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-@settitle Red Gnus 0.24 Manual
+@settitle Red Gnus 0.63 Manual
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@tex
@titlepage
-@title Red Gnus 0.24 Manual
+@title Red Gnus 0.63 Manual
@author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
@page
spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
luck.
+This manual corresponds to Red Gnus 0.63
+
@end ifinfo
@iftex
if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
-levels.)
+levels.)
@node Slave Gnusae
To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
-@dfn{servants}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
+@dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
@cindex new groups
@cindex subscription
+@vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
+If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
+you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
+also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
+@code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
+@kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
+is @code{t} by default.
+
+@menu
+* Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
+* Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
+* Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
+@end menu
+
+
+@node Checking New Groups
+@subsection Checking New Groups
+
+Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
+list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
+dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
+@code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
+server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
+cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
+groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
+@code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
+Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
+Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
+
+I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
+server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
+fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
+@code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
+few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
+work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
+supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
+You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
+whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
+it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
+@samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
+
+This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
+issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
+subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
+if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
+that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
+Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
+
+
+@node Subscription Methods
+@subsection Subscription Methods
+
@vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
@item gnus-subscribe-zombies
@vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
-Make all new groups zombies. You can browse the zombies later (with
-@kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly, or subscribe to them.
-This is the default.
+Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
+zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
+(with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
@item gnus-subscribe-randomly
@vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
@code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
+
+@node Filtering New Groups
+@subsection Filtering New Groups
+
A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
@code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
-@vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
-If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
-you could set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
-also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
-@code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
-@kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
-is @code{t} by default.
-
-Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
-list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
-dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
-@code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
-server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
-cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
-groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
-@code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
-Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
-Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
-
-I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
-server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
-fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
-@code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
-few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
-work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
-supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
-You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
-whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
-it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
-@samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
-
-This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
-issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
-subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
-if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
-that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
-Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
-
@node Changing Servers
@section Changing Servers
Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
-very flakey and you want to use another.
+very flaky and you want to use another.
Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
@code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
-will also means that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
+will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
@code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
@item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
@vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
-your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead of doing
-your job.
+your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
+of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
+@file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
@item gnus-no-groups-message
@vindex gnus-no-groups-message
Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
+
+@item gnus-play-startup-jingle
+@vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
+If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
+
+@item gnus-startup-jingle
+@vindex gnus-startup-jingle
+Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
+default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
+
@end table
* Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
* Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
* Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
+* Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
* Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
* Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
* Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
@vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
-The default is @code{1}.
+The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
+@samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.emacs.gnus}.
+
+@item m
+@vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
+@cindex %
+@samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
+the group lately.
+
+@item d
+A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
+Timestamp}).
@item u
User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
be a letter. @sc{gnus} will call the function
@code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
-following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current headers as
-argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
-into the buffer just like information from any other specifier.
+following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
+paratere as argument. The function should return a string, which will
+be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
+specifier.
@end table
@cindex *
All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
-group, or a bogus (or semi-bogus) native group.
+group, or a bogus native group.
@node Group Modeline Specification
@lisp
(setq gnus-group-highlight
- `(((> unread 200) .
- ,(custom-face-lookup "Red" nil nil t nil nil))
- ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) .
- ,(custom-face-lookup "SeaGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
- ((< level 3) .
- ,(custom-face-lookup "SpringGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
- ((zerop unread) .
- ,(custom-face-lookup "SteelBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
- (t .
- ,(custom-face-lookup "SkyBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
- ))
+ `(((> unread 200) .
+ ,(custom-face-lookup "Red" nil nil t nil nil))
+ ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) .
+ ,(custom-face-lookup "SeaGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
+ ((< level 3) .
+ ,(custom-face-lookup "SpringGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
+ ((zerop unread) .
+ ,(custom-face-lookup "SteelBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
+ (t .
+ ,(custom-face-lookup "SkyBlue" nil nil t nil nil))))
@end lisp
Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
-group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, Gnus
-will fetch @var{N} number of articles. If @var{N} is positive, fetch
-the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is negative, fetch the
-@var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
+group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
+determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
+positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
+negative, Gnus fetches the @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
@item RET
@kindex RET (Group)
@item M-SPACE
@kindex M-SPACE (Group)
@findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
-This is yet one more command that does the same as the one above, but
-this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
-(@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
-
-@item c
-@kindex c (Group)
-@findex gnus-group-catchup-current
-@vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
-Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
-(@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
-@code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
-the group buffer.
-
-@item C
-@kindex C (Group)
-@findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
-Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
-(@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
-
-@item M-c
-@kindex M-c (Group)
-@findex gnus-group-clear-data
-Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
-read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
-
-@item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
-@kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
-@findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
-If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
-and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
-clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
-caution.
+This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
+command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
+(@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
@end table
@vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
-unread articles than this, Gnus will query the user before entering the
-group. The user can then specify how many articles should be fetched
-from the server. If the user specifies a negative number (@code{-n}),
-the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it is positive, the
-@code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will be fetched.
+(unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
+before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
+should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
+number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
+is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
+be fetched.
@vindex gnus-select-group-hook
@vindex gnus-auto-select-first
@code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
-automatically when entering a group.
+automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
@table @code
@findex gnus-group-kill-level
Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
-be used with some caution. The only thing where this command comes in
+be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
-groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level @code{7} will
+groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
@file{.newsrc} file.
Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
+@node Group Data
+@section Group Data
+
+@table @kbd
+
+@item c
+@kindex c (Group)
+@findex gnus-group-catchup-current
+@vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
+Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
+(@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
+@code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
+the group buffer.
+
+@item C
+@kindex C (Group)
+@findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
+Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
+(@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
+
+@item M-c
+@kindex M-c (Group)
+@findex gnus-group-clear-data
+Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
+read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
+
+@item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
+@kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
+@findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
+If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
+and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
+clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
+caution.
+
+@end table
+
+
@node Group Levels
@section Group Levels
@cindex group level
Gnus will normally just activate groups that are on level
@code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to activate
unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable to
-@code{5}.
+5. The default is 6.
@node Group Score
the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
-part and the score is the least significant part.)
+part and the score is the least significant part.))
@findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
on some backends.
+@item G c
+@kindex G c (Group)
+@cindex customizing
+@findex gnus-group-customize
+Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
+
@item G e
@kindex G e (Group)
@findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
methods.
@vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
-If the @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
+If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
groups from different @sc{nntp} servers.
@section Group Parameters
@cindex group parameters
-Gnus stores all information on a group in a list that is usually known
-as the @dfn{group info}. This list has from three to six elements.
-Here's an example info.
-
-@lisp
-("nnml:mail.ding" 3 ((1 . 232) 244 (256 . 270)) ((tick 246 249))
- (nnml "private") ((to-address . "ding@@ifi.uio.no")))
-@end lisp
-
-The first element is the @dfn{group name}, as Gnus knows the group,
-anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
-normally is a small integer. The third element is a list of ranges of
-read articles. The fourth element is a list of lists of article marks
-of various kinds. The fifth element is the select method (or virtual
-server, if you like). The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group
-parameters}, which is what this section is about.
-
-Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
-In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
-three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
-
The group parameters store information local to a particular group:
@table @code
Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
+@item newsgroup
+@cindex newsgroup
+If this symbol is present in the group parameter list, Gnus will treat
+all responses as if they were responses to news articles. This can be
+useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a news group.
+
@item gcc-self
@cindex gcc-self
If this symbol is present in the group parameter list and set to
@end table
@item comment
-This parameter allows you to enter a arbitrary comment on the group.
+Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
+are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
+Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
+groups.
@item @var{(variable form)}
You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
List all groups that have unread articles
(@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
-only lists groups of level five or lower (i.e., just subscribed groups).
+only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
+@code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
+groups).
@item L
@itemx A u
List absolutely all groups that are in the active file(s) of the
server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
-to do a @kbd{A m} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
+to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
thing to match on. Also note that this command may list group that
don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they are killed groups.
Take the output with some grains of salt.
@item gnus-group-sort-by-method
@findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
-Sort by alphabetically on the select method.
+Sort alphabetically on the select method.
@end table
@item G S r
@kindex G S r (Group)
@findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
-Sort the group buffer by group level
+Sort the group buffer by group rank
(@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}).
@item G S m
@item G P r
@kindex G P r (Group)
@findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
-Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group level
+Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group rank
(@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}).
@item G P m
@findex gnus-browse-mode
A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
-will be use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit
-(well, a lot) like a normal group buffer, but with one major difference
-- you can't enter any of the groups. If you want to read any of the
-news available on that server, you have to subscribe to the groups you
-think may be interesting, and then you have to exit this buffer. The
-new groups will be added to the group buffer, and then you can read them
-as you would any other group.
-
-Future versions of Gnus may possibly permit reading groups straight from
-the browse buffer.
+will be use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
+a lot) like a normal group buffer.
Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
@item Q
@kindex Q (Group)
@findex gnus-group-quit
-Quit Gnus without saving any startup files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
+Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
+The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
@end table
@vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
Note:
@quotation
-Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, feels her feet go
+Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
plastic chair.
even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
+Here's an example:
+
+@example
+Gnus
+ Emacs -- I wuw it!
+ 3: comp.emacs
+ 2: alt.religion.emacs
+ Naughty Emacs
+ 452: alt.sex.emacs
+ 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
+ Misc
+ 8: comp.binaries.fractals
+ 13: comp.sources.unix
+@end example
+
@findex gnus-topic-mode
@kindex t (Group)
To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
@vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
@code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
-The default is @code{2}.
+The default is 2.
@vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
@code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
@item C-k
@kindex C-k (Topic)
@findex gnus-topic-kill-group
-Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}).
+Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
+topic will be removed along with the topic.
@item C-y
@kindex C-y (Topic)
@findex gnus-topic-yank-group
-Yank the previously killed group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}).
-Note that all topics will be yanked before all groups.
+Yank the previously killed group or topic
+(@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
+before all groups.
@item T r
@kindex T r (Topic)
@item T S r
@kindex T S r (Topic)
@findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
-Sort the current topic by group level
+Sort the current topic by group rank
(@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}).
@item T S m
13: comp.sources.unix
@end example
-So, here we have one top-level topic, two topics under that, and one
-sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always just one (1)
-top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as follows:
+So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
+that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
+just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
+follows:
@lisp
(("Gnus" visible)
@menu
* Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
* Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
+* Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
* File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
@end menu
@table @kbd
-@item M-f
-@kindex M-f (Group)
+
+@item H f
+@kindex H f (Group)
+@itemx M-f
@findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
@vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
@cindex FAQ
@code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
-between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} will be used for fetching
-the file.
+between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
+for fetching the file.
If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
-@item D
-@kindex D (Group)
+@item H d
+@itemx C-c C-d
+@kindex H d (Group)
+@kindex C-c C-d (Group)
@cindex describing groups
@cindex group description
@findex gnus-group-describe-group
@end table
+@node Group Timestamp
+@subsection Group Timestamp
+@cindex timestamps
+@cindex group timestamps
+
+It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
+group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
+@code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
+
+@lisp
+(add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
+@end lisp
+
+After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
+
+This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
+use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-group-line-format
+ "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
+@end lisp
+
+This will result in lines looking like:
+
+@example
+* 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
+ 0: custom 19961002T012713
+@end example
+
+As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
+may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
+something like:
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-group-line-format
+ "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
+@end lisp
+
+
@node File Commands
@subsection File Commands
@cindex file commands
@findex gnus-group-read-init-file
@vindex gnus-init-file
@cindex reading init file
-Read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
+Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
@file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
@item s
A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
+The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
+group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
+
+You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
+
@menu
* Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
* Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
The name (from the @code{From} header).
@item a
The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
-spec in that it uses @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is
-slower, but may be more thorough.
+spec in that it uses the function designated by the
+@code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
+may be more thorough.
@item A
The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
the @code{a} spec.
@item T
Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
pushes everything after it off the screen).
-@item \[
-Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{\[}, but can also be @samp{<}
+@item [
+Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
-@item \]
-Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{\]}, but can also be @samp{>}
+@item ]
+Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
for adopted articles.
@item >
One space for each thread level.
Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
down summary buffer generation somewhat.
@item e
-A single character will be displayed if the article has any children.
+An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
+article has any children.
@item P
The line number.
@item u
@vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
You can also change the format of the summary mode bar. Set
-@code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you like. Here are the
-elements you can play with:
+@code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you like. The default
+is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
+
+Here are the elements you can play with:
@table @samp
@item G
Number of unselected articles in this group.
@item Z
A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
-either as @samp{<%U(+%u) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
+either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
and no unselected ones.
@item g
@item S
Subject of the current article.
@item u
-Used-defined spec.
+User-defined spec.
@item s
Name of the current score file.
@item d
@item gnus-summary-highlight
@vindex gnus-summary-highlight
Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
-list where the elements are on the format @code{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
+list where the elements are on the format @var{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
@lisp
@kindex j (Summary)
@kindex G j (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-goto-article
-Ask for an article number and then go that article
+Ask for an article number and then go to that article
(@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
@item G g
@kindex G g (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
Ask for an article number and then go the summary line of that article
-(@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
+without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
@end table
If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
@vindex gnus-auto-select-next
@item gnus-auto-select-next
-If you are at the end of the group and issue one of the movement
-commands, Gnus will offer to go to the next group. If this variable is
-@code{t} and the next group is empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and
-return to the group buffer. If this variable is neither @code{t} nor
-@code{nil}, Gnus will select the next group, no matter whether it has
-any unread articles or not. As a special case, if this variable is
-@code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
-confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same will
-happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
-Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
-command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
-@pxref{Group Levels}.
+If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
+no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
+the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
+empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
+this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
+next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
+special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
+next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
+@code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
+the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
+@code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
+without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
@item gnus-auto-select-same
@vindex gnus-auto-select-same
@section Choosing Articles
@cindex selecting articles
+@menu
+* Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
+* Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
+@end menu
+
+
+@node Choosing Commands
+@subsection Choosing Commands
+
None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
and they all select and display an article.
history as you like.
@end table
+
+@node Choosing Variables
+@subsection Choosing Variables
+
Some variables that are relevant for moving and selecting articles:
@table @code
Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
@item A s
+@itemx s
@kindex A s (Summary)
+@kindex s (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
Perform an isearch in the article buffer
(@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
@kindex S o m (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
Forward the current article to some other person
-(@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}).
-
-@item S o p
-@kindex S o p (Summary)
-@findex gnus-summary-post-forward
-Forward the current article to a newsgroup
-(@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
+(@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
+headers of the forwarded article.
@item S m
@itemx m
ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
@code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
-@code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
+@code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
@item S O m
@kindex S O m (Summary)
(@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
-@item S O p
-@kindex S O p (Summary)
-@findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
-Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
-(@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}).
-
@item S M-c
@kindex S M-c (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
@cindex post
@cindex composing news
-Commands for posting an article:
+Commands for posting a news article:
@table @kbd
@item S p
(@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
process/prefix convention.
+@item S n
+@kindex S n (Summary)
+@findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
+Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
+message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
+
+@item S n
+@kindex S n (Summary)
+@findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
+Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
+message through mail and include the original message
+(@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
+the process/prefix convention.
+
+@item S o p
+@kindex S o p (Summary)
+@findex gnus-summary-post-forward
+Forward the current article to a newsgroup
+(@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
+headers of the forwarded article.
+
+@item S O p
+@kindex S O p (Summary)
+@findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
+Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
+(@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}).
+
@item S u
@kindex S u (Summary)
@findex gnus-uu-post-news
to the post buffer (which is called @code{*post-buf*}). There you will
find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
-header by substituting one of those words for @code{Message-ID}. Then
-just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as you would do normally.
-The previous article will be canceled/superseded.
+header by substituting one of those words for the word
+@code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
+you would do normally. The previous article will be
+canceled/superseded.
Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
-encounters the article.
+encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}
@item
@vindex gnus-replied-mark
@item gnus-thread-indent-level
@vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
-The default is @code{4}.
+The default is 4.
@end table
@kindex T k (Summary)
@kindex M-C-k (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
-Mark all articles in the current sub-thread as read
+Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
(@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
articles instead.
@kindex T l (Summary)
@kindex M-C-l (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
-Lower the score of the current thread
+Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
(@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
@item T i
@kindex T i (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
-Increase the score of the current thread
+Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
(@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
@item T #
@kindex T # (Summary)
@findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
-Set the process mark on the current thread
+Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
(@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
@item T M-#
@kindex T M-# (Summary)
@findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
-Remove the process mark from the current thread
+Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
(@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
@item T T
@item T s
@kindex T s (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-show-thread
-Expose the thread hidden under the current article, if any
+Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
(@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
@item T h
@kindex T h (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
-Hide the current (sub)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
+Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
@item T S
@kindex T S (Summary)
"Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
(and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
(< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
- 100)))
+ 100)))
(setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
@end lisp
Save the current article in plain file format
(@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
+@item O F
+@kindex O F (Summary)
+@findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
+Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
+file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
+
@item O b
@kindex O b (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
@end table
+@item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
+@vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
+Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
+@code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
+that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
+time.
+
@item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
@vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
@menu
* Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
+* Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look niced.
* Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
* Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
* Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
@end table
+@node Article Fontisizing
+@subsection Article Fontisizing
+@cindex emphasis
+@cindex article emphasis
+
+@findex gnus-article-emphasize
+@kindex W e (Summary)
+People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
+like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*}. Gnus can make this look nicer by
+running the article through the @kbd{W e}
+(@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
+
+@vindex gnus-article-emphasis
+How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
+@code{gnus-article-emphasis} variable. This is an alist where the first
+element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
+that says what regular expression grouping used to find the entire
+emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
+should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
+groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
+highlighting.
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-article-emphasis
+ '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
+ ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
+@end lisp
+
+@vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
+@vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
+@vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
+@vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
+@vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
+@vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
+@vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
+By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
+@code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
+@code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
+@code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
+@code{gnus-emphasis-undeline-bold}, and
+@code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
+
+If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
+customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
+to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
+say something like:
+
+@lisp
+(copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
+@end lisp
+
+
@node Article Hiding
@subsection Article Hiding
@cindex article hiding
@item button-par
Gnus has to know which parts of the match is to be highlighted. This is
a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp that is to be
-highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use @code{0} here.
+highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
@item use-p
This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
@findex gnus-summary-refer-article
@kindex M-^ (Summary)
+@cindex Message-ID
+@cindex fetching by Message-ID
You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
(@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
@example
@{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
- | \[Jan]
- | \[odd]-[Eri]
- | \(***)-[Eri]
- | \[odd]-[Paa]
+ | \[Jan]
+ | \[odd]-[Eri]
+ | \(***)-[Eri]
+ | \[odd]-[Paa]
\[Bjo]
\[Gun]
\[Gun]-[Jor]
@item B M-C-e
@kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
@findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
-Expunge all the expirable articles in the group
+Delete all the expirable articles in the group
(@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
articles that are eligible for expiry in the current group will
disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
millions, of functions you can put in this hook. For an overview of
functions @pxref{Article Highlighting}, @pxref{Article Hiding},
@pxref{Article Washing}, @pxref{Article Buttons} and @pxref{Article
-Date}.
+Date}. Note that the order of functions in this hook might affect
+things, so you may have to fiddle a bit to get the desired results.
You can, of course, write your own functions. The functions are called
from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like, pretty much.
@vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
Hook called in article mode buffers.
+@item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
+@vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
+Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
+@code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
+
@vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
@item gnus-article-mode-line-format
This variable is a format string along the same lines as
These select methods specifications can sometimes become quite
complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
-@sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number @code{13}, which
+@sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
(@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
servers.
+@item g
+@kindex g (Server)
+@findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
+Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
+(@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
+a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
+
@end table
@var{(variable form)} pairs.
To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
-port @code{15} from that machine. This is what the select method should
+port 15 from that machine. This is what the select method should
look like then:
@lisp
@code{t} and be prompted for the password, or set
@code{nnmail-pop-password} to the password itself.
+Your Emacs has to have been configured with @samp{--with-pop} before
+compilation. This is the default, but some installations have it
+switched off.
+
When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
;; People...
(any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen"))
;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
- "misc.misc"))")
+ "misc.misc")
@end lisp
This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
@samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name.
@item
-@code{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, and the first
+@var{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, and the first
element is a string, then that means that if header FIELD (a regexp)
contains VALUE (also a regexp), then store the message as specified by
SPLIT.
@item
-@code{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
+@var{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
@code{|} (vertical bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them
matches. A SPLIT is said to match if it will cause the mail message to
be stored in one or more groups.
@item
-@code{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
+@var{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
@code{&}, then process all SPLITs in the list.
@item
@code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
this message anywhere.
+@item
+@var{(: function arg1 arg2 ...)}: If the split is a list, and the first
+element is @code{:}, then the second element will be called as a
+function with @var{args} given as arguments. The function should return
+a SPLIT.
+
@end enumerate
-In these splits, FIELD must match a complete field name. VALUE must
-match a complete word according to the fundamental mode syntax table.
-You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial field names or
-words.
+In these splits, @var{FIELD} must match a complete field name.
+@var{VALUE} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
+syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
+field names or words. In other words, all @var{VALUE}'s are wrapped in
+@samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
@vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
-FIELD and VALUE can also be lisp symbols, in that case they are expanded
-as specified by the variable @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is
-an alist of cons cells, where the car of the cells contains the key, and
-the cdr contains a string.
+@var{FIELD} and @var{VALUE} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
+are expanded as specified by the variable
+@code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
+the car of the cells contains the key, and the cdr contains a string.
@vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
@code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
when all this splitting is performed.
+If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
+information in the headers, you can say things like:
+
+@example
+(any "debian-\(\\w*\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
+@end example
+
+That is, do @code{replace-match}-like substitions in the group names.
+
@node Mail and Procmail
@subsection Mail and Procmail
ever expiring the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is quite,
quite important.
+Here's an example setup: The incoming spools are located in
+@file{~/incoming/} and have @samp{""} as suffixes (i. e., the incoming
+spool files have the same names as the equivalent groups). The
+@code{nnfolder} backend is to be used as the mail interface, and the
+@code{nnfolder} directory is @file{~/fMail/}.
+
+@lisp
+(setq nnfolder-directory "~/fMail/")
+(setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
+(setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/incoming/")
+(setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnfolder "")))
+(setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "")
+@end lisp
+
@node Incorporating Old Mail
@subsection Incorporating Old Mail
articles that are marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
column in the summary buffer.
+Note that making a group auto-expirable don't mean that all read
+articles are expired---only the articles that are marked as expirable
+will be expired. Also note the using the @kbd{d} command won't make
+groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
+mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
+
Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
articles you have read to disappear after a while:
Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
@code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
+If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
+auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
+doesn't really mix very well.
+
@vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
expirable article has to live. The default is seven days.
@emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
with! So there!
+Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
+
@node Washing Mail
@subsection Washing Mail
you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
-might take a while to complete.
+might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
+functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
+Commands}).
@node MH Spool
and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
fiddly.
+First some terminology:
+
+@table @dfn
+
+@item server
+This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
+get news and/or mail from.
+
+@item home machine
+This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
+on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
+
+@item packet
+Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
+of packets:
+
+@table @dfn
+@item message packets
+These are packets made at the server, and typically contains lots of
+messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
+default, where @var{X} is a number.
+
+@item response packets
+These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
+replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
+default, where @var{X} is a number.
+
+@end table
+
+@end table
+
+
@enumerate
@item
You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
-use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie, or you can use Gnus to create the
-packet with the @kbd{O s} command.
+use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
+can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
+s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
@item
You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
You put the packet in your home directory.
@item
-You fire up Gnus using the @code{nnsoup} backend as the native server.
+You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
+the native or secondary server.
@item
You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
-want.
+want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
@item
You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
@node SOUP Commands
@subsubsection SOUP Commands
+These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
+
@table @kbd
@item G s b
@kindex G s b (Group)
@item G s w
@kindex G s w (Group)
@findex gnus-soup-save-areas
-Save all data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
+Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
@item G s s
@kindex G s s (Group)
@findex gnus-soup-add-article
This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
(@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
-convention.
+convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
@end table
* Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
* Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
* Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
-* Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus @emph{knows} what you read.
+* Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
* Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
* Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
* Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
* Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
* Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
* Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
+* Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
* GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
* Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
* Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
@item Lines, Chars
These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
-@code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
+@code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}. When matching on @code{Lines}, be
+careful because some backends (like @code{nndir}) do not generate
+@code{Lines} header, so every article ends up being marked as having 0
+lines. This can lead to strange results if you happen to lower score of
+the articles with few lines.
@item Date
For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
header uses.
@item Followup
-This match key will add a score entry on all articles that followup to
-some author. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header uses.
+This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
+@code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
+articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
+you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
+decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
+trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
+uses.
@item Thread
-This match key will add a score entry on all articles that are part of
-a thread. Uses the same match types as the @code{References} header
-uses.
+This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
+key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread that is
+started by an article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{X}, then you add a
+@samp{thread} match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each
+article that has @var{X} in its @code{References} header. (These new
+@samp{thread} matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching
+articles.) This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an
+entire thread, even though some articles in the thread may not have
+complete @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
+undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread.
@end table
@end enumerate
this one was.
@item exclude-files
-The clue of this entry should be any number of files. This files will
+The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
other.
That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
+If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
+the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
+probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
+adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
+
The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
@code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
@code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
@end table
+@node Converting Kill Files
+@section Converting Kill Files
+@cindex kill files
+@cindex converting kill files
+
+If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
+score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
+the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
+by hand.
+
+The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
+You can fetch it from
+@file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
+
+If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
+non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
+hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
+before.
+
+
@node GroupLens
@section GroupLens
@cindex GroupLens
@vindex gnus-demon-timestep
(When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
-seconds. This is @code{60} by default. If you change that variable,
+seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
@vindex gnus-use-demon
@item jem@@xpat.com;
@cindex Jem
-Jem---Korean despammer who is getting very busy these days.
+John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
+days.
@item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
@item nnheader-max-head-length
@vindex nnheader-max-head-length
When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
-as little as possible. This variable (default @code{4096}) specifies
+as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
@quotation
@strong{Te Deum}
+
@sp 1
Not because of victories @*
I sing,@*
but for the common sunshine,@*
the breeze,@*
the largess of the spring.
+
@sp 1
Not for victory@*
but for the day's work done@*
On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun.
+If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a name that is prefixed --
+``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Mamey Sapote Gnus''
+-- don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
+Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
+out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
+to that instead.
+
@menu
* Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
* Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
@itemize @bullet
@item
-Emacs 19.30 and up.
+Emacs 19.32 and up.
@item
-XEmacs 19.13 and up.
+XEmacs 19.14 and up.
@item
-Mule versions based on Emacs 19.30 and up.
+Mule versions based on Emacs 19.32 and up.
@end itemize
Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
reliably, at least.
-There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various platforms:
-
-@itemize @bullet
-
-@item
-The mouse-face on Gnus lines under Emacs and Mule is delimited to
-certain parts of the lines while they cover the entire line under
-XEmacs.
-
-@item
-The same with current-article marking---XEmacs puts an underline under
-the entire summary line while Emacs and Mule are nicer and kinder.
-
-@item
-XEmacs features more graphics---a logo and a toolbar.
-
-@item
-Citation highlighting us better under Emacs and Mule than under XEmacs.
-
-@item
-Emacs 19.26-19.28 have tangible hidden headers, which can be a bit
-confusing.
-
-@end itemize
+There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
+platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
+other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
+Emacsen.
@node Contributors
@item
Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
+@item
+Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
+
@item
Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
@dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
@item
Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
+@item
+David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
+
@item
Ricardo Nassif, Mark Borges, and Jost Krieger---proof-reading.
Marc Auslander,
Mark Borges,
Lance A. Brown,
+Kees de Bruin,
Martin Buchholz,
+Kevin Buhr,
Alastair Burt,
Joao Cachopo,
Massimo Campostrini,
-Michael Cook,
+Michael R. Cook,
Glenn Coombs,
Frank D. Cringle,
Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
Ulrik Dickow,
Dave Disser,
+Joev Dubach,
Paul Eggert,
Michael Ernst,
Luc Van Eycken,
Magnus Hammerin,
Raja R. Harinath,
Marc Horowitz,
-Ishikawa Ichiro,
+Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
Francois Felix Ingrand,
Lee Iverson,
+Randell Jesup,
Fred Johansen,
Thor Kristoffersen,
Jens Lautenbacher,
+Carsten Leonhardt,
Christian Limpach,
+Tonny Madsen,
+Shlomo Mahlab,
Nat Makarevitch,
Timo Metzemakers,
Richard Mlynarik,
Lantz Moore,
-MORIOKA Tomohiko,
+Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
Hrvoje Niksic,
Andy Norman,
+C. R. Oldham,
+Alexandre Oliva,
Ken Olstad,
-Masaharu Onishi,
-Hideki Ono,
+Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
+Hideki Ono, @c Ono
+William Perry,
+Stephen Peters,
Ulrich Pfeifer,
Colin Rafferty,
Bart Robinson,
Ralph Schleicher,
+Randal L. Schwartz,
Danny Siu,
Paul D. Smith,
Jeff Sparkes,
Christoph Wedler,
Joe Wells,
and
-Katsumi Yamaoka.
+Katsumi Yamaoka. @c Yamaoka
+
Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
sure.
@menu
* ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
* September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
-* Red Gnus:: The future.
+* Red Gnus:: The future---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
@end menu
These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
-@itemize
+@itemize @bullet
@item
A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
@lisp
(add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
- 'gnus-article-hide-boring-headers)
+ 'gnus-article-hide-boring-headers t)
@end lisp
@item
New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
-@itemize
+@itemize @bullet
@item
@file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
@item
More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
+
+@item
+Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
+
+@lisp
+(add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-emphasize)
+@end lisp
@end itemize
And much, much, much more. There is more to come than has already been
implemented. (But that's always true, isn't it?)
-@file{<URL:http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/sgnus/todo>} is where the actual
+@file{<URL:http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/rgnus/todo>} is where the actual
up-to-the-second todo list is located, so if you're really curious, you
could point your Web browser over that-a-way.
@node The Manual
@section The Manual
+@cindex colophon
+@cindex manual
This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
-either @code{texi2dvi} or my own home-brewed texi to LaTeX transformer,
-and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips} to get what you hold
-in your hands now.
+either @code{texi2dvi}
+@iflatex
+or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
+and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
+@end iflatex
+to get what you hold in your hands now.
The following conventions have been used:
@samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
ever get them confused.
+@iflatex
@c @head
Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
+@end iflatex
@end iftex
* Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
* Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
* Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
+* Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
@end menu
211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
@end example
-The first number is the status, which should be @code{211}. Next is the
+The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
number of articles may be less than one might think while just
@end table
+@node Mail-like Backends
+@subsubsection Mail-like Backends
+
+One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
+backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
+functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
+@code{nnml-request-scan}:
+
+@lisp
+(deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
+ (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
+ (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
+@end lisp
+
+It simply just calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will a few parameters,
+and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
+mail.
+
+This function takes four parameters.
+
+@table @var
+@item method
+This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
+the call.
+
+@item exit-function
+This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
+
+@item temp-directory
+Where the temporary files should be stored.
+
+@item group
+This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
+performed for one group only.
+@end table
+
+@code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
+save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
+find the article number assigned to this article.
+
+The function also uses the following variables:
+@var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
+this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
+@var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
+@var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
+this:
+
+@example
+(("a-group" (1 . 10))
+ ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
+@end example
+
@node Score File Syntax
@subsection Score File Syntax
(auto-expire (to-address "ding@@ifi.uio.no")))
@end example
-The first element is the group name as Gnus knows the group; the second
-is the group level; the third is the read articles in range format; the
-fourth is a list of article marks lists; the fifth is the select method;
-and the sixth contains the group parameters.
+The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
+anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
+normally is a small integer. The third element is a list of ranges of
+read articles. The fourth element is a list of lists of article marks
+of various kinds. The fifth element is the select method (or virtual
+server, if you like). The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group
+parameters}, which is what this section is about.
+
+Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
+In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
+three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
projects / gnus / blobdiff