Messages will be saved in that group.
10610 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
10611 message will not be stored in the select method given by
10612 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
10613 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
10614 has the default value shown above. Then setting
10615 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
10616 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
10617 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
10621 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
10623 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
10624 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
10627 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
10632 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
10634 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
10637 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
10639 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
10642 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
10644 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10645 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
10646 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
10647 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
10650 More complex stuff:
10652 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10653 '((if (message-news-p)
10658 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
10659 messages in one file per month:
10662 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10663 '((if (message-news-p)
10665 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
10668 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
10669 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
10671 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
10672 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
10673 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
10674 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
10675 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
10676 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
10677 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
10678 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
10679 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
10680 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
10682 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
10683 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
10684 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
10685 this will disable archiving.
10688 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
10689 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
10690 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
10691 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
10692 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
10695 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
10696 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
10697 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
10700 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
10701 but the latter is the preferred method.
10703 @item gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10704 @vindex gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10705 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
10710 @node Posting Styles
10711 @section Posting Styles
10712 @cindex posting styles
10715 All them variables, they make my head swim.
10717 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
10718 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
10719 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
10722 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
10723 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
10724 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
10725 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
10726 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
10731 (signature "Peace and happiness")
10732 (organization "What me?"))
10734 (signature "Death to everybody"))
10735 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
10736 (organization "Emacs is it")))
10739 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
10740 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
10741 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
10742 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
10743 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
10744 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
10745 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
10746 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
10748 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
10749 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
10750 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header (the
10751 next element in the match) in the original article , and compare that to
10752 the last regexp in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function
10753 will be called with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the
10754 variable will be referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be
10755 @code{eval}ed. In any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value,
10756 then the style is said to @dfn{match}.
10758 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
10759 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
10760 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
10761 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
10762 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
10763 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
10764 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
10765 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
10766 result is thrown away.
10768 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
10769 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
10770 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
10771 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
10772 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
10773 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
10775 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
10776 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
10777 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
10779 @findex message-mail-p
10780 @findex message-news-p
10782 So here's a new example:
10785 (setq gnus-posting-styles
10787 (signature-file "~/.signature")
10789 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
10790 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
10792 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
10793 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
10794 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
10796 (signature my-news-signature))
10797 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
10798 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
10799 ((posting-from-work-p)
10800 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
10801 (address "user@@bar.foo")
10802 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
10803 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
10805 (From (save-excursion
10806 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
10807 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
10809 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
10812 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
10813 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
10814 if you fill many roles.
10821 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
10822 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
10823 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
10824 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
10825 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
10827 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
10828 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
10829 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
10830 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
10831 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
10835 @vindex nndraft-directory
10836 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
10837 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
10838 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
10839 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
10840 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
10841 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
10843 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
10844 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
10847 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
10848 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
10849 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
10850 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
10851 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
10852 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
10853 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
10854 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
10855 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
10856 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
10857 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
10858 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
10859 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
10860 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
10862 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
10863 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
10864 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
10866 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
10867 @kindex D e (Draft)
10868 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
10869 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
10870 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
10872 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
10875 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
10876 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
10877 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
10878 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
10879 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
10880 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
10881 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
10884 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
10885 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
10886 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
10889 @node Rejected Articles
10890 @section Rejected Articles
10891 @cindex rejected articles
10893 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
10894 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
10895 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
10896 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
10898 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
10899 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
10900 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
10901 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
10902 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
10904 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
10905 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
10906 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
10912 Gnus has an ALPHA support to GPG that's provided by @file{gpg.el}. See
10913 @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} to enable Gnus to
10914 verify or decrypt messages accordingly.
10916 To use this correctly with GPG, you'll need the following lisp code in your
10917 @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10921 (setq mml2015-use 'gpg)
10922 (setq mml1991-use 'gpg)
10923 (setq gpg-temp-directory (expand-file-name "~/.gnupg/tmp"))
10926 The @code{gpg-temp-directory} need to point to a directory with permissions set
10927 to 700, for your own safety.
10929 To sign or encrypt your message you may choose to use the MML Security
10930 menu or @kbd{C-c C-m s p} to sign your message using PGP/MIME,
10931 @kbd{C-c C-m s s} to sign your message using S/MIME. There's also
10932 @kbd{C-c C-m c p} to encrypt your message with PGP/MIME and @kbd{C-c
10933 C-m c s} to encrypt using S/MIME. @xref{Security, ,Security, message,
10934 The Message Manual}.
10936 Gnus will ask for your passphrase and then it will send your message, if
10937 you've typed it correctly.
10939 @node Select Methods
10940 @chapter Select Methods
10941 @cindex foreign groups
10942 @cindex select methods
10944 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
10945 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
10946 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
10947 personal mail group.
10949 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
10950 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
10951 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
10952 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
10953 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
10954 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
10956 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
10957 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
10959 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
10962 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
10963 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
10964 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
10965 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
10966 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
10968 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
10971 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
10972 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
10973 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
10974 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
10975 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
10976 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
10977 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
10978 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
10982 @node Server Buffer
10983 @section Server Buffer
10985 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
10986 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
10987 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
10988 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
10989 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
10990 back end represents a virtual server.
10992 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
10993 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
10994 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
10995 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
10997 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
10998 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
10999 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11000 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11001 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11002 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11003 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11005 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11006 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11009 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11010 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11011 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11012 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11013 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11014 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11015 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11018 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11019 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11022 @node Server Buffer Format
11023 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11024 @cindex server buffer format
11026 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11027 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11028 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11029 variable, with some simple extensions:
11034 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11037 The name of this server.
11040 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11043 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11046 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11047 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11048 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11049 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11059 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11062 @node Server Commands
11063 @subsection Server Commands
11064 @cindex server commands
11070 @findex gnus-server-add-server
11071 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
11075 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
11076 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
11079 @kindex SPACE (Server)
11080 @findex gnus-server-read-server
11081 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
11085 @findex gnus-server-exit
11086 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
11090 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
11091 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11095 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11096 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11100 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11101 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11105 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11106 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11110 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11111 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11112 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11117 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11118 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11119 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11120 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11125 @node Example Methods
11126 @subsection Example Methods
11128 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11131 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11134 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11140 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11141 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11144 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11145 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11147 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11148 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11152 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11155 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11156 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11158 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11159 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11160 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11164 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11167 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11170 Here's the method for a public spool:
11174 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11175 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11181 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11182 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11183 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11184 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11185 should probably look something like this:
11189 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11190 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11191 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11192 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11195 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11196 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11197 configuration to the example above:
11200 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11203 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11204 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11205 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11209 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11210 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11211 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11212 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11215 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11216 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11217 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11218 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11221 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11222 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11224 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11225 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11227 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11228 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11229 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11231 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11233 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11234 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11235 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11236 will contain the following:
11246 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11247 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11248 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11251 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11252 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11253 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11256 @node Server Variables
11257 @subsection Server Variables
11259 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11260 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11261 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11262 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11263 won't change the "derived" variables.
11265 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11266 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11267 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11268 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11269 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11270 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11271 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11272 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11273 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11277 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11278 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11279 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11283 @node Servers and Methods
11284 @subsection Servers and Methods
11286 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11287 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11288 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11289 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11293 @node Unavailable Servers
11294 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11296 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11297 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11298 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11299 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11300 actually the case or not.
11302 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11303 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11304 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11305 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11306 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11307 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11308 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11309 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11311 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11312 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11314 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11315 with the following commands:
11321 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11322 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11323 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11327 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11328 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11329 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11333 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11334 Mark the current server as unreachable
11335 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11338 @kindex M-o (Server)
11339 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11340 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11341 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11344 @kindex M-c (Server)
11345 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11346 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11347 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11351 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11352 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11353 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11359 @section Getting News
11360 @cindex reading news
11361 @cindex news back ends
11363 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11364 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11365 or it can read from a local spool.
11368 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11369 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11374 @subsection @sc{nntp}
11377 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11378 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11379 server as the, uhm, address.
11381 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11382 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11383 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11384 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11386 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11387 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11388 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11390 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11395 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11396 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11397 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11399 @cindex authentification
11400 @cindex nntp authentification
11401 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11402 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11403 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11404 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11405 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11406 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11407 present in this hook.
11409 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11410 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11411 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11412 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11413 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11414 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11415 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11416 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11417 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11418 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11419 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11420 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11424 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11427 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11429 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11430 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
11431 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
11432 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
11433 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
11434 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
11435 @samp{force} is explained below.
11439 Here's an example file:
11442 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
11443 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
11446 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
11447 have to be first, for instance.
11449 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
11450 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
11451 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
11452 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
11453 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
11454 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
11455 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
11457 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
11458 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
11464 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
11465 previously mentioned.
11467 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
11469 @item nntp-server-action-alist
11470 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
11471 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
11472 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
11473 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
11476 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
11477 '(("innd" (ding))))
11480 You probably don't want to do that, though.
11482 The default value is
11485 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
11486 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
11487 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
11490 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
11491 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
11493 @item nntp-maximum-request
11494 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
11495 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
11496 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
11497 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
11498 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
11499 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
11500 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
11502 @item nntp-connection-timeout
11503 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
11504 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
11505 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
11506 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
11507 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
11508 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
11509 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
11510 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
11511 no timeouts are done.
11513 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
11514 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
11515 @c @cindex PPP connections
11516 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
11517 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
11518 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
11519 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
11520 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
11521 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
11522 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
11523 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
11524 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
11525 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
11527 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
11528 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
11529 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
11530 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
11531 @c described above.
11533 @item nntp-server-hook
11534 @vindex nntp-server-hook
11535 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
11538 @item nntp-buggy-select
11539 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
11540 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
11542 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
11543 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
11544 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
11545 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
11548 @item nntp-xover-commands
11549 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
11552 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
11553 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
11557 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
11558 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
11559 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
11560 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
11561 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
11562 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
11563 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
11564 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
11565 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
11566 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
11567 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
11569 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
11570 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
11571 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
11573 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11574 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11575 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
11576 server closes connection.
11578 @item nntp-record-commands
11579 @vindex nntp-record-commands
11580 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
11581 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
11582 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
11583 that doesn't seem to work.
11585 @item nntp-open-connection-function
11586 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
11587 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
11588 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
11589 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
11590 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
11591 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
11592 indirect ones (two pre-made).
11594 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
11595 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
11596 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
11597 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
11598 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
11599 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
11600 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
11603 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
11606 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
11607 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
11611 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
11612 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
11613 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
11617 @node Direct Functions
11618 @subsubsection Direct Functions
11619 @cindex direct connection functions
11621 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
11622 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
11623 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
11624 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11627 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
11628 @item nntp-open-network-stream
11629 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
11632 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
11633 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
11634 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
11635 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
11636 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
11637 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
11638 define a server as follows:
11641 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
11643 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
11645 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
11646 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
11647 (nntp-port-number "snews")
11648 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
11651 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
11652 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
11653 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
11654 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
11655 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
11656 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
11657 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
11658 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
11662 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11663 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
11664 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
11667 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
11668 session, which is not a good idea.
11672 @node Indirect Functions
11673 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
11674 @cindex indirect connection functions
11676 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
11677 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
11678 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
11679 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
11680 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
11681 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11684 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11685 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11686 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
11687 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
11688 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
11690 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11693 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
11694 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
11695 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
11696 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
11699 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11700 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11701 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
11702 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
11704 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11707 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
11708 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
11709 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
11712 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
11713 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
11714 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
11715 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
11717 @item nntp-via-user-password
11718 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
11719 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
11721 @item nntp-via-envuser
11722 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
11723 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
11724 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
11725 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
11727 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
11728 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
11729 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
11730 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
11737 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
11742 @item nntp-via-user-name
11743 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
11744 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
11746 @item nntp-via-address
11747 @vindex nntp-via-address
11748 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
11753 @node Common Variables
11754 @subsubsection Common Variables
11756 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
11757 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
11762 @item nntp-pre-command
11763 @vindex nntp-pre-command
11764 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
11765 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
11766 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
11767 wrapper for instance.
11770 @vindex nntp-address
11771 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
11773 @item nntp-port-number
11774 @vindex nntp-port-number
11775 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
11777 @item nntp-end-of-line
11778 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
11779 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
11780 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
11781 using a non native connection function.
11783 @item nntp-telnet-command
11784 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
11785 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
11786 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
11787 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
11789 @item nntp-telnet-switches
11790 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
11791 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
11798 @subsection News Spool
11802 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
11803 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
11804 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
11807 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
11808 anything else) as the address.
11810 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
11811 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
11812 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
11813 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
11817 @item nnspool-inews-program
11818 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
11819 Program used to post an article.
11821 @item nnspool-inews-switches
11822 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
11823 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
11825 @item nnspool-spool-directory
11826 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
11827 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
11828 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
11830 @item nnspool-nov-directory
11831 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
11832 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
11833 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
11835 @item nnspool-lib-dir
11836 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
11837 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
11839 @item nnspool-active-file
11840 @vindex nnspool-active-file
11841 The path to the active file.
11843 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
11844 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
11845 The path to the group descriptions file.
11847 @item nnspool-history-file
11848 @vindex nnspool-history-file
11849 The path to the news history file.
11851 @item nnspool-active-times-file
11852 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
11853 The path to the active date file.
11855 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
11856 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
11857 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
11860 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11861 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11863 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
11864 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
11865 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
11871 @section Getting Mail
11872 @cindex reading mail
11875 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
11879 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
11880 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
11881 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
11882 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
11883 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
11884 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
11885 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
11886 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
11887 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
11888 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
11889 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
11890 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
11891 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
11892 * Archiving Mail:: How to backup your mail.
11896 @node Mail in a Newsreader
11897 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
11899 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
11900 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
11901 of a culture shock.
11903 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
11904 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
11906 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
11907 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
11908 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
11909 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
11911 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
11913 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
11914 deleted? How awful!
11916 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
11917 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
11918 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
11919 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
11922 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
11923 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
11924 they want to treat a message.
11926 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
11927 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
11928 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
11929 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
11930 archived somewhere else.
11932 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
11933 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
11934 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
11935 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
11936 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
11938 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
11939 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
11940 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
11942 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
11943 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
11946 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
11947 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
11948 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
11949 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
11950 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
11952 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
11953 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
11954 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
11955 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
11956 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
11957 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
11961 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
11962 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
11964 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
11965 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
11966 and things will happen automatically.
11968 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
11969 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
11972 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
11975 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
11976 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
11977 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
11978 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
11979 like any other group.
11981 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
11984 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11985 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11986 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11990 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
11991 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
11992 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
11995 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
11996 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
11997 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
12000 @node Splitting Mail
12001 @subsection Splitting Mail
12002 @cindex splitting mail
12003 @cindex mail splitting
12005 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
12006 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
12007 to be split into groups.
12010 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12011 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12012 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12013 ("mail.other" "")))
12016 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
12017 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
12018 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
12019 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
12020 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
12021 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
12022 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
12025 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
12028 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12029 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
12030 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
12031 mail belongs in that group.
12033 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
12034 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
12035 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
12036 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
12037 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
12038 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
12040 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
12041 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
12042 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
12043 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
12044 thinks should carry this mail message.
12046 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
12047 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
12048 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
12049 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
12051 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
12052 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
12053 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
12054 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
12055 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
12057 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
12060 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
12061 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
12062 links. If that's the case for you, set
12063 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
12064 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
12066 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
12067 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12068 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12069 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12070 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12071 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12074 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12075 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12076 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12077 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12078 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12079 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12080 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12081 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12082 month's rent money.
12086 @subsection Mail Sources
12088 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12089 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12093 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12094 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12095 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12099 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12100 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12102 @cindex mail server
12105 @cindex mail source
12107 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12108 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12113 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12116 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12117 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12118 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12121 The following mail source types are available:
12125 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12131 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12132 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
12135 An example file mail source:
12138 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12141 Or using the default path:
12147 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12148 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12149 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12152 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12156 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12159 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12163 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12166 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12168 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12171 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12175 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
12176 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
12177 That is, mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in the
12178 group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12179 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12180 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus
12181 to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you
12182 want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12188 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12192 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12196 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12197 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12198 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12199 predicate are considered.
12203 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12207 An example directory mail source:
12210 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
12215 Get mail from a POP server.
12221 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
12222 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12225 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
12226 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
12227 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
12228 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
12229 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
12232 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
12236 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
12240 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
12241 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
12244 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12247 The valid format specifier characters are:
12251 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12252 included in this string.
12255 The name of the server.
12258 The port number of the server.
12261 The user name to use.
12264 The password to use.
12267 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12268 corresponding keywords.
12271 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12272 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12275 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12276 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12279 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
12280 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
12283 @item :authentication
12284 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
12285 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
12290 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
12291 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
12293 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
12294 default user name, and default fetcher:
12300 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
12303 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
12304 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
12307 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
12310 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
12314 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
12315 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
12316 contains exactly one mail.
12322 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12323 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12326 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12327 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12329 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12330 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12331 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
12334 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
12335 from locking problems).
12339 Two example maildir mail sources:
12342 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
12343 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
12347 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
12352 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
12353 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
12354 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
12355 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
12358 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
12359 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
12365 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
12366 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12369 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12370 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
12373 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
12377 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
12381 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
12382 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
12383 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
12384 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
12386 @item :authentication
12387 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
12388 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
12389 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
12390 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
12393 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
12394 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
12395 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
12401 The valid format specifier characters are:
12405 The name of the server.
12408 User name from `imap-default-user'.
12411 The port number of the server.
12414 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12415 corresponding keywords.
12418 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
12419 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
12422 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
12423 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
12424 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
12425 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
12426 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
12427 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
12430 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
12431 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
12432 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
12433 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
12436 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
12437 after finishing the fetch.
12441 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
12444 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
12446 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
12450 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
12451 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
12453 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
12456 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
12457 required for url "4.0pre.46".
12459 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
12465 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
12466 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
12469 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
12473 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
12477 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
12478 folder after finishing the fetch.
12482 An example webmail source:
12485 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
12487 :password "secret")
12492 @item Common Keywords
12493 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
12499 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
12500 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
12504 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
12509 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
12510 useful when you use local mail and news.
12515 @subsubsection Function Interface
12517 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
12518 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
12519 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
12520 consider the following mail-source setting:
12523 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
12524 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
12527 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
12528 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
12529 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
12530 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
12531 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
12533 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
12536 @node Mail Source Customization
12537 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
12539 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
12540 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
12544 @item mail-source-crash-box
12545 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
12546 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
12547 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
12549 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
12550 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
12551 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
12553 @item mail-source-directory
12554 @vindex mail-source-directory
12555 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
12556 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
12557 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
12560 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12561 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12562 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
12563 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
12564 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
12565 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
12567 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
12568 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
12569 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
12571 @item mail-source-movemail-program
12572 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
12573 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
12574 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
12579 @node Fetching Mail
12580 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
12582 @vindex mail-sources
12583 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
12584 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
12585 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
12586 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
12588 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
12589 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
12592 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
12593 mail server, you'd say something like:
12598 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12599 :password "secret")))
12602 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
12606 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
12607 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12610 :password "secret")))
12614 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
12615 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
12616 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
12617 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
12618 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
12619 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
12623 @node Mail Back End Variables
12624 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
12626 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
12630 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12631 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12632 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
12633 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
12635 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
12636 @item nnmail-split-hook
12637 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
12638 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
12639 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
12640 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
12641 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
12642 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
12643 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
12644 in the buffer will show up in any files.
12645 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
12648 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12649 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12650 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12651 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12652 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
12653 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
12654 starting to handle the new mail) and
12655 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
12656 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
12657 default file modes the new mail files get:
12660 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12661 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
12663 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12664 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
12667 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
12668 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
12669 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
12670 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
12671 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
12672 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
12673 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
12675 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
12676 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
12677 @findex delete-file
12678 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
12680 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12681 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12682 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
12683 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
12684 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
12689 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
12690 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
12691 @cindex mail splitting
12692 @cindex fancy mail splitting
12694 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
12695 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
12696 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
12697 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
12698 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
12699 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
12701 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
12704 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
12705 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
12706 ;; from real errors.
12707 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
12709 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
12710 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
12711 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
12712 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
12713 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
12714 ;; Other mailing lists...
12715 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
12716 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
12717 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
12718 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
12719 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
12720 ;; message was really cross-posted.
12721 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
12722 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
12724 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
12725 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
12729 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
12730 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
12731 the five possible split syntaxes:
12736 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
12737 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
12741 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
12742 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
12743 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
12744 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
12745 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
12746 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
12747 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
12748 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
12751 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12752 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
12753 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
12754 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
12757 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12758 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
12761 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
12762 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
12765 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
12766 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
12767 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
12768 function should return a @var{split}.
12771 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
12772 body of the messages:
12775 (defun split-on-body ()
12777 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
12778 (goto-char (point-min))
12779 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
12783 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
12784 when the @code{:} function is run.
12787 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12788 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
12789 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
12793 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
12797 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
12798 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
12799 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
12800 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
12801 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
12803 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
12804 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
12805 are expanded as specified by the variable
12806 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
12807 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
12810 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
12811 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
12812 when all this splitting is performed.
12814 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
12815 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
12816 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
12819 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
12822 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
12823 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
12825 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
12826 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
12827 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
12828 groupings 1 through 9.
12830 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
12831 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
12832 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
12833 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
12834 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
12835 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
12836 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
12837 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
12838 it once per thread.
12840 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
12841 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
12842 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
12845 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12846 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
12847 ;; other splits go here
12851 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
12852 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
12853 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
12854 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
12855 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
12856 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
12857 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
12858 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
12859 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
12860 unless the group name matches the regexp
12861 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
12862 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
12863 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
12864 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
12865 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12866 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
12867 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
12868 messages goes into the new group.
12871 @node Group Mail Splitting
12872 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
12873 @cindex mail splitting
12874 @cindex group mail splitting
12876 @findex gnus-group-split
12877 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
12878 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
12879 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
12880 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
12881 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
12882 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
12883 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
12884 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
12886 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
12887 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
12888 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
12889 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
12891 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
12892 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
12893 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
12894 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
12895 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
12896 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
12897 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
12899 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
12900 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
12901 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
12902 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
12903 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
12904 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
12905 @code{gnus-group-split}.
12907 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
12908 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
12909 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
12910 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
12911 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
12912 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
12913 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
12914 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
12915 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
12916 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
12917 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
12918 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
12919 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
12921 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
12926 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
12927 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
12929 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
12930 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
12931 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
12932 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
12934 ((split-spec . catch-all))
12937 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
12938 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
12939 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
12942 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
12943 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
12944 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
12948 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
12949 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
12950 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
12954 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
12957 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
12958 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
12959 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
12960 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
12961 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
12962 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
12963 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
12964 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
12965 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
12967 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
12968 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
12969 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
12970 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
12971 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
12972 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
12973 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
12974 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
12975 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
12977 @findex gnus-group-split-update
12978 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
12979 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
12980 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
12981 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
12982 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
12985 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
12988 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
12989 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
12990 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
12991 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
12992 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
12995 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
12996 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
12997 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
12998 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
13000 @node Incorporating Old Mail
13001 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
13002 @cindex incorporating old mail
13003 @cindex import old mail
13005 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
13006 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
13007 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
13010 Doing so can be quite easy.
13012 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
13013 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
13014 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
13015 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
13016 your @code{nnml} groups.
13022 Go to the group buffer.
13025 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
13026 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13029 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
13032 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
13033 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13036 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
13037 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13040 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
13041 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
13042 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
13043 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
13044 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
13046 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
13047 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
13048 using the new mail back end.
13051 @node Expiring Mail
13052 @subsection Expiring Mail
13053 @cindex article expiry
13055 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
13056 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
13057 different approach to mail reading.
13059 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
13060 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
13061 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
13062 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
13063 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
13064 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
13067 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13068 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
13069 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13070 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13071 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13072 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13073 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13074 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13076 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13077 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
13078 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
13079 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
13080 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
13081 column in the summary buffer.
13083 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13084 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13085 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13086 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13089 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13091 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13092 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13093 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13096 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13097 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13098 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13099 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13100 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13102 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13103 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13106 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13107 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13110 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13111 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13113 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13114 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13115 don't really mix very well.
13117 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13118 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13119 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13120 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13123 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13124 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13125 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13126 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13129 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13131 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13133 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13135 ((string= group "mail.junk")
13137 ((string= group "important")
13143 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
13144 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
13146 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
13147 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
13148 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
13151 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
13152 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13154 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
13155 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
13156 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
13157 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
13158 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
13159 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
13160 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
13161 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
13162 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
13163 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
13164 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
13165 from as its parameter) which should return a target -- either a group
13166 name or @code{delete}.
13168 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
13170 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
13173 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13174 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13175 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
13176 expire mail to groups according to the variable
13177 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
13180 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13181 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13182 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
13183 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
13184 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
13187 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
13188 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
13189 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
13190 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
13191 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
13192 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
13194 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
13195 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
13196 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
13197 easier for procmail users.
13199 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
13200 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
13201 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
13202 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
13203 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
13204 caution. Even more dangerous is the
13205 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
13206 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
13207 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
13208 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
13209 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
13210 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
13211 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
13214 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
13216 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
13217 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
13218 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
13219 auto-expire turned on.
13223 @subsection Washing Mail
13224 @cindex mail washing
13225 @cindex list server brain damage
13226 @cindex incoming mail treatment
13228 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
13229 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
13230 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
13231 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
13232 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
13233 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
13235 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
13236 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
13237 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
13240 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
13241 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
13242 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
13243 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
13246 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13247 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13248 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
13249 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
13250 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
13253 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13254 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13255 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
13256 Emacs running on MS machines.
13260 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13261 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13262 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
13263 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
13266 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13267 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13268 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
13269 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
13271 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13272 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13273 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
13274 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
13275 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
13276 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
13277 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
13280 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
13281 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
13284 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
13285 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
13288 This can also be done non-destructively with
13289 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
13291 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
13292 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
13293 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
13295 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13296 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13298 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
13299 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
13300 @code{References} headers.
13304 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13305 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13306 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
13310 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
13311 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
13312 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
13319 @subsection Duplicates
13321 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
13322 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
13323 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
13324 @cindex duplicate mails
13325 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
13326 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
13327 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
13328 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
13329 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
13330 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
13331 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
13332 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
13333 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
13334 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
13335 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
13336 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
13337 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
13339 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
13340 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
13341 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
13342 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
13344 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
13347 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
13348 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
13352 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13353 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
13354 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
13355 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
13356 (any mail "mail.misc")
13363 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13364 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
13369 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
13370 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
13371 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
13372 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
13373 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
13376 @node Not Reading Mail
13377 @subsection Not Reading Mail
13379 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
13380 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
13381 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
13383 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
13384 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
13385 mail, which should help.
13387 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13388 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13389 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13390 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13391 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13392 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
13393 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
13394 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
13395 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
13396 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
13397 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
13399 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
13400 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
13404 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
13405 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
13407 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
13408 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
13409 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
13411 There are five different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
13412 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
13413 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
13414 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
13417 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
13418 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
13419 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
13420 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
13421 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
13422 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
13426 @node Unix Mail Box
13427 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
13429 @cindex unix mail box
13431 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13432 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13433 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
13434 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
13435 which group it belongs in.
13437 Virtual server settings:
13440 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
13441 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13442 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
13445 @item nnmbox-active-file
13446 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13447 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
13448 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
13450 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
13451 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13452 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
13453 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
13458 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
13462 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13463 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13464 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
13465 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
13466 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
13468 Virtual server settings:
13471 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
13472 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13473 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
13475 @item nnbabyl-active-file
13476 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13477 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
13478 @file{~/.rmail-active}
13480 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13481 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13482 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
13488 @subsubsection Mail Spool
13490 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
13492 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
13493 format. It should be used with some caution.
13495 @vindex nnml-directory
13496 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
13497 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
13498 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
13499 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
13501 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
13504 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
13505 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
13506 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
13507 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
13508 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
13509 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
13510 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
13511 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
13513 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
13514 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
13515 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
13516 back end when it comes to reading mail.
13518 @cindex self contained nnml servers
13519 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
13520 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13521 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13522 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
13523 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
13524 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
13525 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
13526 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
13529 Virtual server settings:
13532 @item nnml-directory
13533 @vindex nnml-directory
13534 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
13535 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
13538 @item nnml-active-file
13539 @vindex nnml-active-file
13540 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
13541 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
13543 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
13544 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
13545 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13546 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
13548 @item nnml-get-new-mail
13549 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13550 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
13553 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
13554 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
13555 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13556 default is @code{nil}.
13558 @item nnml-nov-file-name
13559 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
13560 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
13562 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13563 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13564 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
13566 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
13567 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
13568 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13569 default is @code{nil}.
13571 @item nnml-marks-file-name
13572 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
13573 The name of the @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
13577 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
13578 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
13579 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
13580 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
13581 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
13582 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
13583 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
13588 @subsubsection MH Spool
13590 @cindex mh-e mail spool
13592 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
13593 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
13594 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
13595 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
13597 Virtual server settings:
13600 @item nnmh-directory
13601 @vindex nnmh-directory
13602 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
13603 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13606 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
13607 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13608 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
13612 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
13613 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
13614 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
13615 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
13616 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
13617 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
13618 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
13623 @subsubsection Mail Folders
13625 @cindex mbox folders
13626 @cindex mail folders
13628 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
13629 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
13630 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
13633 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
13634 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
13635 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13636 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13637 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
13638 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
13639 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
13640 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
13641 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
13642 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
13643 @code{nnfolder} directory).
13645 Virtual server settings:
13648 @item nnfolder-directory
13649 @vindex nnfolder-directory
13650 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
13651 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13654 @item nnfolder-active-file
13655 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
13656 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
13658 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13659 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13660 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13661 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
13663 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
13664 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13665 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
13668 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13669 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13670 @cindex backup files
13671 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
13672 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
13673 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
13674 your @file{.emacs} file:
13677 (defun turn-off-backup ()
13678 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
13680 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
13683 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13684 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13685 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
13686 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
13687 extract some information from it before removing it.
13689 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13690 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13691 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13692 default is @code{nil}.
13694 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13695 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13696 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
13698 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
13699 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
13700 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
13701 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
13703 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13704 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13705 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13706 default is @code{nil}.
13708 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13709 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13710 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
13712 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
13713 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
13714 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
13715 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
13720 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
13721 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
13722 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
13723 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
13724 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
13725 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
13728 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
13729 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
13731 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
13732 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
13733 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
13734 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
13735 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
13737 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
13738 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
13739 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
13740 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
13741 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
13742 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
13743 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
13744 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
13747 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
13748 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
13749 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
13750 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
13755 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
13756 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
13757 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
13758 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
13759 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
13760 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
13761 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
13762 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
13763 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
13764 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
13765 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
13766 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
13767 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
13772 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
13773 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
13774 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
13775 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
13776 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
13777 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
13778 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
13779 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
13780 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
13781 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
13782 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
13783 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
13784 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
13785 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
13787 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
13788 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
13793 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
13794 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
13795 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
13796 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
13797 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
13798 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
13799 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
13800 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
13801 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
13802 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
13803 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
13804 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
13805 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
13806 provided by the active file and overviews.
13808 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
13809 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
13810 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
13811 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
13812 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
13815 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
13816 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
13821 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
13822 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
13823 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
13824 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
13825 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
13826 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
13827 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
13831 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
13832 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
13833 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
13834 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
13835 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
13836 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
13837 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
13838 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
13839 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
13841 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
13842 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
13843 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
13844 friendly mail back end all over.
13849 @node Browsing the Web
13850 @section Browsing the Web
13852 @cindex browsing the web
13856 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
13857 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
13858 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
13859 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
13860 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
13861 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
13862 even know what a news group is.
13864 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
13865 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
13866 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
13867 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
13868 you mad in the end.
13870 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
13873 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
13874 interfaces to these sources.
13877 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
13878 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
13879 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
13880 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
13881 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
13882 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
13885 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
13887 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
13888 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
13889 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
13890 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
13891 though, you should be ok.
13893 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
13894 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
13895 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
13896 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
13897 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
13899 @node Archiving Mail
13900 @subsection Archiving Mail
13901 @cindex archiving mail
13902 @cindex backup of mail
13904 Some of the back ends, notably nnml and nnfolder, now actually store
13905 the article marks with each group. For these servers, archiving and
13906 restoring a group while preserving marks is fairly simple.
13908 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
13909 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @code{.newsrc.eld} deity
13912 To archive an entire @code{nnml} or @code{nnfolder} server, take a
13913 recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need to shut down
13914 Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or similar. You
13915 restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and adding a server
13916 definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The @ref{Article
13917 Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things might interfer
13918 with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus before you
13921 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml} or
13922 @code{nnfolder} groups, while preserving marks. For @code{nnml}, you
13923 copy all files in the group's directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need
13924 to copy both the base folder file itself (@code{FOO}, say), and the
13925 marks file (@code{FOO.mrk} in this example). Restoring the group is
13926 done with @kbd{G m} from the Group buffer. The last step makes Gnus
13927 notice the new directory.
13930 @subsection Web Searches
13934 @cindex InReference
13935 @cindex Usenet searches
13936 @cindex searching the Usenet
13938 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
13939 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
13940 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
13941 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
13942 searches without having to use a browser.
13944 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
13945 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
13946 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
13947 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
13948 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
13950 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
13951 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
13952 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
13953 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
13954 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
13955 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
13956 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
13957 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
13958 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
13959 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
13962 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
13963 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
13964 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
13965 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
13966 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
13967 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
13969 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
13970 to use @code{nnweb}.
13972 Virtual server variables:
13977 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
13978 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
13982 @vindex nnweb-search
13983 The search string to feed to the search engine.
13985 @item nnweb-max-hits
13986 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
13987 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
13990 @item nnweb-type-definition
13991 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
13992 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
13993 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
13998 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
14002 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
14005 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
14008 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
14012 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
14019 @subsection Slashdot
14023 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
14024 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
14025 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
14027 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
14028 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
14031 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14032 '((nnslashdot "")))
14035 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
14036 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
14037 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
14038 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
14039 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
14042 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
14043 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14045 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
14046 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
14047 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
14048 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
14049 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
14050 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
14053 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
14056 @item nnslashdot-threaded
14057 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
14058 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
14059 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
14060 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
14061 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
14062 but much, much slower than untreaded.
14064 @item nnslashdot-login-name
14065 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
14066 The login name to use when posting.
14068 @item nnslashdot-password
14069 @vindex nnslashdot-password
14070 The password to use when posting.
14072 @item nnslashdot-directory
14073 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
14074 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
14075 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
14077 @item nnslashdot-active-url
14078 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
14079 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
14080 news articles and comments. The default is
14081 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
14083 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
14084 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
14085 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
14087 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
14089 @item nnslashdot-article-url
14090 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
14091 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
14093 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
14095 @item nnslashdot-threshold
14096 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
14097 The score threshold. The default is -1.
14099 @item nnslashdot-group-number
14100 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
14101 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
14102 updated. The default is 0.
14109 @subsection Ultimate
14111 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
14113 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
14114 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
14115 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
14116 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
14118 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
14119 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
14120 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
14121 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
14122 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
14123 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
14124 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
14126 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
14129 @item nnultimate-directory
14130 @vindex nnultimate-directory
14131 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
14132 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
14137 @subsection Web Archive
14139 @cindex Web Archive
14141 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
14142 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
14143 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
14144 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14147 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
14148 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
14149 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
14150 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
14151 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
14152 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
14153 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
14155 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
14158 @item nnwarchive-directory
14159 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
14160 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
14161 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
14163 @item nnwarchive-login
14164 @vindex nnwarchive-login
14165 The account name on the web server.
14167 @item nnwarchive-passwd
14168 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
14169 The password for your account on the web server.
14177 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
14178 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
14179 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14182 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
14183 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
14186 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
14189 @item nnrss-directory
14190 @vindex nnrss-directory
14191 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
14192 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
14196 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
14197 the summary buffer.
14200 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
14201 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
14203 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
14205 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
14206 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
14209 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
14212 (require 'browse-url)
14214 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
14216 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
14219 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
14220 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
14222 (browse-url (cdr url))
14223 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
14225 (eval-after-load "gnus"
14226 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
14227 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
14228 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
14231 @node Customizing w3
14232 @subsection Customizing w3
14238 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
14239 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
14240 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
14242 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
14243 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
14244 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
14247 (eval-after-load "w3"
14249 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
14250 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
14251 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
14252 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
14254 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
14257 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
14258 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
14266 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
14267 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
14268 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
14269 specify the network address of the server.
14271 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
14272 POP can, it can hence be viewed as POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
14273 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
14274 protocol. (@sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp} because news
14275 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.)
14277 If you want to use @sc{imap} as POP++, use an imap entry in
14278 mail-sources. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the @sc{imap}
14279 server and store them on the local disk. This is not the usage
14280 described in this section. @xref{Mail Sources}.
14282 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
14283 entry in gnus-secondary-select-methods. With this, Gnus will
14284 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
14285 usage explained in this section.
14287 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
14288 might look something like this:
14291 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14292 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
14293 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
14295 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14296 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
14297 ; a UW server running on localhost
14299 (nnimap-server-port 143)
14300 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14301 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
14302 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
14303 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
14304 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
14305 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
14306 (nnimap-stream network))
14307 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
14309 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
14310 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
14311 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
14314 (Note that for SSL/TLS to work, you need the external library
14315 @samp{ssl.el}, see below.)
14317 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
14322 @item nnimap-address
14323 @vindex nnimap-address
14325 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
14326 server name if not specified.
14328 @item nnimap-server-port
14329 @vindex nnimap-server-port
14330 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
14332 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
14335 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14336 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
14339 @item nnimap-list-pattern
14340 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
14341 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
14342 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
14343 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
14344 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
14345 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
14347 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
14348 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
14349 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
14352 Example server specification:
14355 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14356 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
14357 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
14360 @item nnimap-stream
14361 @vindex nnimap-stream
14362 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
14363 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
14364 of SSL/TLS. (IMAP over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
14365 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
14367 Example server specification:
14370 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14371 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14374 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
14378 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Requires the
14379 @samp{imtest} program.
14381 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
14383 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
14384 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
14387 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
14388 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
14389 library @samp{ssl.el}.
14391 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
14393 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
14396 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
14397 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
14398 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
14399 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
14400 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
14401 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
14402 restrictions on IMAP commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
14403 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
14404 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
14407 @vindex imap-ssl-program
14408 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
14409 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
14410 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
14411 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
14412 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
14413 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
14414 to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
14415 distribution, for instance).
14417 @vindex imap-shell-program
14418 @vindex imap-shell-host
14419 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
14420 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
14422 @item nnimap-authenticator
14423 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
14425 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
14426 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
14428 Example server specification:
14431 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14432 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
14435 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
14439 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
14440 external program @code{imtest}.
14442 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
14445 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
14446 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14448 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14450 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14452 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14455 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14457 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14458 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14459 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14460 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14461 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14462 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
14465 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14466 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14467 running in circles yet?
14469 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14470 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14473 The possible options are:
14478 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14481 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14482 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14483 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14484 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14486 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14491 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
14492 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
14494 If non-nil, marks dormant articles as ticked (as well), for other IMAP
14495 clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will naturally still (only) be
14496 marked as ticked. This is to make dormant articles stand out, just
14497 like ticked articles, in other IMAP clients. (In other words, Gnus has
14498 two ``Tick'' marks and IMAP has only one.)
14500 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
14501 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
14504 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
14505 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14506 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
14507 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14510 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
14511 as ticked for other users.
14513 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
14515 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
14517 This variable contain the IMAP search command sent to server when
14518 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
14519 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
14520 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
14522 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
14523 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
14524 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
14525 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
14527 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
14528 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
14530 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
14531 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
14532 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14538 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14539 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14540 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14545 @node Splitting in IMAP
14546 @subsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
14547 @cindex splitting imap mail
14549 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14550 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14551 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14552 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14553 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14557 Here are the variables of interest:
14561 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14562 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14564 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14566 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14567 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14569 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14571 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14572 @cindex splitting, inbox
14574 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14576 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14577 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14581 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14582 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14585 No nnmail equivalent.
14587 @item nnimap-split-rule
14588 @cindex Splitting, rules
14589 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14591 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14594 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14595 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14596 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14597 Neither did I, we need examples.
14600 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14602 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14603 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14604 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14607 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14608 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14609 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
14611 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14612 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14616 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14619 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14620 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14621 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14622 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14624 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14625 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14626 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14627 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
14628 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14629 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14631 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
14632 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
14633 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
14635 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
14636 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
14637 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14639 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
14641 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
14642 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
14643 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
14646 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14647 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
14648 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
14649 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
14650 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
14651 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
14654 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
14655 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
14656 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
14657 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
14658 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
14659 group/function elements.
14661 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
14663 @item nnimap-split-predicate
14665 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
14667 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
14668 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
14670 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
14671 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
14672 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
14675 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14676 @cindex splitting, fancy
14677 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
14678 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
14680 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14681 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
14682 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14684 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
14685 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14686 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
14687 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14692 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
14693 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
14696 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14700 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
14701 @subsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14702 @cindex editing imap acls
14703 @cindex Access Control Lists
14704 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14706 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
14708 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
14709 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
14710 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
14713 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
14714 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
14715 editing window with detailed instructions.
14717 Some possible uses:
14721 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
14722 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
14723 follow the list without subscribing to it.
14725 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
14726 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
14727 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
14731 @node Expunging mailboxes
14732 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
14736 @cindex Manual expunging
14738 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
14740 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
14741 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
14742 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
14744 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
14749 @node Other Sources
14750 @section Other Sources
14752 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
14753 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
14757 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
14758 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
14759 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
14760 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
14761 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
14765 @node Directory Groups
14766 @subsection Directory Groups
14768 @cindex directory groups
14770 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
14771 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
14774 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
14775 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
14776 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
14777 back end to read directories. Big deal.
14779 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
14780 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
14781 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
14782 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
14783 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
14785 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
14787 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
14788 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
14789 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
14790 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
14793 @node Anything Groups
14794 @subsection Anything Groups
14797 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
14798 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
14799 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
14802 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
14803 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
14804 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
14805 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
14806 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
14807 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
14808 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
14809 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
14810 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
14811 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
14814 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
14815 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
14816 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
14817 in the article buffer, just as usual.
14819 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
14820 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
14821 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
14822 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
14824 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
14825 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
14826 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
14827 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
14828 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
14829 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
14830 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
14831 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
14836 @item nneething-map-file-directory
14837 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
14838 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
14839 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
14841 @item nneething-exclude-files
14842 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
14843 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
14844 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
14846 @item nneething-include-files
14847 @vindex nneething-include-files
14848 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
14849 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
14851 @item nneething-map-file
14852 @vindex nneething-map-file
14853 Name of the map files.
14857 @node Document Groups
14858 @subsection Document Groups
14860 @cindex documentation group
14863 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
14864 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
14871 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
14876 The standard Unix mbox file.
14878 @cindex MMDF mail box
14880 The MMDF mail box format.
14883 Several news articles appended into a file.
14886 @cindex rnews batch files
14887 The rnews batch transport format.
14888 @cindex forwarded messages
14891 Forwarded articles.
14894 Netscape mail boxes.
14897 MIME multipart messages.
14899 @item standard-digest
14900 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
14903 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
14906 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
14907 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
14908 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
14911 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
14912 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
14913 group. And that's it.
14915 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
14916 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
14917 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
14918 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
14919 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
14920 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
14921 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
14922 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
14923 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
14924 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
14926 Virtual server variables:
14929 @item nndoc-article-type
14930 @vindex nndoc-article-type
14931 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
14932 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
14933 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
14934 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail},
14935 @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman} or @code{guess}.
14937 @item nndoc-post-type
14938 @vindex nndoc-post-type
14939 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
14940 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
14945 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
14949 @node Document Server Internals
14950 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
14952 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
14953 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
14954 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
14955 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
14957 First, here's an example document type definition:
14961 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
14962 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
14965 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
14966 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
14967 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
14968 types can be defined with very few settings:
14971 @item first-article
14972 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
14973 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
14976 @item article-begin
14977 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
14978 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
14980 @item head-begin-function
14981 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
14984 @item nndoc-head-begin
14985 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
14988 @item nndoc-head-end
14989 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
14990 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
14992 @item body-begin-function
14993 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
14997 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
15000 @item body-end-function
15001 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
15005 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
15008 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
15009 regexp will be totally ignored.
15013 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
15014 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
15015 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
15016 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
15017 something that's palatable for Gnus:
15020 @item prepare-body-function
15021 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
15022 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
15023 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
15025 @item article-transform-function
15026 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
15027 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
15028 body of the article.
15030 @item generate-head-function
15031 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
15032 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
15033 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
15034 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
15038 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
15043 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15044 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15045 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
15046 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
15047 (head-end . "^ ?$")
15048 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
15049 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
15050 (subtype digest guess))
15053 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
15054 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
15055 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
15056 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
15057 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
15059 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
15060 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
15061 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
15062 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
15063 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
15064 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
15065 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
15066 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
15067 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
15068 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
15076 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
15077 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
15078 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
15080 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
15081 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
15082 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
15085 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
15086 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
15087 that interested in doing things properly.
15089 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
15090 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
15093 First some terminology:
15098 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
15099 get news and/or mail from.
15102 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
15103 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
15106 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
15110 @item message packets
15111 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
15112 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
15113 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15115 @item response packets
15116 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
15117 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
15118 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15128 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
15129 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
15130 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
15131 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
15134 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
15137 You put the packet in your home directory.
15140 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
15141 the native or secondary server.
15144 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
15145 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
15148 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
15152 You transfer this packet to the server.
15155 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
15158 You then repeat until you die.
15162 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
15163 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
15166 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
15167 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
15168 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
15172 @node SOUP Commands
15173 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
15175 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
15179 @kindex G s b (Group)
15180 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
15181 Pack all unread articles in the current group
15182 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
15183 process/prefix convention.
15186 @kindex G s w (Group)
15187 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
15188 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
15191 @kindex G s s (Group)
15192 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
15193 Send all replies from the replies packet
15194 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
15197 @kindex G s p (Group)
15198 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
15199 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
15202 @kindex G s r (Group)
15203 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
15204 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
15207 @kindex O s (Summary)
15208 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
15209 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
15210 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
15211 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15216 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
15221 @item gnus-soup-directory
15222 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
15223 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
15224 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
15226 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
15227 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
15228 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
15229 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
15231 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
15232 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
15233 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
15234 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
15236 @item gnus-soup-packer
15237 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
15238 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15239 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
15241 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
15242 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
15243 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15244 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15246 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
15247 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
15248 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
15250 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15251 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15252 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
15253 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
15259 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
15262 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
15263 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
15264 you can read them at leisure.
15266 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
15270 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
15271 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
15272 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
15273 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
15275 @item nnsoup-directory
15276 @vindex nnsoup-directory
15277 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
15278 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
15280 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
15281 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
15282 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
15283 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
15285 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
15286 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
15287 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
15288 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
15289 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
15291 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
15292 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
15293 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
15294 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
15296 @item nnsoup-active-file
15297 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
15298 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
15299 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
15300 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
15301 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
15303 @item nnsoup-packer
15304 @vindex nnsoup-packer
15305 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
15306 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
15308 @item nnsoup-unpacker
15309 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
15310 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
15311 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15313 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
15314 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
15315 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
15318 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
15319 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
15320 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
15323 @item nnsoup-always-save
15324 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
15325 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
15331 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
15333 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
15334 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
15335 more for that to happen.
15337 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
15338 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
15339 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
15342 In specific, this is what it does:
15345 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
15346 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
15349 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
15350 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
15351 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
15354 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
15355 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
15356 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
15359 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
15360 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
15361 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
15363 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
15369 @item nngateway-address
15370 @vindex nngateway-address
15371 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
15373 @item nngateway-header-transformation
15374 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
15375 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
15376 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
15377 transformation should be called, and defaults to
15378 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
15379 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
15382 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
15383 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
15384 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
15387 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
15390 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
15393 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
15396 The following pre-defined functions exist:
15398 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15401 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15402 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15403 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
15405 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15407 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15408 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15409 @code{nngateway-address}.
15414 (setq gnus-post-method
15416 "mail2news@@replay.com"
15417 (nngateway-header-transformation
15418 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
15426 So, to use this, simply say something like:
15429 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
15434 @node Combined Groups
15435 @section Combined Groups
15437 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
15441 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
15442 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
15446 @node Virtual Groups
15447 @subsection Virtual Groups
15449 @cindex virtual groups
15450 @cindex merging groups
15452 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
15455 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
15456 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
15457 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
15459 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
15460 regexp to match component groups.
15462 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
15463 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
15464 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
15465 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
15466 the virtual group.)
15468 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
15469 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
15472 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
15475 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
15476 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
15478 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
15479 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
15480 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
15481 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
15484 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
15487 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
15488 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
15489 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
15491 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
15492 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
15493 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
15494 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
15495 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
15497 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
15498 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
15499 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
15501 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
15502 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
15503 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
15504 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15505 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
15506 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
15507 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
15508 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
15509 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
15510 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
15511 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
15513 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
15514 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
15515 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
15516 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
15517 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
15518 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
15519 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
15521 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
15522 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
15526 @node Kibozed Groups
15527 @subsection Kibozed Groups
15531 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
15532 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
15533 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
15534 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
15536 @kindex G k (Group)
15537 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
15540 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
15541 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
15542 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
15543 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
15545 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
15546 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
15547 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
15549 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
15550 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
15551 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
15552 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
15553 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
15554 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
15555 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
15556 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
15558 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
15559 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
15560 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
15561 Stranger things have happened.
15563 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
15564 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
15566 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
15567 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
15568 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
15569 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
15570 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
15571 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
15573 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
15574 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
15577 @node Gnus Unplugged
15578 @section Gnus Unplugged
15583 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
15585 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
15586 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
15587 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
15588 read news. Believe it or not.
15590 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
15591 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
15592 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
15593 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
15594 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
15596 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
15597 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
15598 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
15599 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
15600 reading news on a machine.
15602 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
15606 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
15607 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
15611 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
15612 @file{.gnus.el} file:
15619 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
15621 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
15624 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
15625 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
15626 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
15627 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
15628 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
15629 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
15630 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
15631 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
15632 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
15633 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
15638 @subsection Agent Basics
15640 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
15642 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
15643 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
15644 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
15645 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
15647 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
15648 connected to the net continuously.
15650 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
15651 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
15653 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
15658 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
15659 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
15660 already fetched while in this mode.
15663 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
15664 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
15665 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
15666 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
15667 Source Specifiers}).
15670 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
15671 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
15672 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
15673 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
15674 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
15677 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
15678 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
15679 then you read the news offline.
15682 And then you go to step 2.
15685 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
15691 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
15692 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
15693 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
15694 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
15695 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
15696 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
15699 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
15706 @node Agent Categories
15707 @subsection Agent Categories
15709 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
15710 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
15711 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
15712 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
15713 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
15714 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
15715 you're interested in the articles anyway.
15717 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
15718 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
15719 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
15720 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
15721 managing categories.
15724 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
15725 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
15726 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
15730 @node Category Syntax
15731 @subsubsection Category Syntax
15733 A category consists of two things.
15737 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
15738 are eligible for downloading; and
15741 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
15742 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
15743 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
15746 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
15747 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
15748 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
15749 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
15751 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
15752 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
15753 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
15755 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
15756 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
15757 operators sprinkled in between.
15759 Perhaps some examples are in order.
15761 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
15762 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
15768 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
15769 short (for some value of ``short'').
15771 Here's a more complex predicate:
15780 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
15781 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
15784 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
15785 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
15786 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
15788 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
15789 you want to do, you can write your own.
15793 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
15794 lines; default 100.
15797 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
15798 lines; default 200.
15801 True iff the article has a download score less than
15802 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
15805 True iff the article has a download score greater than
15806 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
15809 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
15810 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
15811 checksum and sees whether articles match.
15820 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
15821 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
15822 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
15825 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
15826 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
15827 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
15828 something along the lines of the following:
15831 (defun my-article-old-p ()
15832 "Say whether an article is old."
15833 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
15834 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
15837 with the predicate then defined as:
15840 (not my-article-old-p)
15843 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
15844 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
15845 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
15846 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
15849 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
15850 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
15851 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
15854 and simply specify your predicate as:
15860 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
15861 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
15862 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
15863 just don't give a damn.
15865 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
15866 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
15867 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
15868 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
15869 parameters like so:
15872 (agent-predicate . short)
15875 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
15876 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
15877 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
15879 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
15882 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
15885 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
15886 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
15887 predicate is assumed to be a list.
15890 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
15891 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
15892 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
15893 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
15894 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
15895 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
15897 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
15898 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
15899 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
15900 if it's to be specific to that group.
15902 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
15909 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
15910 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
15916 Category specification
15920 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
15926 Group Parameter specification
15929 (agent-score ("from"
15930 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
15935 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
15941 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
15948 Category specification
15951 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
15957 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
15961 Group Parameter specification
15964 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
15967 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
15972 Use @code{normal} score files
15974 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
15975 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
15976 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
15977 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
15979 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
15980 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
15981 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
15982 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
15986 Category Specification
15993 Group Parameter specification
15996 (agent-score . file)
16001 @node Category Buffer
16002 @subsubsection Category Buffer
16004 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
16005 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
16006 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
16008 The following commands are available in this buffer:
16012 @kindex q (Category)
16013 @findex gnus-category-exit
16014 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
16017 @kindex k (Category)
16018 @findex gnus-category-kill
16019 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
16022 @kindex c (Category)
16023 @findex gnus-category-copy
16024 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
16027 @kindex a (Category)
16028 @findex gnus-category-add
16029 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
16032 @kindex p (Category)
16033 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
16034 Edit the predicate of the current category
16035 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
16038 @kindex g (Category)
16039 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
16040 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
16041 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
16044 @kindex s (Category)
16045 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
16046 Edit the download score rule of the current category
16047 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
16050 @kindex l (Category)
16051 @findex gnus-category-list
16052 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
16056 @node Category Variables
16057 @subsubsection Category Variables
16060 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
16061 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
16062 Hook run in category buffers.
16064 @item gnus-category-line-format
16065 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
16066 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
16067 Variables}). Valid elements are:
16071 The name of the category.
16074 The number of groups in the category.
16077 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
16078 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
16079 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
16081 @item gnus-agent-short-article
16082 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
16083 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
16085 @item gnus-agent-long-article
16086 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
16087 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
16089 @item gnus-agent-low-score
16090 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
16091 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
16094 @item gnus-agent-high-score
16095 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
16096 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
16102 @node Agent Commands
16103 @subsection Agent Commands
16105 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
16106 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
16107 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
16111 * Group Agent Commands::
16112 * Summary Agent Commands::
16113 * Server Agent Commands::
16116 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
16117 following incantation:
16119 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
16121 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
16126 @node Group Agent Commands
16127 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
16131 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
16132 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
16133 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
16134 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
16137 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
16138 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
16139 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
16142 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
16143 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
16144 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
16145 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
16148 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
16149 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
16150 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
16151 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
16154 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
16155 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
16156 Add the current group to an Agent category
16157 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
16158 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16161 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
16162 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
16163 Remove the current group from its category, if any
16164 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
16165 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16168 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
16169 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16170 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
16176 @node Summary Agent Commands
16177 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
16181 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
16182 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
16183 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
16186 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
16187 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
16188 Remove the downloading mark from the article
16189 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
16192 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
16193 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
16194 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
16197 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
16198 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
16199 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
16202 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
16203 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
16204 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
16205 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
16210 @node Server Agent Commands
16211 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
16215 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
16216 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
16217 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
16218 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
16221 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
16222 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
16223 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
16224 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
16230 @subsection Agent Expiry
16232 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
16233 @findex gnus-agent-expire
16234 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
16235 @cindex Agent expiry
16236 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
16239 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
16240 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
16241 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
16242 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
16243 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
16244 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
16246 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
16247 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
16248 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
16249 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
16250 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
16253 @node Agent and IMAP
16254 @subsection Agent and IMAP
16256 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
16257 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
16258 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
16259 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
16261 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
16262 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
16263 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
16264 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
16266 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
16267 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
16268 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
16269 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
16270 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
16272 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16273 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
16274 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
16275 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
16276 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
16277 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
16279 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
16280 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
16281 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
16282 in the group buffer by default.
16284 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
16285 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
16290 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
16293 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
16297 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
16298 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
16299 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
16300 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
16301 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
16302 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
16303 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
16304 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
16307 @node Outgoing Messages
16308 @subsection Outgoing Messages
16310 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
16311 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
16312 after posting, and edit them at will.
16314 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
16315 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
16316 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
16317 messages in the draft group.
16321 @node Agent Variables
16322 @subsection Agent Variables
16325 @item gnus-agent-directory
16326 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
16327 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
16328 @file{~/News/agent/}.
16330 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
16331 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
16332 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
16333 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
16334 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
16337 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16338 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16339 Hook run when connecting to the network.
16341 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16342 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16343 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
16348 @node Example Setup
16349 @subsection Example Setup
16351 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
16352 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
16353 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
16356 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
16357 ;;; from your ISP's server.
16358 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
16360 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
16361 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
16362 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
16364 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
16365 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
16367 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
16371 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
16372 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
16375 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
16376 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
16377 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
16378 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
16379 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
16382 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
16383 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
16384 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
16385 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
16386 back all the killed groups.)
16388 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
16389 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
16390 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
16393 @node Batching Agents
16394 @subsection Batching Agents
16396 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
16397 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
16398 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
16402 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
16406 @node Agent Caveats
16407 @subsection Agent Caveats
16409 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
16410 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
16414 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
16419 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
16420 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
16426 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
16427 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
16434 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
16435 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
16436 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
16439 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
16440 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
16441 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
16442 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
16443 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
16445 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
16446 before generating the summary buffer.
16448 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
16449 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
16450 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
16452 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
16453 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
16454 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
16455 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
16458 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
16459 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
16460 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
16461 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
16462 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
16463 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
16464 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
16465 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
16466 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
16467 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
16468 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
16469 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
16470 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
16471 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
16472 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
16473 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
16474 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
16478 @node Summary Score Commands
16479 @section Summary Score Commands
16480 @cindex score commands
16482 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
16483 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
16484 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
16485 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
16486 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
16488 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
16489 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
16490 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
16491 score file the current one.
16493 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
16498 @kindex V s (Summary)
16499 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
16500 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
16503 @kindex V S (Summary)
16504 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
16505 Display the score of the current article
16506 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
16509 @kindex V t (Summary)
16510 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
16511 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
16512 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
16515 @kindex V R (Summary)
16516 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
16517 Run the current summary through the scoring process
16518 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
16519 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
16520 effect you're having.
16523 @kindex V c (Summary)
16524 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
16525 Make a different score file the current
16526 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
16529 @kindex V e (Summary)
16530 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
16531 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
16532 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
16536 @kindex V f (Summary)
16537 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
16538 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
16539 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
16542 @kindex V F (Summary)
16543 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16544 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
16545 after editing score files.
16548 @kindex V C (Summary)
16549 @findex gnus-score-customize
16550 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
16551 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
16555 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
16560 @kindex V m (Summary)
16561 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
16562 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
16563 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
16566 @kindex V x (Summary)
16567 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
16568 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
16569 expunge all articles below this score
16570 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
16573 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
16574 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
16577 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
16578 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
16582 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
16583 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
16585 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
16586 keys are available:
16590 Score on the author name.
16593 Score on the subject line.
16596 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
16599 Score on the @code{References} line.
16605 Score on the number of lines.
16608 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
16611 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
16612 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
16613 @file{ADAPT} files.)
16622 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
16628 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
16629 what headers you are scoring on.
16641 Substring matching.
16644 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
16673 Greater than number.
16678 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
16679 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
16680 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
16684 Temporary score entry.
16687 Permanent score entry.
16690 Immediately scoring.
16695 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
16696 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
16697 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
16698 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
16700 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
16701 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
16702 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
16703 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
16704 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
16706 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
16707 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
16708 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
16709 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
16710 current score file.
16712 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
16713 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
16714 pretend they are keymaps or not.
16717 @node Group Score Commands
16718 @section Group Score Commands
16719 @cindex group score commands
16721 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
16726 @kindex W f (Group)
16727 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16728 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
16729 all the time. This command will flush the cache
16730 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
16734 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
16736 @findex gnus-batch-score
16737 @cindex batch scoring
16739 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
16743 @node Score Variables
16744 @section Score Variables
16745 @cindex score variables
16749 @item gnus-use-scoring
16750 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
16751 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
16752 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
16754 @item gnus-kill-killed
16755 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
16756 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
16757 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
16758 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
16759 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
16760 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
16761 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
16763 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
16764 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
16765 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
16766 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
16767 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
16769 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
16770 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
16771 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
16772 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
16774 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16775 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16776 @cindex score cache
16777 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
16778 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
16779 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
16780 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
16781 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
16782 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
16785 @item gnus-save-score
16786 @vindex gnus-save-score
16787 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
16788 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
16789 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
16791 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
16792 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
16793 across group visits.
16795 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16796 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16797 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
16798 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
16799 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
16800 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
16801 manually entered data.
16803 @item gnus-summary-default-score
16804 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
16805 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
16807 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
16808 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
16809 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
16810 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
16811 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
16812 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
16814 @item gnus-score-over-mark
16815 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
16816 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
16817 default. Default is @samp{+}.
16819 @item gnus-score-below-mark
16820 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
16821 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
16822 default. Default is @samp{-}.
16824 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16825 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16826 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
16827 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
16829 Predefined functions available are:
16832 @item gnus-score-find-single
16833 @findex gnus-score-find-single
16834 Only apply the group's own score file.
16836 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
16837 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
16838 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
16839 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
16840 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
16841 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
16842 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
16843 then a regexp match is done.
16845 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
16846 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
16848 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
16849 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
16850 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
16851 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
16853 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16854 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16855 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
16856 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
16857 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
16861 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
16862 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
16863 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
16864 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
16865 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
16866 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
16867 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
16870 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
16871 overall score file, you could use the value
16873 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
16874 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
16877 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
16878 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
16879 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
16880 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
16881 are expired. It's 7 by default.
16883 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16884 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16885 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
16886 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
16887 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
16888 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
16889 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
16892 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16893 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16894 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
16896 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
16897 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
16898 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
16899 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
16900 threading---according to the current value of
16901 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
16902 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
16903 simplified in this manner.
16908 @node Score File Format
16909 @section Score File Format
16910 @cindex score file format
16912 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
16913 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
16914 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
16916 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
16920 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
16922 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
16924 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
16926 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
16931 (mark-and-expunge -10)
16935 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
16936 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
16937 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
16938 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
16942 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
16943 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
16945 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
16946 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
16947 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
16949 Six keys are supported by this alist:
16954 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
16955 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
16956 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
16957 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
16958 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
16959 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
16960 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
16961 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
16962 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
16963 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
16964 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
16965 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
16966 to articles that matches these score entries.
16968 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
16969 score entry has one to four elements.
16973 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
16974 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
16978 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
16979 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
16980 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
16981 is successful. If this element is not present, the
16982 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
16983 instead. This is 1000 by default.
16986 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
16987 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
16988 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
16989 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
16990 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
16993 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
16994 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
16995 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
16996 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
16999 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
17000 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
17001 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
17002 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
17003 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
17004 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
17005 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
17006 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
17007 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
17008 instead, if you feel like.
17011 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
17012 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
17014 These predicates are true if
17017 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
17020 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
17021 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
17028 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
17029 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
17030 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
17031 it's not. I think.)
17033 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
17034 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
17035 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
17036 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
17039 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
17040 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
17041 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
17042 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
17043 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
17044 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
17045 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
17049 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
17050 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
17051 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
17052 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
17053 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
17054 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
17055 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
17056 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
17059 @item Head, Body, All
17060 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
17064 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
17065 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
17066 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
17067 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
17068 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
17069 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
17070 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
17074 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
17075 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
17076 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
17077 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
17078 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
17079 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
17080 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
17081 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
17082 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
17083 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
17084 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
17088 @cindex Score File Atoms
17090 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17091 lower than this number will be marked as read.
17094 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17095 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
17097 @item mark-and-expunge
17098 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
17099 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
17102 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
17103 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
17104 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
17105 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
17106 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
17109 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
17110 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
17113 @item exclude-files
17114 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
17115 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
17119 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
17120 ignored when handling global score files.
17123 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
17124 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
17125 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
17126 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
17129 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
17130 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
17131 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
17132 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
17134 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
17138 (mark-and-expunge -100)
17141 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
17142 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
17143 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
17144 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
17145 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
17147 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
17148 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
17149 scoring rules exist.
17152 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
17153 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
17154 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
17155 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
17156 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
17157 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
17158 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17159 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
17160 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
17161 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
17162 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
17166 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
17167 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
17168 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
17169 file for a number of groups.
17172 @cindex local variables
17173 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
17174 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
17175 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
17176 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
17177 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
17181 @node Score File Editing
17182 @section Score File Editing
17184 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
17185 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
17186 with a mode for that.
17188 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
17189 additional commands:
17194 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
17195 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
17196 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
17197 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
17200 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
17201 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
17202 Insert the current date in numerical format
17203 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
17204 you were wondering.
17207 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
17208 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
17209 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
17210 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
17211 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
17216 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
17218 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
17219 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
17221 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
17222 e} to begin editing score files.
17225 @node Adaptive Scoring
17226 @section Adaptive Scoring
17227 @cindex adaptive scoring
17229 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
17230 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
17231 stupidity, to be precise.
17233 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
17234 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
17235 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
17236 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
17237 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17238 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
17239 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
17240 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
17241 variable to @code{(word line)}.
17243 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17244 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
17245 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
17246 might look something like this:
17249 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17250 '((gnus-unread-mark)
17251 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
17252 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
17253 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
17254 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
17255 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
17256 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
17257 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
17258 (gnus-ancient-mark)
17259 (gnus-low-score-mark)
17260 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
17263 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
17264 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
17265 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
17266 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
17267 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
17268 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
17271 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
17272 will be applied to each article.
17274 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
17275 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
17276 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
17277 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
17279 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
17280 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
17281 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
17282 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
17284 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
17285 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
17286 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
17287 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
17289 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
17290 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
17291 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
17292 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
17293 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
17294 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
17296 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
17297 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
17298 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
17299 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
17300 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
17301 aspirins afterwards.)
17303 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
17304 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
17305 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
17307 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
17308 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
17309 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
17311 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
17312 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
17313 let you use different rules in different groups.
17315 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
17316 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
17317 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
17320 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
17321 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
17322 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
17323 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
17324 the length of the match is less than
17325 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
17326 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
17329 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17330 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
17331 headers. If you adapt on words, the
17332 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
17333 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
17336 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17337 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
17338 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
17339 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
17340 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
17343 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
17344 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
17345 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
17346 score with 30 points.
17348 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
17349 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
17350 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
17351 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
17352 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
17354 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
17355 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
17356 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
17357 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
17358 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
17360 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
17361 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
17362 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
17363 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
17365 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
17366 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
17367 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
17368 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
17370 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
17371 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
17372 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
17373 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
17374 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
17376 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
17377 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
17378 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
17380 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
17381 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
17382 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
17383 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
17386 @node Home Score File
17387 @section Home Score File
17389 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
17390 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
17391 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
17392 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
17394 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
17395 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
17396 could perhaps use the same home score file.
17398 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
17399 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
17404 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
17408 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
17409 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
17413 A list. The elements in this list can be:
17417 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
17418 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
17421 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
17422 the home score file.
17425 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
17428 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
17433 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
17436 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17437 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
17440 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
17441 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
17443 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
17445 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17446 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
17449 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
17450 Other functions include
17453 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
17454 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
17455 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
17456 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
17460 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
17461 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
17462 their own home score files:
17465 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17466 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
17467 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
17468 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
17469 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
17472 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
17473 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
17474 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
17475 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
17476 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
17478 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
17479 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
17480 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
17481 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
17482 precedence over this variable.
17485 @node Followups To Yourself
17486 @section Followups To Yourself
17488 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
17489 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
17490 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
17491 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
17492 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
17493 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
17497 @item gnus-score-followup-article
17498 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
17499 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
17502 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
17503 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
17504 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
17508 @vindex message-sent-hook
17509 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
17510 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
17512 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
17516 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
17517 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
17521 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17522 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17525 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
17526 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
17531 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
17535 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
17536 is system-dependent.
17539 @node Scoring On Other Headers
17540 @section Scoring On Other Headers
17541 @cindex scoring on other headers
17543 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
17544 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
17545 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
17546 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
17547 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
17549 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
17550 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
17551 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
17552 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
17553 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
17555 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
17558 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
17559 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
17562 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
17563 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
17564 time if you have much mail.
17566 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
17567 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
17573 @section Scoring Tips
17574 @cindex scoring tips
17580 @cindex scoring crossposts
17581 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
17582 the @code{Xref} header.
17584 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
17587 @item Multiple crossposts
17588 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
17589 more than, say, 3 groups:
17592 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
17596 @item Matching on the body
17597 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
17598 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
17599 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
17600 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
17601 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
17602 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
17603 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
17606 @item Marking as read
17607 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
17608 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
17609 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
17613 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
17615 @item Negated character classes
17616 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
17617 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
17618 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
17622 @node Reverse Scoring
17623 @section Reverse Scoring
17624 @cindex reverse scoring
17626 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
17627 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
17628 like this in your score file:
17632 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
17637 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
17638 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
17641 @node Global Score Files
17642 @section Global Score Files
17643 @cindex global score files
17645 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
17646 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
17647 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
17649 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
17650 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
17651 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
17653 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
17654 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
17655 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
17656 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
17657 files are applicable to which group.
17659 To use the score file
17660 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
17661 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
17665 (setq gnus-global-score-files
17666 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
17667 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
17670 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
17672 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
17673 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
17674 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
17675 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
17677 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
17678 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
17680 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
17681 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
17682 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
17683 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
17684 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
17685 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
17687 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
17693 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
17695 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
17697 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
17699 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
17700 lowered out of existence.
17702 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
17703 articles completely.
17706 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
17707 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
17708 old articles for a long time.
17711 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
17712 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
17713 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
17714 holding our breath yet?
17718 @section Kill Files
17721 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
17722 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
17723 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
17725 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
17726 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
17727 files into score files.
17729 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
17730 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
17731 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
17732 that isn't a very good idea.
17734 Normal kill files look like this:
17737 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17738 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
17742 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
17743 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
17745 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
17746 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
17749 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
17754 @kindex M-k (Summary)
17755 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
17756 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
17759 @kindex M-K (Summary)
17760 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
17761 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
17764 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
17769 @kindex M-k (Group)
17770 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
17771 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
17774 @kindex M-K (Group)
17775 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
17776 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
17779 Kill file variables:
17782 @item gnus-kill-file-name
17783 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
17784 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
17785 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
17786 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
17787 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
17788 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
17790 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17791 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17792 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
17793 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
17796 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
17797 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
17798 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
17799 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
17800 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
17801 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
17802 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
17803 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
17804 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
17806 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17807 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17808 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
17813 @node Converting Kill Files
17814 @section Converting Kill Files
17816 @cindex converting kill files
17818 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
17819 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
17820 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
17823 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
17824 You can fetch it from
17825 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
17827 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
17828 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
17829 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
17837 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
17838 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
17839 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
17840 news articles generated every day.
17842 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
17843 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
17844 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
17845 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
17846 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
17847 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
17848 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
17849 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
17852 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
17853 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
17856 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
17857 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
17858 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
17859 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
17863 @node Using GroupLens
17864 @subsection Using GroupLens
17866 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
17868 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
17869 better bit in town at the moment.
17871 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
17875 @item gnus-use-grouplens
17876 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
17877 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
17878 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
17880 @item grouplens-pseudonym
17881 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
17882 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
17883 with the Better Bit Bureau.
17885 @item grouplens-newsgroups
17886 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
17887 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
17891 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
17892 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
17893 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
17894 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
17895 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
17896 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
17899 @node Rating Articles
17900 @subsection Rating Articles
17902 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
17903 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
17904 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
17905 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
17908 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
17913 @kindex r (GroupLens)
17914 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
17915 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
17918 @kindex k (GroupLens)
17919 @findex grouplens-score-thread
17920 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
17921 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
17922 threads in rec.humor.
17926 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
17927 the score of the article you're reading.
17932 @kindex n (GroupLens)
17933 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
17934 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
17937 @kindex , (GroupLens)
17938 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
17939 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
17943 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
17944 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
17947 @node Displaying Predictions
17948 @subsection Displaying Predictions
17950 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
17951 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
17952 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
17953 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
17954 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
17956 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
17957 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
17958 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
17959 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
17960 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
17961 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
17962 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
17963 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
17964 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
17965 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
17966 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
17967 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
17968 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
17970 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
17971 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
17972 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
17973 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
17975 The following are valid values for that variable.
17978 @item prediction-spot
17979 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
17982 @item confidence-interval
17983 A numeric confidence interval.
17985 @item prediction-bar
17986 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
17988 @item confidence-bar
17989 Numerical confidence.
17991 @item confidence-spot
17992 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
17994 @item prediction-num
17995 Plain-old numeric value.
17997 @item confidence-plus-minus
17998 Prediction +/- confidence.
18003 @node GroupLens Variables
18004 @subsection GroupLens Variables
18008 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
18009 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
18010 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
18011 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
18014 @item grouplens-bbb-host
18015 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
18018 @item grouplens-bbb-port
18019 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
18021 @item grouplens-score-offset
18022 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
18023 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
18026 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
18027 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
18028 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
18033 @node Advanced Scoring
18034 @section Advanced Scoring
18036 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
18037 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
18038 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
18039 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
18040 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
18042 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
18046 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
18047 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
18048 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
18052 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
18053 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
18055 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
18056 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
18057 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
18058 non-@code{nil} value.
18060 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
18061 operator, and various match operators.
18068 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18069 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
18070 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
18075 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18076 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
18077 then this operator will return @code{false}.
18082 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
18083 logical negation of the value of its argument.
18087 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
18088 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
18089 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
18090 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
18091 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
18092 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
18093 the ancestry you want to go.
18095 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
18096 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
18097 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
18098 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
18099 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
18102 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
18103 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
18105 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
18106 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
18109 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
18110 when he's talking about Gnus:
18114 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18115 ("subject" "Gnus"))
18121 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
18125 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18132 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
18133 really don't want to read what he's written:
18137 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18138 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
18142 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
18143 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
18144 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
18151 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
18152 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
18153 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
18154 ("body" "white.*socks"))
18158 The possibilities are endless.
18161 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
18162 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
18164 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
18165 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
18166 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
18167 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
18168 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
18169 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
18170 @samp{subject}) first.
18172 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
18173 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
18184 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
18185 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
18191 ("subject" "Gnus")))
18198 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
18199 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
18204 @section Score Decays
18205 @cindex score decays
18208 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
18209 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
18210 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
18211 use them in any sensible way.
18213 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
18214 @findex gnus-decay-score
18215 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
18216 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
18217 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
18218 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
18219 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
18220 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
18221 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
18222 definition of that function:
18225 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
18227 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
18228 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
18231 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
18233 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
18235 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
18238 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
18239 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
18240 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
18241 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
18245 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
18248 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
18251 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
18255 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
18256 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
18257 the new score, which should be an integer.
18259 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
18260 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
18265 @include message.texi
18266 @chapter Emacs MIME
18267 @include emacs-mime.texi
18269 @include sieve.texi
18277 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
18278 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
18279 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
18280 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
18281 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
18282 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
18283 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
18284 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
18285 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
18286 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
18287 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
18288 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
18289 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
18290 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
18291 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
18292 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
18293 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
18294 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
18298 @node Process/Prefix
18299 @section Process/Prefix
18300 @cindex process/prefix convention
18302 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
18303 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
18305 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
18306 command to be performed on.
18310 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
18311 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
18312 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
18313 with the current one.
18315 @vindex transient-mark-mode
18316 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
18317 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
18319 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
18320 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
18323 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
18324 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
18326 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
18329 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
18330 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
18331 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
18332 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
18334 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
18335 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
18336 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
18337 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
18338 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
18339 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
18340 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
18341 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
18343 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
18344 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
18345 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
18346 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
18347 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
18351 @section Interactive
18352 @cindex interaction
18356 @item gnus-novice-user
18357 @vindex gnus-novice-user
18358 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
18359 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
18360 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
18361 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
18364 @item gnus-expert-user
18365 @vindex gnus-expert-user
18366 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
18367 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
18368 matter how strange.
18370 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
18371 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
18372 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
18373 is @code{t} by default.
18375 @item gnus-interactive-exit
18376 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
18377 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18382 @node Symbolic Prefixes
18383 @section Symbolic Prefixes
18384 @cindex symbolic prefixes
18386 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
18387 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
18388 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
18389 rule of 900 to the current article.
18391 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
18392 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
18393 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
18394 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
18395 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
18396 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
18397 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
18399 @kindex M-i (Summary)
18400 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
18401 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
18402 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
18403 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
18404 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
18405 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
18406 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
18407 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
18409 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
18410 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
18411 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
18413 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
18417 @node Formatting Variables
18418 @section Formatting Variables
18419 @cindex formatting variables
18421 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
18422 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
18423 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
18424 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
18425 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
18428 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
18429 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
18430 lots of percentages everywhere.
18433 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
18434 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
18435 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
18436 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
18437 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
18438 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
18439 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
18440 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
18443 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
18444 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
18445 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
18446 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
18447 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
18448 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
18449 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
18450 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
18452 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
18453 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
18455 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
18456 @findex gnus-update-format
18457 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
18458 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
18459 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
18460 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
18464 @node Formatting Basics
18465 @subsection Formatting Basics
18467 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
18468 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
18469 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
18471 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
18472 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
18473 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
18474 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
18475 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
18478 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
18479 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
18480 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
18481 less than 4 characters wide.
18483 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
18484 @samp{%&user-date;}.
18486 @node Mode Line Formatting
18487 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
18489 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
18490 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
18491 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
18492 with the following two differences:
18497 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
18500 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
18501 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
18502 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
18503 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
18504 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
18505 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
18506 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
18511 @node Advanced Formatting
18512 @subsection Advanced Formatting
18514 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
18515 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
18516 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
18517 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
18519 These are the valid modifiers:
18524 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
18528 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
18533 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
18536 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
18541 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
18544 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
18547 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
18550 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
18554 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
18555 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
18556 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
18557 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
18558 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
18559 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
18560 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
18562 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
18563 last operation, padding.
18565 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
18566 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
18567 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
18568 @xref{Compilation}.
18571 @node User-Defined Specs
18572 @subsection User-Defined Specs
18574 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
18575 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
18576 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
18577 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
18578 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
18579 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
18580 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
18581 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
18582 should protect against that.
18584 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
18585 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
18587 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
18588 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
18589 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
18590 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
18594 @node Formatting Fonts
18595 @subsection Formatting Fonts
18597 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
18598 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
18599 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
18600 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
18603 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
18604 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
18605 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
18606 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
18607 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
18608 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
18610 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
18611 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
18612 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
18613 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
18614 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
18615 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
18616 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
18617 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
18619 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
18622 ;; Create three face types.
18623 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
18624 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
18626 ;; We want the article count to be in
18627 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
18628 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
18629 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
18631 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
18632 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
18634 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
18635 (setq gnus-group-line-format
18636 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
18639 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
18640 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
18642 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
18643 mode-line variables.
18645 @node Positioning Point
18646 @subsection Positioning Point
18648 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
18649 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
18650 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
18652 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
18654 @findex gnus-goto-colon
18655 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
18656 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
18658 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
18659 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%C} specifier. If you
18660 put a @samp{%C} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
18665 @subsection Tabulation
18667 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
18668 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
18669 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
18670 about lining up the following text afterwards.
18672 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
18673 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
18675 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18676 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
18677 This is the soft tabulator.
18679 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18680 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
18681 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
18684 @node Wide Characters
18685 @subsection Wide Characters
18687 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
18688 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
18689 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
18691 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
18692 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
18693 these coutries, that's not true.
18695 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
18696 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
18697 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
18698 prettieer. The default value is @code{t}.
18702 @node Window Layout
18703 @section Window Layout
18704 @cindex window layout
18706 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
18708 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
18709 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
18710 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
18711 @code{t} by default.
18713 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
18714 glitches. Use at your own peril.
18716 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
18717 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
18718 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
18721 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
18722 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
18723 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
18727 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
18728 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
18729 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
18730 possible names is listed below.
18732 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
18733 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
18736 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
18740 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
18741 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
18742 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
18743 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
18744 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
18745 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
18746 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
18747 size spec per split.
18749 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
18750 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
18751 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
18752 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
18753 present) gets focus.
18755 Here's a more complicated example:
18758 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
18759 (summary 0.25 point)
18760 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
18764 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
18765 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
18766 occupy, not a percentage.
18768 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
18769 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
18770 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
18771 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
18772 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
18775 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
18778 (article (horizontal 1.0
18783 (summary 0.25 point)
18788 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
18789 @code{horizontal} thingie?
18791 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
18792 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
18793 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
18794 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
18795 the screen is to be given to this strip.
18797 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
18798 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
18799 lines from the splits.
18801 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
18805 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
18806 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
18807 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
18808 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
18809 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
18810 size = number | frame-params
18811 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
18814 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
18815 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
18816 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
18817 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
18819 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
18820 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
18821 @cindex window height
18822 @cindex window width
18823 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
18824 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
18825 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
18826 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
18827 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
18828 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
18830 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
18831 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
18832 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
18833 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
18835 @findex gnus-configure-frame
18836 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
18837 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
18838 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
18839 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
18840 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
18841 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
18842 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
18843 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
18844 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
18845 configuration list.
18848 (gnus-configure-frame
18852 (article 0.3 point))
18860 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
18861 @code{frame} split:
18864 (gnus-configure-frame
18867 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
18869 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
18870 (user-position . t)
18871 (left . -1) (top . 1))
18876 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
18877 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
18878 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
18879 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
18880 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
18881 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
18882 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
18883 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
18885 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
18886 be found in its default value.
18888 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
18889 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
18890 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
18894 (message (horizontal 1.0
18895 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
18897 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
18902 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
18903 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
18904 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
18909 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
18910 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
18911 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
18912 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
18913 (name . "Message"))
18914 (message 1.0 point))))
18917 @findex gnus-add-configuration
18918 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
18919 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
18920 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
18921 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
18924 (gnus-add-configuration
18925 '(article (vertical 1.0
18927 (summary .25 point)
18931 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
18932 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
18933 Gnus has been loaded.
18935 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
18936 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
18937 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
18938 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
18939 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
18941 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
18942 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
18943 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
18946 @subsection Example Window Configurations
18950 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
18951 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
18966 (gnus-add-configuration
18969 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
18971 (summary 0.16 point)
18974 (gnus-add-configuration
18977 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
18978 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
18984 @node Faces and Fonts
18985 @section Faces and Fonts
18990 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
18991 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
18992 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
18997 @section Compilation
18998 @cindex compilation
18999 @cindex byte-compilation
19001 @findex gnus-compile
19003 Remember all those line format specification variables?
19004 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
19005 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
19006 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
19007 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
19008 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
19011 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
19012 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
19013 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
19014 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
19015 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
19016 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
19017 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
19021 @section Mode Lines
19024 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
19025 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
19026 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
19027 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
19028 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
19029 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
19030 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
19033 @cindex display-time
19035 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
19036 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
19037 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
19038 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
19039 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
19040 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
19041 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
19042 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
19045 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
19047 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
19048 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
19050 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
19051 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
19052 (length display-time-string)))))
19055 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
19056 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
19057 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
19058 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
19059 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
19062 @node Highlighting and Menus
19063 @section Highlighting and Menus
19065 @cindex highlighting
19068 @vindex gnus-visual
19069 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
19070 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
19071 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
19074 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
19075 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
19078 @item group-highlight
19079 Do highlights in the group buffer.
19080 @item summary-highlight
19081 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
19082 @item article-highlight
19083 Do highlights in the article buffer.
19085 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
19087 Create menus in the group buffer.
19089 Create menus in the summary buffers.
19091 Create menus in the article buffer.
19093 Create menus in the browse buffer.
19095 Create menus in the server buffer.
19097 Create menus in the score buffers.
19099 Create menus in all buffers.
19102 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
19103 buffers, you could say something like:
19106 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
19109 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
19112 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
19115 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
19116 in all Gnus buffers.
19118 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
19121 @item gnus-mouse-face
19122 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
19123 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
19124 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
19128 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
19132 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
19133 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
19134 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
19136 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
19137 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
19138 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
19140 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
19141 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
19142 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
19144 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
19145 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
19146 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
19148 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
19149 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
19150 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
19152 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
19153 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
19154 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
19165 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
19166 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
19167 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
19168 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
19169 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
19173 @vindex gnus-carpal
19174 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
19175 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
19176 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
19181 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19182 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19183 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
19185 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
19186 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
19187 Face used on buttons.
19189 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
19190 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
19191 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
19193 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19194 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19195 Buttons in the group buffer.
19197 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19198 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19199 Buttons in the summary buffer.
19201 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19202 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19203 Buttons in the server buffer.
19205 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19206 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19207 Buttons in the browse buffer.
19210 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
19211 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
19212 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
19220 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
19221 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
19222 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
19223 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
19224 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
19226 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
19227 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
19228 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
19230 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
19231 been idle for thirty minutes:
19234 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
19237 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
19241 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
19244 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
19245 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
19246 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19248 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
19249 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
19250 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
19251 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19253 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
19254 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
19255 @var{idle} minutes.
19257 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
19258 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
19261 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
19262 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
19263 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
19265 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
19266 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
19267 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
19268 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
19270 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
19271 your @file{.gnus} file:
19273 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
19275 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
19278 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
19279 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
19280 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
19281 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
19282 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
19283 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
19284 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
19285 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
19286 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
19287 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
19288 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
19290 @findex gnus-demon-init
19291 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
19292 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
19293 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
19294 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
19295 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
19297 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
19298 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
19299 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
19308 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
19309 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
19311 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
19312 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
19313 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
19314 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
19317 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
19318 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
19319 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
19320 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
19322 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
19323 this will make spam disappear.
19325 There are some variables to customize, of course:
19328 @item gnus-use-nocem
19329 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
19330 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
19333 @item gnus-nocem-groups
19334 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
19335 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
19336 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
19337 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
19339 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
19340 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
19341 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
19342 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
19343 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
19344 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
19346 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
19347 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
19349 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
19350 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
19351 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
19352 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
19353 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
19354 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
19355 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
19356 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
19357 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
19358 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
19360 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
19361 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
19364 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
19367 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
19368 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
19371 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
19374 The specs are applied left-to-right.
19377 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
19378 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
19380 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
19381 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
19382 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
19383 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
19385 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
19386 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
19389 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
19391 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
19399 This might be dangerous, though.
19401 @item gnus-nocem-directory
19402 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
19403 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
19404 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
19406 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19407 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19408 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
19409 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
19410 might then see old spam.
19412 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
19413 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
19414 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
19415 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
19416 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
19419 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19420 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19421 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
19422 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
19426 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
19427 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
19428 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
19429 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
19436 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
19437 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
19438 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
19440 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
19441 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
19442 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
19443 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
19444 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
19445 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
19446 @code{undo} function.
19448 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
19449 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
19450 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
19451 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
19452 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
19453 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
19454 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
19455 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
19456 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
19457 never be totally undoable.
19459 @findex gnus-undo-mode
19460 @vindex gnus-use-undo
19462 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
19463 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
19464 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
19465 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
19470 @section Moderation
19473 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
19474 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
19475 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
19478 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
19482 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
19485 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
19487 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
19492 You split your incoming mail by matching on
19493 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
19494 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
19497 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
19498 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
19501 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
19502 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
19506 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
19509 (setq gnus-moderated-list
19510 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
19514 @node Image Enhancements
19515 @section Image Enhancements
19517 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
19518 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
19521 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
19522 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
19523 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
19524 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
19525 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
19538 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
19539 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
19540 over your shoulder as you read news.
19543 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
19544 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
19545 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
19546 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
19547 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
19552 @subsubsection Picon Basics
19554 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
19563 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
19564 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
19565 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
19566 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
19567 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
19568 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
19569 @code{GIF} formats.
19572 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19573 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
19574 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
19575 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
19576 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
19578 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19579 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
19580 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
19581 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
19582 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
19583 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19585 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
19586 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
19589 @node Picon Requirements
19590 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
19592 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
19593 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
19594 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
19595 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
19597 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19598 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
19599 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
19600 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
19601 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
19602 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
19605 @subsubsection Easy Picons
19607 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
19608 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
19611 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
19612 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
19615 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
19616 containing the Picons databases.
19618 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
19621 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19622 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
19627 @subsubsection Hard Picons
19635 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
19636 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
19637 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
19638 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
19639 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
19644 @item gnus-picons-database
19645 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19646 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
19647 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
19648 subdirectories. This is only useful if
19649 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
19650 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
19652 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19653 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19654 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
19655 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
19656 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
19657 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
19658 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19660 @item gnus-picons-display-where
19661 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19662 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
19663 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
19664 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
19665 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
19666 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
19667 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
19669 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19670 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19671 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
19676 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
19677 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
19679 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
19680 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
19683 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19685 @item gnus-article-display-picons
19686 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
19687 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
19688 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
19690 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
19691 @findex gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
19692 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
19693 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the function name, not @code{xface})
19699 @node Picon Useless Configuration
19700 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
19708 The following variables offer further control over how things are
19709 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
19710 don't need to worry about.
19714 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
19715 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
19716 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
19717 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
19719 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
19720 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
19721 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
19722 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
19724 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
19725 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
19726 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
19727 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
19728 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
19730 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19731 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19732 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
19733 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
19734 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
19735 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
19736 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
19737 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
19739 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
19740 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
19741 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
19742 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
19743 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
19745 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
19746 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
19747 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
19748 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
19749 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
19750 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
19751 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
19753 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
19754 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
19755 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
19756 Defaults to @code{nil}.
19758 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
19759 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
19760 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
19761 Defaults to @code{t}.
19763 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
19764 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
19765 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
19766 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
19768 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
19769 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
19770 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
19772 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
19773 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
19774 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
19775 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
19777 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
19778 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
19780 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
19781 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
19782 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
19783 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
19784 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
19785 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
19786 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
19787 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
19798 @subsection Smileys
19803 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
19808 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
19809 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
19811 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
19812 @file{.gnus.el} file:
19815 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
19818 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
19819 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
19820 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
19821 text and maps that to file names.
19823 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
19824 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
19825 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
19826 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
19827 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
19828 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
19830 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
19831 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
19833 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
19834 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
19835 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
19837 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
19838 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
19842 @item smiley-data-directory
19843 @vindex smiley-data-directory
19844 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
19846 @item smiley-flesh-color
19847 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
19848 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
19850 @item smiley-features-color
19851 @vindex smiley-features-color
19852 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19854 @item smiley-tongue-color
19855 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
19856 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
19858 @item smiley-circle-color
19859 @vindex smiley-circle-color
19860 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19862 @item smiley-mouse-face
19863 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
19864 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
19873 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white image
19874 that's supposed to represent the author of the message. It seems to
19875 be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news readers.
19878 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
19879 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
19880 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
19881 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
19889 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
19890 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
19891 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
19892 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
19894 The variable that controls this is the
19895 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
19896 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
19897 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
19898 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
19899 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
19901 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
19902 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
19903 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
19904 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
19907 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
19908 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
19909 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
19910 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
19911 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
19912 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
19913 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
19914 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
19916 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
19921 @subsection Toolbar
19931 @item gnus-use-toolbar
19932 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
19933 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
19934 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
19935 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
19937 @item gnus-group-toolbar
19938 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
19939 The toolbar in the group buffer.
19941 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
19942 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
19943 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
19945 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
19946 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
19947 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
19953 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
19956 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
19957 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
19958 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
19959 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
19960 unusual directory structure.
19962 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
19963 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
19964 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
19965 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
19967 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
19968 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
19969 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
19970 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
19971 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
19972 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
19974 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
19975 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
19976 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
19990 @node Fuzzy Matching
19991 @section Fuzzy Matching
19992 @cindex fuzzy matching
19994 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
19995 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
19997 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
19998 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
19999 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
20001 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
20002 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
20003 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
20004 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
20005 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
20008 @node Thwarting Email Spam
20009 @section Thwarting Email Spam
20013 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
20015 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
20016 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
20017 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
20018 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
20019 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
20020 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
20021 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
20022 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
20025 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
20026 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
20027 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
20028 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
20029 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
20030 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
20034 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
20035 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
20037 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
20038 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
20039 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
20040 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
20041 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
20042 part of the mail address.)
20045 (setq message-default-news-headers
20046 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
20049 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
20050 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
20055 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
20056 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
20057 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
20063 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
20064 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
20065 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
20066 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
20068 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
20069 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
20070 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
20071 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
20072 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
20073 your fancy split rule in this way:
20078 (to "larsi" "misc")
20082 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
20083 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
20084 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
20085 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
20086 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
20088 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
20089 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
20090 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
20091 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
20092 cosmic balance somewhat.
20094 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
20095 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
20096 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
20097 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
20100 @node Various Various
20101 @section Various Various
20107 @item gnus-home-directory
20108 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
20109 defaults to @file{~/}.
20111 @item gnus-directory
20112 @vindex gnus-directory
20113 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
20114 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
20115 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
20117 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
20118 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
20119 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
20120 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
20122 @item gnus-default-directory
20123 @vindex gnus-default-directory
20124 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
20125 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
20126 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
20127 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
20128 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
20129 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
20132 @vindex gnus-verbose
20133 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
20134 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
20135 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
20136 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
20137 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
20139 @item gnus-verbose-backends
20140 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
20141 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
20142 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
20144 @item nnheader-max-head-length
20145 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
20146 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
20147 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
20148 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
20149 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
20150 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
20151 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
20152 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
20153 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
20155 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
20156 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
20157 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
20158 read when doing the operation described above.
20160 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20161 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20163 @cindex invalid characters in file names
20164 @cindex characters in file names
20165 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
20166 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
20167 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
20170 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
20174 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
20175 Windows (phooey) systems.
20177 @item gnus-hidden-properties
20178 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
20179 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
20180 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
20181 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
20183 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
20184 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
20185 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
20186 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
20187 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
20189 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
20190 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
20191 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
20193 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
20194 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
20196 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
20197 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
20198 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
20199 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
20202 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
20210 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
20211 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
20213 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
20215 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
20221 Not because of victories @*
20224 but for the common sunshine,@*
20226 the largess of the spring.
20230 but for the day's work done@*
20231 as well as I was able;@*
20232 not for a seat upon the dais@*
20233 but at the common table.@*
20238 @chapter Appendices
20241 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
20242 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
20243 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
20244 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
20245 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
20246 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
20247 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
20248 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
20249 * Frequently Asked Questions::
20256 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
20258 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
20259 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
20260 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
20261 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
20262 @samp{xemacs-base}, and @samp{fsf-compat}.
20269 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
20270 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
20272 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
20273 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
20274 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
20275 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
20276 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
20278 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
20279 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
20280 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
20281 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
20282 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
20283 appropriate name, don't you think?)
20285 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
20286 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
20287 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
20288 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
20291 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
20292 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
20293 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
20294 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
20295 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
20296 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
20297 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
20298 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
20299 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
20303 @node Gnus Versions
20304 @subsection Gnus Versions
20305 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
20307 @cindex September Gnus
20308 @cindex Quassia Gnus
20310 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
20311 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
20312 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
20314 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
20315 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
20317 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
20318 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
20320 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
20321 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
20323 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
20324 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
20327 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
20329 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
20330 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
20331 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
20332 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
20333 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
20334 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
20337 @node Other Gnus Versions
20338 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
20341 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
20342 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
20343 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
20344 @sc{mime} capabilities.
20346 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
20347 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
20348 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
20349 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
20356 What's the point of Gnus?
20358 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
20359 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
20360 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
20361 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
20362 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
20363 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
20364 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
20365 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
20366 keep track of millions of people who post?
20368 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
20369 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
20370 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
20371 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
20372 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
20373 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
20374 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
20375 every one of you to explore and invent.
20377 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
20378 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
20381 @node Compatibility
20382 @subsection Compatibility
20384 @cindex compatibility
20385 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
20386 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
20387 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
20392 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
20396 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
20399 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
20402 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
20403 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
20404 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
20405 important variables have their values copied into their global
20406 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
20407 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
20409 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
20410 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
20411 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
20412 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
20413 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
20417 @cindex highlighting
20418 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
20419 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
20420 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
20421 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
20422 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
20423 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
20426 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
20427 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
20428 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
20429 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
20431 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
20432 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
20433 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
20434 to stop doing it the old way.
20436 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
20438 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
20440 @cindex reporting bugs
20442 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
20443 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
20444 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
20446 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
20447 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
20448 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
20449 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
20454 @subsection Conformity
20456 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
20457 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
20464 There are no known breaches of this standard.
20468 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
20470 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
20471 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
20472 We do have some breaches to this one.
20478 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
20479 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
20480 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
20481 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
20482 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
20487 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
20488 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
20489 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
20490 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
20494 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
20495 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
20500 @subsection Emacsen
20506 Gnus should work on :
20514 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
20518 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
20519 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
20522 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
20523 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
20524 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
20528 @node Gnus Development
20529 @subsection Gnus Development
20531 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
20532 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
20533 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
20534 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
20535 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
20536 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
20537 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
20538 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
20540 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
20541 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
20542 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
20543 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
20544 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
20547 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
20548 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
20549 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
20550 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
20551 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
20553 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
20554 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
20555 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
20556 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
20557 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
20558 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
20559 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
20560 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
20561 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
20562 can't be assumed to do so.
20567 @subsection Contributors
20568 @cindex contributors
20570 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
20571 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
20572 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
20573 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
20574 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
20575 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
20576 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
20577 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
20578 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
20579 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
20581 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
20587 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
20590 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
20591 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
20592 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
20593 functionality and stuff.
20596 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
20597 well as numerous other things).
20600 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
20603 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
20606 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
20609 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
20612 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
20613 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
20616 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
20619 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
20620 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
20623 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
20626 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
20629 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
20632 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
20635 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
20636 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
20639 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
20642 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
20645 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
20648 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
20652 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
20655 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
20658 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
20661 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
20662 well as autoconf support.
20666 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
20667 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
20669 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
20678 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
20682 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
20692 Alexei V. Barantsev,
20707 Massimo Campostrini,
20712 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
20713 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
20717 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
20720 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
20726 Michael Welsh Duggan,
20731 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
20735 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
20743 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
20745 Michelangelo Grigni,
20749 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
20751 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
20753 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
20760 François Felix Ingrand,
20761 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
20762 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
20764 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
20775 Peter Skov Knudsen,
20776 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
20778 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
20779 Thor Kristoffersen,
20782 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
20800 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
20801 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
20808 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
20813 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
20817 John McClary Prevost,
20823 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
20828 Christian von Roques,
20831 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
20838 Philippe Schnoebelen,
20840 Randal L. Schwartz,
20854 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
20859 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
20875 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
20880 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
20881 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
20882 (550kB and counting).
20884 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
20887 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
20888 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
20892 @subsection New Features
20893 @cindex new features
20896 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
20897 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
20898 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
20899 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
20900 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
20903 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
20904 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
20905 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
20908 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
20910 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
20915 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
20916 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
20919 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
20920 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
20923 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
20926 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
20927 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
20928 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
20931 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
20932 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
20933 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
20934 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
20937 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
20938 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20941 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
20942 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
20943 (@pxref{The Active File}).
20946 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
20947 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
20950 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
20951 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
20952 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
20955 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
20956 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
20957 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
20960 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
20961 the @file{.emacs} file.
20964 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
20965 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
20968 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
20969 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
20972 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
20973 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20976 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
20977 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
20980 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
20981 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
20984 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
20987 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
20988 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
20991 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
20992 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
20995 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
20996 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
20999 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
21002 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
21003 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
21006 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
21010 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
21014 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
21015 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
21018 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
21024 @node September Gnus
21025 @subsubsection September Gnus
21029 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
21033 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
21038 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
21039 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
21043 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
21044 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
21048 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
21052 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
21053 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
21056 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
21060 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
21063 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
21066 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
21069 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
21073 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
21074 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
21077 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
21081 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
21085 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
21089 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
21093 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
21096 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
21097 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
21100 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
21104 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
21105 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
21108 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
21111 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
21112 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
21113 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
21116 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
21120 The Gnus cache is much faster.
21123 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
21127 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
21128 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
21131 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
21132 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
21135 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
21136 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
21139 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
21140 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
21141 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
21144 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
21145 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
21148 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
21151 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
21154 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
21157 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
21160 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
21161 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
21164 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
21168 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
21171 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
21176 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
21179 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
21183 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
21186 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
21190 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
21193 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
21196 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
21197 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
21200 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
21201 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
21205 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
21206 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
21209 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
21213 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
21214 buffer to allow easier treatment.
21217 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
21220 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
21224 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
21228 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
21229 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
21232 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
21236 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
21237 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
21240 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
21241 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
21244 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
21248 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
21251 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
21254 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
21260 @subsubsection Red Gnus
21262 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
21266 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
21273 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
21276 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
21277 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
21280 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
21281 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
21285 Article washing status can be displayed in the
21286 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
21289 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
21292 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
21293 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
21296 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
21300 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
21301 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
21305 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
21306 Server Internals}).
21309 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
21313 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
21316 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
21317 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
21320 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
21321 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
21322 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
21325 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
21326 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21329 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
21330 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
21333 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
21337 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
21338 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21341 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
21342 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
21345 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
21349 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
21352 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
21356 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
21357 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21360 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
21361 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21364 A new command for reading collections of documents
21365 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
21366 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
21369 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
21373 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
21374 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
21377 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
21378 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
21379 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
21382 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
21383 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
21387 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
21391 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
21395 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
21400 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
21404 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
21408 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
21409 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
21412 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
21418 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
21420 New features in Gnus 5.6:
21425 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
21426 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
21427 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
21430 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
21431 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
21432 group, which is created automatically.
21435 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
21439 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
21442 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
21443 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
21446 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
21450 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
21453 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
21454 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
21457 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
21460 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
21461 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
21464 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
21465 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
21468 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
21469 control over simplification.
21472 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
21475 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
21479 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
21482 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
21485 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
21486 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
21487 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
21490 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
21491 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
21494 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
21498 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
21499 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
21502 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
21503 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
21506 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
21510 A history of where mails have been split is available.
21513 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
21516 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
21517 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
21520 A new function for citing in Message has been
21521 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
21524 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
21527 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
21531 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
21532 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
21535 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
21536 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
21539 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
21542 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
21546 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
21547 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
21549 New features in Gnus 5.8:
21554 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
21555 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
21557 If you used procmail like in
21560 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
21561 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
21562 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
21563 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
21566 this now has changed to
21570 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
21574 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
21575 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
21578 Gnus is now a MIME-capable reader. This affects many parts of
21579 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
21582 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
21583 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
21586 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
21587 called to position point.
21590 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
21591 summary buffers and NOV files.
21594 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
21595 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
21598 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
21599 subtly different manner.
21602 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
21603 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
21604 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
21607 Gnus can now read IMAP mail via @code{nnimap}.
21615 @section The Manual
21619 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
21620 either @code{texi2dvi}
21622 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
21623 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
21625 to get what you hold in your hands now.
21627 The following conventions have been used:
21632 This is a @samp{string}
21635 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
21638 This is a @file{file}
21641 This is a @code{symbol}
21645 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
21649 (setq flargnoze "yes")
21652 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
21655 (setq flumphel 'yes)
21658 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
21659 ever get them confused.
21663 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
21664 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
21665 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
21666 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
21667 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
21668 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
21669 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
21675 @node On Writing Manuals
21676 @section On Writing Manuals
21678 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
21679 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
21680 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
21681 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
21682 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
21683 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
21686 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
21687 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
21688 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
21691 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
21692 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
21697 @section Terminology
21699 @cindex terminology
21704 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
21705 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
21706 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
21707 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
21708 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
21712 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
21713 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
21714 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
21715 not posting, and replying is not following up.
21719 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
21723 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
21728 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of back ends, both news and mail
21729 back ends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
21730 is all done by the back ends.
21734 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
21735 default, way of getting news.
21739 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
21740 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
21745 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
21746 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
21750 A message that has been posted as news.
21753 @cindex mail message
21754 A message that has been mailed.
21758 A mail message or news article
21762 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
21767 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
21772 A line from the head of an article.
21776 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
21777 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
21781 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
21782 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
21783 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
21784 normal @sc{head} format.
21788 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
21789 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
21790 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
21791 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
21792 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
21793 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
21795 @item killed groups
21796 @cindex killed groups
21797 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
21798 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
21800 @item zombie groups
21801 @cindex zombie groups
21802 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
21805 @cindex active file
21806 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
21807 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
21808 is rather large, as you might surmise.
21811 @cindex bogus groups
21812 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
21813 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
21814 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
21817 @cindex activating groups
21818 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
21819 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
21820 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
21824 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
21826 @item select method
21827 @cindex select method
21828 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
21831 @item virtual server
21832 @cindex virtual server
21833 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
21834 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
21835 whole is a virtual server.
21839 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
21840 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
21843 @item ephemeral groups
21844 @cindex ephemeral groups
21845 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
21846 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
21847 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
21850 @cindex solid groups
21851 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
21852 group buffer are solid groups.
21854 @item sparse articles
21855 @cindex sparse articles
21856 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
21857 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
21861 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
21862 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
21866 @cindex thread root
21867 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
21868 articles in the thread.
21872 An article that has responses.
21876 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
21880 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
21881 specified by RFC 1153.
21887 @node Customization
21888 @section Customization
21889 @cindex general customization
21891 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
21892 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
21893 for some quite common situations.
21896 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
21897 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
21898 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
21899 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
21903 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
21904 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
21906 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
21907 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
21908 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
21912 @item gnus-read-active-file
21913 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
21914 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
21915 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21916 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
21917 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
21919 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
21920 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
21921 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
21922 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
21926 @node Slow Terminal Connection
21927 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
21929 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
21930 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
21931 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
21935 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
21936 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
21937 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
21938 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
21939 horizontal and vertical recentering.
21941 @item gnus-visible-headers
21942 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
21943 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
21944 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
21945 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
21947 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
21949 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
21950 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
21951 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
21954 @item gnus-use-full-window
21955 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
21956 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
21957 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
21958 want to read them anyway.
21960 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
21961 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
21964 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
21965 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
21966 lines, which might save some time.
21970 @node Little Disk Space
21971 @subsection Little Disk Space
21974 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
21975 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
21979 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
21980 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
21981 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21982 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21985 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
21986 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
21987 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21988 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21991 @item gnus-save-killed-list
21992 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
21993 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
21994 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
21995 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
22001 @subsection Slow Machine
22002 @cindex slow machine
22004 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
22005 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
22007 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
22008 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
22010 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
22011 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
22012 summary buffer faster.
22016 @node Troubleshooting
22017 @section Troubleshooting
22018 @cindex troubleshooting
22020 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
22028 Make sure your computer is switched on.
22031 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
22032 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
22036 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
22037 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
22038 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
22039 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
22042 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
22046 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
22047 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
22048 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
22049 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
22050 something like that.
22053 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
22056 @cindex reporting bugs
22058 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
22060 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
22061 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
22062 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
22063 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
22065 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
22066 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
22067 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
22068 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
22071 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
22072 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
22073 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
22074 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
22075 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
22076 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
22078 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
22079 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
22080 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
22084 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
22085 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
22087 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
22088 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
22090 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
22091 @cindex ding mailing list
22092 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
22093 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
22097 @node Gnus Reference Guide
22098 @section Gnus Reference Guide
22100 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
22101 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
22102 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
22103 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
22106 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
22107 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
22108 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
22109 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
22110 and general methods of operation.
22113 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
22114 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
22115 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
22116 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
22117 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
22118 * Group Info:: The group info format.
22119 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
22120 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
22121 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
22125 @node Gnus Utility Functions
22126 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
22127 @cindex Gnus utility functions
22128 @cindex utility functions
22130 @cindex internal variables
22132 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
22133 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
22134 Below is a list of the most common ones.
22138 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
22139 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
22140 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
22142 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
22143 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
22144 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
22146 @item gnus-group-real-name
22147 @findex gnus-group-real-name
22148 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
22151 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
22152 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
22153 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
22154 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
22156 @item gnus-get-info
22157 @findex gnus-get-info
22158 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
22160 @item gnus-group-unread
22161 @findex gnus-group-unread
22162 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
22166 @findex gnus-active
22167 The active entry for @var{group}.
22169 @item gnus-set-active
22170 @findex gnus-set-active
22171 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
22173 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22174 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
22175 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
22178 @item gnus-continuum-version
22179 @findex gnus-continuum-version
22180 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
22181 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
22184 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
22185 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
22186 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
22188 @item gnus-news-group-p
22189 @findex gnus-news-group-p
22190 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
22192 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22193 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
22194 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
22196 @item gnus-server-to-method
22197 @findex gnus-server-to-method
22198 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
22200 @item gnus-server-equal
22201 @findex gnus-server-equal
22202 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
22204 @item gnus-group-native-p
22205 @findex gnus-group-native-p
22206 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
22208 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
22209 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
22210 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
22212 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
22213 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
22214 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
22216 @item group-group-find-parameter
22217 @findex group-group-find-parameter
22218 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
22219 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
22221 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
22222 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
22223 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
22225 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
22226 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
22227 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
22229 @item gnus-check-backend-function
22230 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
22231 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
22232 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
22235 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
22239 @item gnus-read-method
22240 @findex gnus-read-method
22241 Prompts the user for a select method.
22246 @node Back End Interface
22247 @subsection Back End Interface
22249 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
22250 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
22251 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
22252 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
22253 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
22254 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
22256 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
22257 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
22258 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
22259 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
22260 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
22261 been opened, the function should fail.
22263 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
22264 name. Take this example:
22268 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
22269 (nntp-port-number 4324))
22272 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
22273 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
22275 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
22276 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
22277 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
22279 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
22280 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
22281 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
22283 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
22284 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
22285 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
22286 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
22287 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
22288 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
22291 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
22292 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
22293 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
22294 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
22297 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
22298 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
22299 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
22300 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
22301 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
22302 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
22303 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
22304 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
22305 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
22306 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
22308 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
22309 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
22310 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
22311 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
22312 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
22313 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
22314 of numbers as long as possible.
22316 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
22319 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
22322 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
22323 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
22324 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
22325 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
22326 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
22327 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
22331 @node Required Back End Functions
22332 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
22336 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
22338 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
22339 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
22340 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
22341 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
22343 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
22344 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
22345 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
22346 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
22348 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
22349 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
22350 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
22351 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
22352 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
22353 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
22354 number, do maximum fetches.
22356 Here's an example HEAD:
22359 221 1056 Article retrieved.
22360 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
22361 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
22362 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
22363 Subject: Re: Something very droll
22364 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
22365 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
22367 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
22368 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
22369 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
22373 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
22374 these in the data buffer.
22376 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
22380 head = error / valid-head
22381 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
22382 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
22383 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
22384 header = <text> eol
22387 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
22388 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
22392 nov-buffer = *nov-line
22393 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
22394 field = <text except TAB>
22397 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
22401 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
22403 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
22404 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
22406 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
22407 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
22408 server. In fact, it should do so.
22410 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
22411 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
22414 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
22416 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
22417 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
22420 There should be no data returned.
22423 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
22425 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
22426 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
22427 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
22428 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
22430 There should be no data returned.
22433 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
22435 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
22436 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
22437 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
22438 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
22440 There should be no data returned.
22443 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
22445 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
22447 There should be no data returned.
22450 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
22452 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
22453 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
22454 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
22455 it would be nice if that were possible.
22457 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
22458 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
22459 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
22460 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
22461 into its article buffer.
22463 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
22464 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
22465 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
22466 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
22467 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
22468 on successful article retrieval.
22471 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
22473 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
22474 making @var{group} the current group.
22476 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
22479 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
22482 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
22485 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
22486 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
22487 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
22488 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
22489 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
22490 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
22491 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
22492 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
22495 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
22496 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
22497 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
22501 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22503 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
22504 a no-op on most back ends.
22506 There should be no data returned.
22509 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
22511 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
22514 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
22517 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
22518 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
22521 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
22522 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
22525 active-file = *active-line
22526 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
22528 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
22531 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
22532 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
22533 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
22536 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
22538 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
22539 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
22540 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
22541 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
22542 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
22543 clear if the posting could not be completed.
22545 There should be no result data from this function.
22550 @node Optional Back End Functions
22551 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
22555 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
22557 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
22558 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
22559 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
22561 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
22562 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
22563 former is in the same format as the data from
22564 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
22565 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
22568 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
22572 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
22574 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
22575 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
22576 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
22577 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
22578 should return the (altered) group info.
22580 There should be no result data from this function.
22583 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
22585 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
22586 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
22587 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
22588 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
22589 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
22590 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
22591 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
22592 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
22594 There should be no result data from this function.
22597 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
22599 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
22600 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
22601 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
22602 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
22603 propagate the mark information to the server.
22605 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
22608 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
22611 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
22612 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
22613 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
22614 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
22615 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
22616 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
22617 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
22618 possible, not limit itself to these.
22620 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
22621 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
22622 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
22623 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
22625 An example action list:
22628 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
22629 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
22630 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
22633 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
22634 mark on (currently not used for anything).
22636 There should be no result data from this function.
22638 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
22640 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
22641 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
22642 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
22643 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
22644 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
22646 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
22647 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
22648 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
22651 There should be no result data from this function.
22654 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
22656 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
22657 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
22658 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
22659 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
22660 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
22661 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
22662 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
22664 There should be no result data from this function.
22667 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
22669 The result data from this function should be a description of
22673 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
22675 description = <text>
22678 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
22680 The result data from this function should be the description of all
22681 groups available on the server.
22684 description-buffer = *description-line
22688 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
22690 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
22691 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
22692 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
22693 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
22694 in the active buffer format.
22696 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
22697 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
22698 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
22699 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
22700 many groups, so nnml and the like are probably safe. But for back ends
22701 like nntp, where the groups have been created by the server, it is quite
22702 likely that there can be many groups.
22705 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22707 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
22709 There should be no return data.
22712 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
22714 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
22715 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
22716 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
22717 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
22718 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
22721 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
22724 There should be no result data returned.
22727 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
22730 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
22731 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
22733 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
22734 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
22735 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
22736 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
22737 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
22738 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
22740 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
22741 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
22744 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22745 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22747 There should be no data returned.
22750 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
22752 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
22753 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
22754 this function in short order.
22756 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22757 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22759 There should be no data returned.
22762 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
22764 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
22765 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
22767 There should be no data returned.
22770 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
22772 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
22773 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
22774 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
22776 There should be no data returned.
22779 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
22781 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
22782 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
22784 There should be no data returned.
22789 @node Error Messaging
22790 @subsubsection Error Messaging
22792 @findex nnheader-report
22793 @findex nnheader-get-report
22794 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
22795 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
22796 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
22797 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
22798 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
22799 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
22802 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
22804 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
22807 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
22808 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
22809 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
22810 takes one argument---the server symbol.
22812 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
22813 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
22814 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
22817 @node Writing New Back Ends
22818 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
22820 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
22821 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
22822 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
22823 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
22824 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
22827 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
22828 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
22829 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
22831 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
22832 package called @code{nnoo}.
22834 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
22835 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
22841 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
22842 parameters. For instance:
22845 (nnoo-declare nndir
22849 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
22850 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
22853 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
22854 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
22855 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
22857 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
22858 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
22859 a function in those back ends.
22862 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22863 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22864 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22867 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
22868 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
22869 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
22871 @item nnoo-define-basics
22872 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
22876 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22880 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
22881 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
22882 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
22884 @item nnoo-map-functions
22885 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
22886 functions from the parent back ends.
22889 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22890 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22891 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
22894 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
22895 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
22896 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
22897 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
22900 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
22901 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
22902 haven't already been defined.
22908 nnmh-request-newgroups)
22912 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
22913 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
22914 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
22919 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
22922 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
22923 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
22927 (require 'nnheader)
22931 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
22933 (nnoo-declare nndir
22936 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22937 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22938 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22940 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
22941 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
22944 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
22946 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
22947 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
22948 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
22950 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
22951 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
22953 ;;; Interface functions.
22955 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22957 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
22958 (setq nndir-directory
22959 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
22961 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
22962 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
22963 (push `(nndir-current-group
22964 ,(file-name-nondirectory
22965 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22967 (push `(nndir-top-directory
22968 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22970 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
22972 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22973 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22974 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22975 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
22976 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
22980 nnmh-status-message
22982 nnmh-request-newgroups))
22988 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
22989 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
22991 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
22992 @findex gnus-declare-backend
22993 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
22994 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
22995 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
22997 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
22998 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
23003 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
23006 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
23008 The abilities can be:
23012 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
23014 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
23016 This back end supports both mail and news.
23018 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
23021 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
23022 articles and groups.
23024 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
23025 true for almost all back ends.
23026 @item prompt-address
23027 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
23028 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
23029 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
23033 @node Mail-like Back Ends
23034 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
23036 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
23037 back ends is the heavy dependence by the mail back ends on common
23038 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
23039 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
23042 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
23043 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
23044 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
23047 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
23048 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
23051 This function takes four parameters.
23055 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
23058 @item exit-function
23059 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
23061 @item temp-directory
23062 Where the temporary files should be stored.
23065 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
23066 performed for one group only.
23069 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
23070 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
23071 find the article number assigned to this article.
23073 The function also uses the following variables:
23074 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
23075 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
23076 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
23077 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
23081 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
23082 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
23086 @node Score File Syntax
23087 @subsection Score File Syntax
23089 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
23090 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
23091 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
23093 Here's a typical score file:
23097 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
23104 BNF definition of a score file:
23107 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
23108 element = rule / atom
23109 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
23110 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
23111 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
23112 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
23114 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
23115 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
23116 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
23117 date-header = "date"
23118 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23119 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23120 score = "nil" / <integer>
23121 date = "nil" / <natural number>
23122 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
23123 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
23124 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
23125 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
23126 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23127 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23128 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
23129 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
23130 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
23131 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
23132 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
23133 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
23134 exclude-files / read-only / touched
23135 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
23136 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
23137 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
23138 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
23139 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
23140 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
23141 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
23142 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
23143 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
23144 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
23145 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
23146 eval = "eval" space <form>
23147 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
23150 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
23153 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
23154 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
23155 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
23156 one looong line, then that's ok.
23158 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
23159 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23163 @subsection Headers
23165 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
23166 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
23167 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
23168 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
23170 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
23171 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
23172 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
23173 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
23174 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
23175 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
23176 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
23178 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
23179 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
23180 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
23181 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
23182 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
23184 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
23185 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
23191 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
23192 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
23194 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
23195 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
23196 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
23197 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
23199 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
23203 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
23206 is transformed into
23209 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
23212 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
23213 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
23216 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
23219 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
23220 is slightly tricky:
23223 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
23229 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
23232 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
23238 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
23245 and is equal to the previous range.
23247 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
23248 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
23249 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
23253 range = simple-range / normal-range
23254 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
23255 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
23256 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
23257 number *[ " " contents ]
23260 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
23261 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
23262 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
23263 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
23264 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
23269 @subsection Group Info
23271 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
23272 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
23273 describes the group.
23275 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
23276 second is a more complex one:
23279 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
23281 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
23282 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
23284 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
23287 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
23288 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
23289 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
23290 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
23291 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
23292 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
23293 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
23294 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
23295 this section is about.
23297 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
23298 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
23299 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
23301 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
23304 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
23305 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
23306 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23307 group = quote <string> quote
23308 ralevel = rank / level
23309 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23310 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
23311 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23313 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
23314 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
23315 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
23316 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
23319 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
23320 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
23323 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
23324 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
23327 @item gnus-info-group
23328 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
23329 @findex gnus-info-group
23330 @findex gnus-info-set-group
23331 Get/set the group name.
23333 @item gnus-info-rank
23334 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
23335 @findex gnus-info-rank
23336 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
23337 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
23339 @item gnus-info-level
23340 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
23341 @findex gnus-info-level
23342 @findex gnus-info-set-level
23343 Get/set the group level.
23345 @item gnus-info-score
23346 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
23347 @findex gnus-info-score
23348 @findex gnus-info-set-score
23349 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
23351 @item gnus-info-read
23352 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
23353 @findex gnus-info-read
23354 @findex gnus-info-set-read
23355 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
23357 @item gnus-info-marks
23358 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
23359 @findex gnus-info-marks
23360 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
23361 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
23363 @item gnus-info-method
23364 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
23365 @findex gnus-info-method
23366 @findex gnus-info-set-method
23367 Get/set the group select method.
23369 @item gnus-info-params
23370 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
23371 @findex gnus-info-params
23372 @findex gnus-info-set-params
23373 Get/set the group parameters.
23376 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
23377 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
23379 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
23380 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
23381 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
23382 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
23385 @node Extended Interactive
23386 @subsection Extended Interactive
23387 @cindex interactive
23388 @findex gnus-interactive
23390 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
23391 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
23392 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
23395 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
23396 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
23401 The best thing to do would have been to implement
23402 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
23403 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
23404 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
23405 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
23406 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
23407 @code{interactive}.
23409 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
23414 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
23415 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
23419 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
23420 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
23421 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
23424 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
23428 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
23432 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
23438 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
23439 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
23443 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
23444 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
23445 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
23447 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
23448 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
23449 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
23450 Gnus, that's very useful.
23452 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
23453 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
23454 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
23455 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
23456 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
23457 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
23458 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
23459 following function:
23462 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
23466 (,function ,@@args))
23470 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
23471 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
23472 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
23475 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
23476 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
23477 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
23479 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
23480 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
23481 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
23484 @node Various File Formats
23485 @subsection Various File Formats
23488 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
23489 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
23493 @node Active File Format
23494 @subsubsection Active File Format
23496 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
23497 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
23500 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
23503 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
23504 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
23505 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
23506 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
23507 no.general 1000 900 y
23510 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
23513 active = *group-line
23514 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
23515 group = <non-white-space string>
23517 high-number = <non-negative integer>
23518 low-number = <positive integer>
23519 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
23522 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
23523 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
23526 @node Newsgroups File Format
23527 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
23529 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
23530 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
23531 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
23534 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
23535 Here's the definition:
23539 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
23540 group = <non-white-space string>
23542 description = <string>
23547 @node Emacs for Heathens
23548 @section Emacs for Heathens
23550 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
23551 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
23552 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
23553 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
23554 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
23555 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
23556 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
23560 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
23561 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
23566 @subsection Keystrokes
23570 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
23573 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
23576 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
23577 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
23578 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
23579 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
23580 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
23581 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
23583 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
23584 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
23585 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
23586 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
23587 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
23588 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
23589 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
23591 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
23592 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
23593 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
23594 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
23595 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
23596 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
23597 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
23599 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
23600 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
23601 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
23602 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
23603 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
23609 @subsection Emacs Lisp
23611 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
23612 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
23613 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
23614 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
23616 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
23617 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
23618 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
23619 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
23620 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
23621 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
23622 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
23625 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
23626 write the following:
23629 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
23632 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
23633 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
23634 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
23637 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
23638 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
23639 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
23640 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
23641 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
23643 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
23644 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
23645 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
23649 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
23653 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
23656 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
23657 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
23660 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
23663 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
23664 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
23667 @include gnus-faq.texi
23687 @c Local Variables:
23689 @c coding: iso-8859-1
23691 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
23692 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
23693 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
23694 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
23695 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref