\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
@setfilename gnus
-@settitle Gnus 5.4 Manual
+@settitle Gnus 5.4.52 Manual
@synindex fn cp
@synindex vr cp
@synindex pg cp
@tex
@titlepage
-@title Gnus 5.4 Manual
+@title Gnus 5.4.52 Manual
@author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
@page
@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
-Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
luck.
-This manual corresponds to Gnus 5.4.
+This manual corresponds to Gnus 5.4.52.
@end ifinfo
What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
-This variable should contain a function. Some handy pre-fab values
-are:
+This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
+with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
+
+Some handy pre-fab functions are:
@table @code
@vindex gnus-init-file
When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
-(@file{.../site-lisp/gnus.el} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
-(@file{~/.gnus.el} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
-and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{.emacs} and
-@file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff.
+(@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
+(@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
+and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
+@file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
+with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
+suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
+@file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
+and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
+
@node Auto Save
@vindex gnus-startup-hook
A hook that is run after starting up Gnus successfully.
+@item gnus-started-hook
+@vindex gnus-started-hook
+A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
+successfully.
+
@item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
@vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
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 a single dummy
-paratere as argument. The function should return a string, which will
+parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
specifier.
@end table
(@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
-@code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs}, and
-@code{forward}. If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will
-guess at the file type. @xref{Document Groups}.
+@code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
+@code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, and @code{forward}. If you run
+this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file type.
+@xref{Document Groups}.
@item G w
@kindex G w (Group)
followup---except that if it is present in a news group, you'll get mail
group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
+If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
+@code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
+sending the message.
+
@item broken-reply-to
@cindex broken-reply-to
Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
Also @pxref{Topic Parameters}.
+Here's an example group parameter list:
+
+@example
+((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
+ (auto-expiry . t))
+@end example
+
@node Listing Groups
@section Listing Groups
Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
-@item V
+@item H v
+@itemx V
@kindex V (Group)
+@kindex H v (Group)
@cindex version
@findex gnus-version
Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
@item S O p
@kindex S O p (Summary)
@findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
+@cindex digests
+@cindex making digests
Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
-(@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}).
+(@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
+process/prefix convention.
@item S u
@kindex S u (Summary)
@cindex threading
@cindex article threading
-Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put replies to
-articles directly after the articles they reply to---in a hierarchical
-fashion.
+Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
+to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
+hierarchical fashion.
@menu
* Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
@cindex fuzzy article gathering
If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
-use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects.
+use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
+Matching}).
@item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
@vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
-that have subjects that are fuzzily equal will be included.
+that have subjects that are fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
+Matching}).
@node Sorting
(setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
'(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
- gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
+ gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score))
@end lisp
The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
@code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
name.
+Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
+lots of mail groups that are called things like
+@samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
+these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
+following will do just that:
+
+@lisp
+(defun my-save-name (group)
+ (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
+ (substring group (match-end 0))))
+
+(setq gnus-split-methods
+ '((gnus-article-archive-name)
+ (my-save-name)))
+@end lisp
+
+
@vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
@code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
Do all the three commands above
(@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
+@item W E s
+@kindex W E s (Summary)
+@findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
+Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
+body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
+
@end table
that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
+The current select method will be used when fetching by
+@code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
+by giving this command a prefix.
+
@vindex gnus-refer-article-method
If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
@subsection Pick and Read
@cindex pick and read
-Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{nn}) use a two-phased
-reading interface. The user first marks the articles she wants to read
-from a summary buffer. Then she starts reading the articles with just
-an article buffer displayed.
+Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
+a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks the articles she
+wants to read from a summary buffer. Then she starts reading the
+articles with just an article buffer displayed.
@findex gnus-pick-mode
@kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
-higher than that number. The default is @code{t}.
+higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
+have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
+buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
+other windows that are displayed next to it.
@item gnus-generate-tree-function
@vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
+@vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
+@item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
+When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
+it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
+same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
+sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
+If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
+@code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
+any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
+article---it'll be as if it never existed.
+
@end table
List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
+@item gnus-add-to-list
+@vindex gnus-add-to-list
+If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
+that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
+
@end table
@cindex archived messages
@cindex sent messages
-Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail you send.
-The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to store
-the mail. If you want to disable this completely, the
+Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
+send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
+store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
@code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
is the default.
nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
-That's the default method of archiving sent mail. Gnus also a different
-way for the people who don't like the default method. In that case you
-should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil}; this will
-disable archiving.
+That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus also a
+different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
+case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
+this will disable archiving.
XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.
message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
of names).
+
+This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
+but the latter is the preferred method.
@end table
* Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
* Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
* Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
+* Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
* Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
* Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
@end menu
buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
+@node Server Variables
+@subsection Server Variables
+
+One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
+in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
+variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
+change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
+won't change the "derived" variables.
+
+This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
+@code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
+directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
+@code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
+new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
+@code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
+variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
+variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
+manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
+
+@lisp
+(nnml "public"
+ (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
+ (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
+ (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
+@end lisp
+
+
@node Servers and Methods
@subsection Servers and Methods
That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to the server
-@samp{nepholococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
-away from you, the machine is quite, so it takes 1 minute just to find
-out that it refuses connection from you today. If Gnus were to attempt
-to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't attempt to do
-that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'', it will
-regard that server as ``down''.
+@samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
+away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
+to find out that it refuses connection from you today. If Gnus were to
+attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
+attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
+it will regard that server as ``down''.
So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
server.
@findex nntp-open-rlogin
+@findex nntp-open-telnet
@findex nntp-open-network-stream
@item nntp-open-connection-function
@vindex nntp-open-connection-function
-This function is used to connect to the remote system. Two pre-made
+This function is used to connect to the remote system. Three pre-made
functions are @code{nntp-open-network-stream}, which is the default, and
simply connects to some port or other on the remote system. The other
-is @code{nntp-open-rlogin}, which does an rlogin on the remote system,
-and then does a telnet to the @sc{nntp} server available there.
+two are @code{nntp-open-rlogin}, which does an @samp{rlogin} on the
+remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
+available there, and @code{nntp-open-telnet}, which does a @samp{telnet}
+to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet} to get to the
+@sc{nntp} server.
+
+@code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
+
+@table @code
@item nntp-rlogin-parameters
@vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
-If you use @code{nntp-open-rlogin} as the
-@code{nntp-open-connection-function}, this list will be used as the
-parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
+This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
+
+@item nntp-rlogin-user-name
+@vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
+User name on the remote system.
+
+@end table
+
+@code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
+
+@table @code
+@item nntp-telnet-command
+@vindex nntp-telnet-command
+Command used to start @samp{telnet}.
+
+@item nntp-telnet-switches
+@vindex nntp-telnet-switches
+List of strings to be used as the switches to the telnet command.
+
+@item nntp-telnet-user-name
+@vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
+User name to log in on the remote system as.
+
+@item nntp-telnet-passwd
+@vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
+Password to use when logging in.
+
+@item nntp-telnet-parameters
+@vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
+A list of strings that will be executed as a command after logging in
+via telnet.
+
+@end table
@item nntp-end-of-line
@vindex nntp-end-of-line
@cindex incoming mail files
@cindex deleting incoming files
If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will delete the temporary incoming
-file after splitting mail into the proper groups. This is @code{nil} by
-default for reasons of security.
+file after splitting mail into the proper groups. This is @code{t} by
+default.
+
+@c This is @code{nil} by
+@c default for reasons of security.
@c Since Red Gnus is an alpha release, it is to be expected to lose mail.
(No Gnus release since (ding) Gnus 0.10 (or something like that) have
@findex delete-file
Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
+@item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
+@vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
+If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
+the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
+discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
+
@end table
(any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
(any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
;; People...
- (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen"))
+ (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
"misc.misc")
@end lisp
If you use @code{procmail} to split things directory into an @code{nnmh}
directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
@code{nnmail-keep-last-article} to non-@code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
-ever expiring the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is quite,
-quite important.
+ever expiring the final article (i. e., the article with the highest
+article number) 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
@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.
+expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
+message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
+days.
Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
@code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
-will generate a brand new @code{Message-ID} for the mail and insert a
-warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks that this is a
-duplicate of a different message.
+will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
+that this is a duplicate of a different message.
This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
@item nndoc-article-type
@vindex nndoc-article-type
This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
-@code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{news}, @code{rnews},
-@code{mime-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, or @code{guess}.
+@code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward},
+@code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mime-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, or
+@code{guess}.
@item nndoc-post-type
@vindex nndoc-post-type
Substring matching.
@item f
-Fuzzy matching.
+Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
@item r
Regexp matching
(eval (ding)))
@end lisp
-This example demonstrates absolutely everything about a score file.
+This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
+approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
@code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
-represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 ce.
+represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
@item
If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
@lisp
("references"
- ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf@.*eyesore.no>" 1000 nil r))
+ ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf@@.*eyesore.no>" 1000 nil r))
@end lisp
Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
files are applicable to which group.
Say you want to use the score file
-@file{/ftp@@ftp.ifi.uio.no:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
+@file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
@lisp
(setq gnus-global-score-files
- '("/ftp@@ftp.ifi.uio.no:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
+ '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
"/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
@end lisp
* Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
* Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
* XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
+* Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
+* Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolited commercial email.
* Various Various:: Things that are really various.
@end menu
@code{browse}, @code{message}, @code{pick}, @code{info},
@code{summary-faq}, @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server},
@code{edit-score}, @code{post}, @code{reply}, @code{forward},
-@code{reply-yank}, @code{mail-bounce}, @code{draft},
-@code{pipe}, @code{bug}, @code{compose-bounce}.
+@code{reply-yank}, @code{mail-bounce}, @code{draft}, @code{pipe},
+@code{bug}, @code{compose-bounce}.
Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
@code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you overdo it. Adding
functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
-behave.
+behave.
@node NoCeM
function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
(which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
+If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
+not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
+
+@lisp
+(setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
+
+(defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
+ (not (eq 'forged
+ (ignore-errors
+ (if (mc-verify)
+ t
+ 'forged)))))
+@end lisp
+
+This might be dangerous, though.
+
@item gnus-nocem-directory
@vindex gnus-nocem-directory
This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
@end table
+Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
+(i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
+big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
+unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
+
@node Picons
@section Picons
If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
-@samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
+@samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
get a copy.
The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
@end table
+@node Fuzzy Matching
+@section Fuzzy Matching
+@cindex fuzzy matching
+
+Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
+things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
+
+As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
+It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
+means, and the implementation has changed over time.
+
+Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
+@samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
+out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
+adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
+manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
+
+
+@node Thwarting Email Spam
+@section Thwarting Email Spam
+@cindex email spam
+@cindex spam
+@cindex UCE
+@cindex unsolicited commercial email
+
+In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
+and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
+foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
+people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
+lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
+people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
+well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
+perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
+in the end.
+
+The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
+false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
+have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and selects the
+mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
+(``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrouos hair on your toes!'')
+and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
+
+This is annoying.
+
+The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
+@samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
+
+First, pick one (1) legal mail address that you can be reached at, and
+put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
+chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
+@samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
+sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
+part of the mail address.)
+
+@lisp
+(setq message-default-news-headers
+ "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
+@end lisp
+
+Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
+(@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
+
+@lisp
+(
+ ...
+ (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
+ (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
+ ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
+ "spam"))
+ ...
+)
+@end lisp
+
+This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
+@code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
+header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
+(This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
+
+In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
+and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
+header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
+twarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
+put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
+your fancy split rule in this way:
+
+@lisp
+(
+ ...
+ (to "larsi" "misc")
+ "spam")
+@end lisp
+
+In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
+group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
+check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
+citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
+each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
+
+If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
+automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, availiable FOR FREE
+at @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
+Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
+cosmic balance somewhat.
+
+This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
+just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
+spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
+to non-existant domains is yucky, in my opinion.
+
+
@node Various Various
@section Various Various
@cindex mode lines
@table @code
+@item gnus-home-directory
+All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
+defaults to @file{~/}.
+
@item gnus-directory
@vindex gnus-directory
-All Gnus directories will be initialized from this variable, which
-defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or @file{~/News/}
-if that variable isn't set.
+Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
+which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
+@file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
@item gnus-default-directory
@vindex gnus-default-directory
Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
+Adrian Aichner,
Peter Arius,
+Matt Armstrong,
Marc Auslander,
Chris Bone,
Mark Borges,
Kevin Buhr,
Alastair Burt,
Joao Cachopo,
+Zlatko Calusic,
Massimo Campostrini,
Michael R. Cook,
Glenn Coombs,
Ulrik Dickow,
Dave Disser,
Joev Dubach,
+Michael Welsh Duggan,
Paul Eggert,
Michael Ernst,
Luc Van Eycken,
Sam Falkner,
Paul Franklin,
+Arne Georg Gleditsch,
David S. Goldberg,
D. Hall,
Magnus Hammerin,
Raja R. Harinath,
Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
Marc Horowitz,
+Gunnar Horrigmo,
+Brad Howes,
François Felix Ingrand,
Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
Lee Iverson,
Rajappa Iyer,
Randell Jesup,
Fred Johansen,
+Kim-Minh Kaplan,
Greg Klanderman,
+Karl Kleinpaste,
Peter Skov Knudsen,
Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
Thor Kristoffersen,
Jens Lautenbacher,
Carsten Leonhardt,
+James LewisMoss,
Christian Limpach,
Markus Linnala,
Dave Love,
Tonny Madsen,
Shlomo Mahlab,
Nat Makarevitch,
+David Martin,
+Gordon Matzigkeit,
Timo Metzemakers,
Richard Mlynarik,
Lantz Moore,
Colin Rafferty,
Bart Robinson,
Jason Rumney,
+Dewey M. Sasser,
Loren Schall,
Dan Schmidt,
Ralph Schleicher,
+Philippe Schnoebelen,
Randal L. Schwartz,
Danny Siu,
Paul D. Smith,
Jeff Sparkes,
+Toby Speight,
Michael Sperber,
Richard Stallman,
Greg Stark,
Teddy,
Chuck Thompson,
Philippe Troin,
+Aaron M. Ucko,
Jan Vroonhof,
Barry A. Warsaw,
Christoph Wedler,
@cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
@cindex ding mailing list
-You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@ifi.uio.no}.
-Write to @samp{ding-request@@ifi.uio.no} to subscribe.
+You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
+Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
@node A Programmers Guide to Gnus
and general method of operations.
@menu
+* Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
* Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
* Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
* Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
@end menu
+@node Gnus Utility Functions
+@subsection Gnus Utility Functions
+@cindex Gnus utility functions
+@cindex utility functions
+@cindex functions
+@cindex internal variables
+
+When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
+vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
+Below is a list of the most common ones.
+
+@table @code
+
+@item gnus-newsgroup-name
+@vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
+This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
+
+@item gnus-find-method-for-group
+@findex gnus-find-method-for-group
+A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
+
+@item gnus-group-real-name
+@findex gnus-group-real-name
+Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
+name.
+
+@item gnus-group-prefixed-name
+@findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
+Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
+(prefixed) Gnus group name.
+
+@item gnus-get-info
+@findex gnus-get-info
+Return the group info list for @var{group}.
+
+@item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
+@findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
+Add the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
+exit.
+
+@item gnus-continuum-version
+@findex gnus-continuum-version
+Take a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
+number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
+versions.
+
+@item gnus-group-read-only-p
+@findex gnus-group-read-only-p
+Say whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
+
+@item gnus-news-group-p
+@findex gnus-news-group-p
+Say whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
+
+@item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
+@findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
+Say whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
+
+@item gnus-server-to-method
+@findex gnus-server-to-method
+Return the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
+
+@item gnus-server-equal
+@findex gnus-server-equal
+Say whether two virtual servers are equal.
+
+@item gnus-group-native-p
+@findex gnus-group-native-p
+Say whether @var{group} is native or not.
+
+@item gnus-group-secondary-p
+@findex gnus-group-secondary-p
+Say whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
+
+@item gnus-group-foreign-p
+@findex gnus-group-foreign-p
+Say whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
+
+@item group-group-find-parameter
+@findex group-group-find-parameter
+Return the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
+return the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
+
+@item gnus-group-set-parameter
+@findex gnus-group-set-parameter
+Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
+
+@item gnus-narrow-to-body
+@findex gnus-narrow-to-body
+Narrow the current buffer to the body of the article.
+
+@item gnus-check-backend-function
+@findex gnus-check-backend-function
+Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
+@var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
+
+@lisp
+(gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
+=> t
+@end lisp
+
+@item gnus-read-method
+@findex gnus-read-method
+Prompt the user for a select method.
+
+@end table
+
+
@node Backend Interface
@subsection Backend Interface
A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
-information (as is the case with virtual an imap groups). This function
-should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and should return
-the (altered) group info.
+information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
+function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
+should return the (altered) group info.
There should be no result data from this function.
files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
-adapt = "adapt" [ space "nil" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
+adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
eval = "eval" space <form>
("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
(nnml "")
- (auto-expire (to-address "ding@@ifi.uio.no")))
+ (auto-expire (to-address "ding@@gnus.org")))
@end example
The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
@samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
in pseudo-BNF.
+If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
+series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
+
+@table @code
+@item gnus-info-group
+@itemx gnus-info-set-group
+@findex gnus-info-group
+@findex gnus-info-set-group
+Get/set the group name.
+
+@item gnus-info-rank
+@itemx gnus-info-set-rank
+@findex gnus-info-rank
+@findex gnus-info-set-rank
+Get/set the group rank.
+
+@item gnus-info-level
+@itemx gnus-info-set-level
+@findex gnus-info-level
+@findex gnus-info-set-level
+Get/set the group level.
+
+@item gnus-info-score
+@itemx gnus-info-set-score
+@findex gnus-info-score
+@findex gnus-info-set-score
+Get/set the group score.
+
+@item gnus-info-read
+@itemx gnus-info-set-read
+@findex gnus-info-read
+@findex gnus-info-set-read
+Get/set the ranges of read articles.
+
+@item gnus-info-marks
+@itemx gnus-info-set-marks
+@findex gnus-info-marks
+@findex gnus-info-set-marks
+Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
+
+@item gnus-info-method
+@itemx gnus-info-set-method
+@findex gnus-info-method
+@findex gnus-info-set-method
+Get/set the group select method.
+
+@item gnus-info-params
+@itemx gnus-info-set-params
+@findex gnus-info-params
+@findex gnus-info-set-params
+Get/set the group parameters.
+@end table
+
+All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
+functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
+
+The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
+necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
+is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
+the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
+
@node Emacs/XEmacs Code
@subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
all over.
+In the cases when the XEmacs function interface was obviously
+cleaner, I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p}
+is an alias for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs
+it is a function.
+
Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
projects / gnus / blobdiff