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10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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280 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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289 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
290 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
293 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
294 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
295 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
296 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
297 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
298 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
299 License'' in the Emacs manual.
301 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
302 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
303 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
305 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
306 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
307 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
308 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
316 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
318 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
319 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
321 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
322 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
323 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
324 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
325 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
326 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
327 License'' in the Emacs manual.
329 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
330 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
331 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
333 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
334 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
335 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
336 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
344 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
347 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
348 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
349 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
351 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
352 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
353 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
354 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
355 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
356 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
357 License'' in the Emacs manual.
359 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
360 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
361 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
363 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
364 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
365 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
366 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
375 @top The Gnus Newsreader
379 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
380 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
381 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
384 This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v.
395 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
396 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
398 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
399 being accused of plagiarism:
401 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
402 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
403 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
404 can even read news with it!
406 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
407 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
408 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
409 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
410 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
416 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
417 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
418 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
419 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
420 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
421 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
422 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
423 * Various:: General purpose settings.
424 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
425 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
426 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
427 * Key Index:: Key Index.
430 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
434 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
435 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
436 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
437 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
438 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
439 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
440 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
441 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
442 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
443 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
444 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
448 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
449 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
450 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
454 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
455 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
456 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
457 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
458 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
459 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
460 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
461 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
462 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
463 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
464 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
465 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
466 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
467 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
468 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
469 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
470 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
474 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
475 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
476 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
480 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
481 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
482 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
483 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
484 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
488 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
489 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
490 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
491 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
492 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
496 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
497 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
498 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
499 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
500 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
502 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
503 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
504 * Threading:: How threads are made.
505 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
506 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
507 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
508 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
509 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
510 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
511 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
512 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
513 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
514 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
515 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
516 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
517 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
518 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
519 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
520 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
521 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
522 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
523 or reselecting the current group.
524 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
525 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
526 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
527 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
529 Summary Buffer Format
531 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
532 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
533 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
534 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
538 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
539 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
541 Reply, Followup and Post
543 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
544 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
545 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
546 * Canceling and Superseding::
550 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
551 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
552 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
554 * Generic Marking Commands::
555 * Setting Process Marks::
559 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
560 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
561 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
565 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
566 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
568 Customizing Threading
570 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
571 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
572 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
573 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
577 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
578 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
579 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
580 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
581 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
582 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
586 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
587 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
588 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
592 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
593 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
594 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
595 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
596 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
597 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
598 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
599 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
601 Alternative Approaches
603 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
604 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
606 Various Summary Stuff
608 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
609 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
610 * Summary Generation Commands::
611 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
615 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
616 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
617 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
618 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
619 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
623 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
624 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
625 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
626 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
627 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
628 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
629 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
630 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
634 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
635 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
636 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
637 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
638 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
639 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
640 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
641 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
645 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
646 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
647 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
648 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
649 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
650 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
651 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
655 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
656 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
660 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
661 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
662 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
666 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
667 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
668 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
669 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
670 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
671 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
672 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
673 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
674 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
675 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
676 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
677 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
678 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
679 * Archiving Mail:: How to backup your mail.
683 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
684 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
685 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
687 Choosing a Mail Back End
689 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
690 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
691 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
692 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
693 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
694 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
698 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
699 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
700 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
701 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
702 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
703 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
707 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
708 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
709 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
713 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
714 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
715 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
716 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
717 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
721 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
725 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
726 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
727 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
731 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
732 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
736 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
737 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
738 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
739 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
740 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
741 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
742 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
743 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
744 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
745 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
749 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
750 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
751 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
755 * Group Agent Commands::
756 * Summary Agent Commands::
757 * Server Agent Commands::
761 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
762 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
763 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
764 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
765 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
766 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
767 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
768 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
769 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
770 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
771 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
772 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
773 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
774 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
775 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
776 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
777 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
781 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
782 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
783 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
784 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
788 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
789 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
790 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
794 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
795 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
796 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
797 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
798 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
799 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
800 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
801 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
802 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
803 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
804 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
805 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
806 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
807 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
808 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
809 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
810 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
811 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
815 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
816 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
817 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
818 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
819 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
820 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
821 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
822 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
826 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
827 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
828 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
829 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
833 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
834 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
835 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
836 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
837 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
841 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
842 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
843 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
844 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
845 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
846 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
847 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
851 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
852 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
853 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
854 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
855 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
856 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
857 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
858 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
859 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
863 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
864 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
865 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
866 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
867 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
871 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
872 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
873 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
874 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
878 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
879 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
880 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
881 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
882 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
883 * Group Info:: The group info format.
884 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
885 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
886 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
890 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
891 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
892 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
893 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
894 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
895 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
899 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
900 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
904 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
905 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
911 @chapter Starting Gnus
916 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
917 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
920 @findex gnus-other-frame
921 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
922 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
923 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
925 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
926 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
927 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
929 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
930 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
933 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
934 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
935 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
936 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
937 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
938 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
939 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
940 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
941 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
942 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
943 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
947 @node Finding the News
948 @section Finding the News
951 @vindex gnus-select-method
953 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
954 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
955 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
956 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
959 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
960 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
963 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
966 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
969 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
972 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
973 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
974 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
976 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
978 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
979 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
980 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
981 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
982 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
983 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
985 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
986 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
987 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
988 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
990 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
991 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
992 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
993 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
994 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
995 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
996 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
997 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
998 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1001 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1003 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1004 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1005 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1006 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1007 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1008 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1010 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1012 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1013 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1014 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1015 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1016 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1017 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1020 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1021 you would typically set this variable to
1024 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1028 @node The First Time
1029 @section The First Time
1030 @cindex first time usage
1032 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
1033 be subscribed by default.
1035 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1036 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1037 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1038 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1041 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1042 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1043 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1045 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1046 help you with most common problems.
1048 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1049 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1053 @node The Server is Down
1054 @section The Server is Down
1055 @cindex server errors
1057 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1058 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1059 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1061 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1062 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1063 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1064 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1065 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1066 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1067 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1069 @findex gnus-no-server
1070 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1072 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1073 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1074 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1075 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1076 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1077 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1078 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1082 @section Slave Gnusae
1085 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1086 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1087 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1088 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1090 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1091 @code{.newsrc} file.
1093 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1094 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1095 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1096 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1097 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1098 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1099 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1101 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1102 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1103 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1104 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1105 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1106 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1107 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1108 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1110 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1111 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1114 @node Fetching a Group
1115 @section Fetching a Group
1116 @cindex fetching a group
1118 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1119 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1120 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1121 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1122 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1123 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1129 @cindex subscription
1131 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1132 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1133 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1134 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1135 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1136 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1137 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1138 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1139 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1142 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1143 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1144 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1148 @node Checking New Groups
1149 @subsection Checking New Groups
1151 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1152 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1153 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1154 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1155 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1156 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1157 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1158 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1159 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1160 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1162 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1163 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1164 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1165 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1166 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1167 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1168 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1169 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1170 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1171 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1172 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1174 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1175 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1176 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1177 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1178 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1179 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1182 @node Subscription Methods
1183 @subsection Subscription Methods
1185 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1186 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1187 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1189 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1190 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1192 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1196 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1197 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1198 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1199 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1200 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1202 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1203 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1204 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1205 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1207 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1208 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1209 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1211 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1212 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1213 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1214 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1215 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1216 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1217 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1218 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1219 up. Or something like that.
1221 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1222 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1223 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1224 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1225 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1227 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1228 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1229 Kill all new groups.
1231 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1232 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1233 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1234 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1235 topic parameter that looks like
1241 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1244 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1249 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1250 A closely related variable is
1251 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1252 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1253 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1254 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1257 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1258 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1259 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1260 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1263 @node Filtering New Groups
1264 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1266 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1267 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1268 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1271 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1274 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1275 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1276 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1277 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1278 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1279 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1280 subscribing these groups.
1281 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1282 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1284 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1285 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1286 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1287 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1288 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1289 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1290 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1291 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1293 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1294 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1295 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1296 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1297 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1298 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1299 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1300 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1301 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1302 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1304 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1305 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1308 @node Changing Servers
1309 @section Changing Servers
1310 @cindex changing servers
1312 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1313 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1314 very flaky and you want to use another.
1316 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1317 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1321 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1322 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1323 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1324 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1327 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1328 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1329 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1330 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1332 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1333 @findex gnus-change-server
1334 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1335 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1336 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1337 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1338 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1340 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1341 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1342 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1343 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1344 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1346 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1347 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1348 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1349 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1350 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1351 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1353 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1354 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1355 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1359 @section Startup Files
1360 @cindex startup files
1365 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1366 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1368 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1369 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1370 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1371 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1372 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1373 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1374 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1376 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1377 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1378 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1379 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1380 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1381 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1383 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1384 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1385 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1386 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1387 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1388 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1389 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1390 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1391 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1392 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1394 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1395 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1396 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1397 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1398 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1399 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1400 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1401 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1402 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1403 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1404 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1405 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1407 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1408 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1409 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1410 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1412 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1413 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1414 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1415 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1416 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1417 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1418 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1419 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1420 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1421 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1424 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1425 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1427 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1428 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1431 @vindex gnus-init-file
1432 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1433 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1434 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1435 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1436 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1437 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1438 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1439 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1440 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1446 @cindex dribble file
1449 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1450 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1451 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1452 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1453 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1456 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1457 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1460 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1461 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1462 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1464 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1465 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1466 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1467 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1468 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1469 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1471 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1472 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1473 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1476 @node The Active File
1477 @section The Active File
1479 @cindex ignored groups
1481 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1482 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1483 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1485 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1486 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1487 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1488 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1489 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1490 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1491 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1494 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1495 @c if you set it to anything else.
1497 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1499 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1500 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1501 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1503 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1504 you actually subscribe to.
1506 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1507 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1508 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1509 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1511 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1512 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1513 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1514 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1515 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1516 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1518 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1519 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1520 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1523 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1524 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1525 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1526 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1527 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1528 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1530 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1531 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1533 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1534 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1536 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1537 secondary select methods.
1540 @node Startup Variables
1541 @section Startup Variables
1545 @item gnus-load-hook
1546 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1547 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1548 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1549 times you start Gnus.
1551 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1552 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1553 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1555 @item gnus-startup-hook
1556 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1557 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1559 @item gnus-started-hook
1560 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1561 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1564 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1565 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1566 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1567 generating the group buffer.
1569 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1570 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1571 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1572 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1573 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1574 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1575 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1576 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1578 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1579 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1580 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1581 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1582 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1583 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1585 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1586 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1587 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1589 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1590 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1591 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1593 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1594 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1595 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1596 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1602 @chapter Group Buffer
1603 @cindex group buffer
1605 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1607 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1608 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1609 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1610 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1611 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1612 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1613 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1614 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1615 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1616 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1617 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1618 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1619 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1620 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1621 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1622 @c human rights at 9...
1625 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1626 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1627 long as Gnus is active.
1631 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1632 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1633 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1634 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1635 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1636 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1637 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1638 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1644 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1645 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1646 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1647 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1648 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1649 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1650 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1651 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1652 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1653 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1654 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1655 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1656 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1657 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1658 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1659 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1660 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1664 @node Group Buffer Format
1665 @section Group Buffer Format
1668 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1669 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1670 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1674 @node Group Line Specification
1675 @subsection Group Line Specification
1676 @cindex group buffer format
1678 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1679 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1681 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1684 25: news.announce.newusers
1685 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1690 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1691 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1692 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1693 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1695 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1696 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1697 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1698 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1699 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1700 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1702 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1704 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1705 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1706 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1707 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1710 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1711 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1712 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1714 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1719 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1722 Whether the group is subscribed.
1725 Level of subscribedness.
1728 Number of unread articles.
1731 Number of dormant articles.
1734 Number of ticked articles.
1737 Number of read articles.
1740 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1741 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1743 Gnus uses this estimation because the NNTP protocol provides efficient
1744 access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting the true
1745 unread message count is not possible efficiently. For hysterical
1746 raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of unread
1747 messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1748 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the
1749 back end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1750 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1753 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1756 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1765 Newsgroup description.
1768 @samp{m} if moderated.
1771 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1780 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1784 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1787 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1788 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1789 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1790 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1791 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1794 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1796 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1800 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1803 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1807 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1808 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1809 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1810 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1811 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1812 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1817 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1818 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1819 group, or a bogus native group.
1822 @node Group Modeline Specification
1823 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1824 @cindex group modeline
1826 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1827 The mode line can be changed by setting
1828 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1829 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1833 The native news server.
1835 The native select method.
1839 @node Group Highlighting
1840 @subsection Group Highlighting
1841 @cindex highlighting
1842 @cindex group highlighting
1844 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1845 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1846 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1847 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1848 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1850 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1854 (cond (window-system
1855 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1856 (defface my-group-face-1
1857 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1858 (defface my-group-face-2
1859 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1860 (defface my-group-face-3
1861 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1862 (defface my-group-face-4
1863 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1864 (defface my-group-face-5
1865 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1867 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1868 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1869 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1870 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1871 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1872 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1875 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1877 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1884 The number of unread articles in the group.
1888 Whether the group is a mail group.
1890 The level of the group.
1892 The score of the group.
1894 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1896 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1897 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1899 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1900 topic being inserted.
1903 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1904 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1905 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1907 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1908 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1909 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1910 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1911 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1914 @node Group Maneuvering
1915 @section Group Maneuvering
1916 @cindex group movement
1918 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1919 expected, hopefully.
1925 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1926 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1927 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1933 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1934 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1935 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1939 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1940 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1944 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1945 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1949 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1950 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1951 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1955 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1956 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1957 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1960 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1966 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1967 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1968 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1973 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1974 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1975 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1979 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1980 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1981 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1984 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1985 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1986 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1987 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1991 @node Selecting a Group
1992 @section Selecting a Group
1993 @cindex group selection
1998 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1999 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2000 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2001 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2002 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2003 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2004 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2005 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2006 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2007 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2009 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2010 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2011 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2013 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2014 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2019 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2020 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2021 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2022 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2023 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2027 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2028 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2029 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2030 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2031 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2032 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2033 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2034 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2035 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2036 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2039 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2040 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2041 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2042 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2043 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2046 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2047 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2048 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2049 doing any processing of its contents
2050 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2051 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2052 manner will have no permanent effects.
2056 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2057 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
2058 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2059 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2060 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2061 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2062 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2063 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2066 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2067 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2068 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
2069 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2074 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
2075 full summary buffer.
2078 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
2081 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
2086 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2087 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
2088 Useful functions include:
2091 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2092 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2093 don't select the article.
2095 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2096 Select the first unread article.
2098 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2099 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2103 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2104 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2105 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2109 @node Subscription Commands
2110 @section Subscription Commands
2111 @cindex subscription
2119 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2120 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2121 Toggle subscription to the current group
2122 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2128 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2129 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2130 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2131 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2137 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2138 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2139 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2145 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2146 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2149 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2150 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2151 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2152 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2153 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2159 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2160 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2164 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2165 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2168 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2169 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2170 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2171 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2172 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2173 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2174 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2175 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2176 @file{.newsrc} file.
2180 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2190 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2191 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2192 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2193 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2194 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2195 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2200 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2201 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2202 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2206 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2207 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2208 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2210 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2211 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2212 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2213 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2214 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2215 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2222 @section Group Levels
2226 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2227 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2228 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2229 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2230 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2232 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2238 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2239 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2240 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2241 prompted for a level.
2244 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2245 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2246 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2247 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2248 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2249 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2250 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2251 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2252 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2253 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2254 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2255 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2256 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2257 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2258 reasons of efficiency.
2260 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2261 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2263 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2264 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2265 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2266 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2267 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2268 groups are hidden, in a way.
2270 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2271 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2272 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2273 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2274 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2275 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2277 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2278 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2279 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2280 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2281 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2282 list of killed groups.)
2284 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2285 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2286 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2288 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2289 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2290 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2291 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2292 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2293 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2294 relevant valid ranges.
2296 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2297 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2298 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2299 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2300 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2301 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2304 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2305 one with the best level.
2307 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2308 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2309 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2312 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2313 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2314 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2315 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2318 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2319 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2320 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2321 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2323 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2324 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2325 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2326 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2327 to 5. The default is 6.
2331 @section Group Score
2336 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2337 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2338 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2341 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2342 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2343 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2344 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2345 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2346 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2347 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2348 least significant part.))
2350 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2351 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2352 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2353 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2354 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2355 action after each summary exit, you can add
2356 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2357 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2358 slow things down somewhat.
2361 @node Marking Groups
2362 @section Marking Groups
2363 @cindex marking groups
2365 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2366 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2367 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2368 bidding on those groups.
2370 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2371 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2372 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2380 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2381 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2387 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2388 Remove the mark from the current group
2389 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2393 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2394 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2398 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2399 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2403 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2404 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2408 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2409 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2410 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2413 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2415 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2416 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2417 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2418 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2419 the command to be executed.
2422 @node Foreign Groups
2423 @section Foreign Groups
2424 @cindex foreign groups
2426 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2427 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2428 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2429 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2436 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2437 @cindex making groups
2438 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2439 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2440 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2444 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2445 @cindex renaming groups
2446 Rename the current group to something else
2447 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2448 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2454 @findex gnus-group-customize
2455 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2459 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2460 @cindex renaming groups
2461 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2462 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2466 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2467 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2468 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2472 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2473 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2474 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2478 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2480 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2481 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2486 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2487 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2491 @cindex (ding) archive
2492 @cindex archive group
2493 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2494 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2495 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2496 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2497 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2498 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2499 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2503 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2505 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2506 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2507 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2508 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2512 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2514 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2515 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2516 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2520 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2521 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2523 Make a group based on some file or other
2524 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2525 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2526 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2527 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2528 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2529 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2530 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2531 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2532 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2536 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2537 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2538 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2539 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2543 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2548 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2549 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2550 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2551 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2552 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2553 @xref{Web Searches}.
2555 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2556 to a particular group by using a match string like
2557 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2560 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2561 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2562 This function will delete the current group
2563 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2564 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2565 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2566 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2567 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2571 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2572 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2573 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2577 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2578 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2579 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2582 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2585 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2586 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2587 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2588 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2589 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2590 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2594 @node Group Parameters
2595 @section Group Parameters
2596 @cindex group parameters
2598 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2599 Here's an example group parameter list:
2602 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2606 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2607 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2608 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2609 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2611 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2612 is an alist of regexps and values.
2614 The following group parameters can be used:
2619 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2622 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2625 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2626 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2627 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2628 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2629 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2631 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2632 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2633 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2634 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2635 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2636 list address instead.
2638 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2642 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2645 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2648 It is totally ignored
2649 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2650 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2652 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2653 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2654 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2655 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2656 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2658 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2659 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2660 sending the message.
2662 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2663 @cindex Mail List Groups
2664 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2665 entering summary buffer.
2667 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2671 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2672 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2673 of whether it has any unread articles.
2675 @item broken-reply-to
2676 @cindex broken-reply-to
2677 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2678 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2679 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2680 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2681 broken behavior. So there!
2685 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2686 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2690 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2691 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2692 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2697 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2698 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2699 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2700 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2701 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2702 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2703 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2707 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2708 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2709 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2711 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2714 @cindex total-expire
2715 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2716 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2717 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2718 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2721 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2725 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2726 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2727 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2728 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2729 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2730 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2733 @cindex score file group parameter
2734 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2735 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2736 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2739 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2740 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2741 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2742 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2745 @cindex admin-address
2746 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2747 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2748 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2749 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2753 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2754 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2758 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2761 Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
2762 entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
2765 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2769 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2771 Here are some examples:
2775 Display only read articles.
2778 Display everything except expirable articles.
2780 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2781 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2785 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2786 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2787 @code{read}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2788 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2789 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{seen} and @code{recent}.
2793 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2794 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2795 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2799 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2800 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2801 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2806 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2807 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2808 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2810 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2812 @item ignored-charsets
2813 @cindex ignored-charset
2814 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2815 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2816 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2818 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2821 @cindex posting-style
2822 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2823 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2824 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2825 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2826 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2828 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2829 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2830 like this in the group parameters:
2835 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2840 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2841 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2845 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2846 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2847 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2848 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2849 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2853 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2854 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2855 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2856 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2858 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2859 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2860 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2861 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2864 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2865 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2869 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2872 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2873 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2874 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2875 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2876 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2877 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2878 @code{eval}ed there.
2880 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2881 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2882 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2883 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2884 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2888 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2889 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2890 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2891 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2892 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2894 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2895 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2899 (setq gnus-parameters
2901 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2902 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2903 (gnus-summary-line-format
2904 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2908 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2912 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2916 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2919 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2920 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2923 @node Listing Groups
2924 @section Listing Groups
2925 @cindex group listing
2927 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2935 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2936 List all groups that have unread articles
2937 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2938 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2939 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2940 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2947 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2948 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2949 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2950 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2951 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2952 unsubscribed groups).
2956 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2957 List all unread groups on a specific level
2958 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2959 with no unread articles.
2963 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2964 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2965 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2966 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2971 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2972 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2976 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2977 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2978 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2982 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2983 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2987 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2988 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2989 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2990 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2991 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2992 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2993 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2994 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2998 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2999 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3000 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3004 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3005 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3006 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3010 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3011 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3015 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3016 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3020 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3021 List groups limited within the current selection
3022 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3026 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3027 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3031 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3032 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3036 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3037 @cindex visible group parameter
3038 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3039 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3040 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3041 get the same effect.
3043 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3044 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3045 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3046 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3047 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3050 @node Sorting Groups
3051 @section Sorting Groups
3052 @cindex sorting groups
3054 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3055 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3056 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3057 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3058 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3059 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3064 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3065 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3066 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3068 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3069 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3070 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3072 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3073 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3074 Sort by group level.
3076 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3077 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3078 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3080 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3081 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3082 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3083 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3085 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3086 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3087 Sort by number of unread articles.
3089 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3090 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3091 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3093 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3094 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3095 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3100 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3101 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3105 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3106 some sorting criteria:
3110 @kindex G S a (Group)
3111 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3112 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3113 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3116 @kindex G S u (Group)
3117 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3118 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3119 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3122 @kindex G S l (Group)
3123 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3124 Sort the group buffer by group level
3125 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3128 @kindex G S v (Group)
3129 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3130 Sort the group buffer by group score
3131 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3134 @kindex G S r (Group)
3135 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3136 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3137 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3140 @kindex G S m (Group)
3141 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3142 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3143 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3147 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3148 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3150 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3151 commands will sort in reverse order.
3153 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3157 @kindex G P a (Group)
3158 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3159 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3160 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3163 @kindex G P u (Group)
3164 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3165 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3166 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3169 @kindex G P l (Group)
3170 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3171 Sort the groups by group level
3172 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3175 @kindex G P v (Group)
3176 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3177 Sort the groups by group score
3178 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3181 @kindex G P r (Group)
3182 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3183 Sort the groups by group rank
3184 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3187 @kindex G P m (Group)
3188 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3189 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3190 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3194 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3198 @node Group Maintenance
3199 @section Group Maintenance
3200 @cindex bogus groups
3205 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3206 Find bogus groups and delete them
3207 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3211 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3212 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3213 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3214 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3215 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3219 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3220 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3221 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3222 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3223 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3224 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3227 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3228 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3229 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3230 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3235 @node Browse Foreign Server
3236 @section Browse Foreign Server
3237 @cindex foreign servers
3238 @cindex browsing servers
3243 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3244 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3245 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3246 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3249 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3250 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3251 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3252 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3254 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3259 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3260 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3264 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3265 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3268 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3269 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3270 Enter the current group and display the first article
3271 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3274 @kindex RET (Browse)
3275 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3276 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3280 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3281 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3282 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3288 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3289 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3293 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3294 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3295 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3300 @section Exiting Gnus
3301 @cindex exiting Gnus
3303 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3308 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3309 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3310 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3311 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3315 @findex gnus-group-exit
3316 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3317 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3321 @findex gnus-group-quit
3322 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3323 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3326 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3327 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3328 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3329 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3330 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3335 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3336 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3337 trying to customize meta-variables.
3342 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3343 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3344 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3350 @section Group Topics
3353 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3354 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3355 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3356 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3357 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3358 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3362 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3363 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3374 2: alt.religion.emacs
3377 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3379 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3380 13: comp.sources.unix
3383 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3385 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3386 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3387 is a toggling command.)
3389 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3390 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3391 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3392 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3395 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3396 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3397 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3400 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3404 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3405 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3406 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3407 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3408 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3412 @node Topic Commands
3413 @subsection Topic Commands
3414 @cindex topic commands
3416 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3417 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3418 definitions slightly.
3420 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3421 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3422 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3423 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3424 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3425 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3427 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3434 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3435 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3436 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3440 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3442 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3443 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3444 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3445 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3448 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3449 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3450 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3451 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3455 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3456 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3457 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3458 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3464 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3465 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3466 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3470 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3471 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3472 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3475 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3476 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3477 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3478 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3479 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3481 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3482 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3486 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3487 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3494 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3496 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3497 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3498 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3499 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3500 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3501 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3505 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3511 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3512 Move the current group to some other topic
3513 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3514 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3518 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3519 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3523 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3524 Copy the current group to some other topic
3525 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3526 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3530 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3531 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3532 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3536 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3537 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3538 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3542 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3543 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3544 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3545 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3546 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3547 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3548 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3551 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3552 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3556 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3557 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3558 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3562 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3563 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3564 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3568 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3569 Toggle hiding empty topics
3570 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3574 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3575 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3576 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3579 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3580 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3581 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3582 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3585 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3586 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3587 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3588 expiry process (if any)
3589 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3593 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3594 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3597 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3598 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3599 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3603 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3604 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3605 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3609 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3610 @cindex group parameters
3611 @cindex topic parameters
3613 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3614 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3619 @node Topic Variables
3620 @subsection Topic Variables
3621 @cindex topic variables
3623 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3624 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3626 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3627 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3628 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3641 Number of groups in the topic.
3643 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3645 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3648 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3649 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3650 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3653 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3654 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3656 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3657 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3658 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3662 @subsection Topic Sorting
3663 @cindex topic sorting
3665 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3671 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3672 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3673 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3674 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3677 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3678 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3679 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3680 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3683 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3684 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3685 Sort the current topic by group level
3686 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3689 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3690 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3691 Sort the current topic by group score
3692 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3695 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3696 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3697 Sort the current topic by group rank
3698 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3701 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3702 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3703 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3704 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3707 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3708 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3709 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3710 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3714 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3717 @node Topic Topology
3718 @subsection Topic Topology
3719 @cindex topic topology
3722 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3728 2: alt.religion.emacs
3731 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3733 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3734 13: comp.sources.unix
3737 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3738 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3739 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3744 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3745 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3749 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3750 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3751 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3752 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3753 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3754 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3756 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3757 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3758 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3761 @node Topic Parameters
3762 @subsection Topic Parameters
3763 @cindex topic parameters
3765 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3766 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3767 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3769 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3774 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3775 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3776 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3781 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3782 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3783 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3784 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3790 2: alt.religion.emacs
3794 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3796 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3797 13: comp.sources.unix
3801 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3802 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3803 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3804 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3805 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3806 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3808 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3809 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3810 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3811 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3812 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3814 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3815 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3816 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3817 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3818 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3819 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3820 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3821 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3824 @node Misc Group Stuff
3825 @section Misc Group Stuff
3828 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3829 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3830 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3831 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3832 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3839 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3840 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3841 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3845 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3846 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3847 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3851 @findex gnus-group-mail
3852 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3856 Variables for the group buffer:
3860 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3861 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3862 is called after the group buffer has been
3865 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3866 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3867 is called after the group buffer is
3868 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3871 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3872 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3873 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3874 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3876 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3877 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3878 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3879 whether they are empty or not.
3881 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3882 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3883 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3884 non-ASCII group names.
3888 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3889 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3892 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3893 @cindex UTF-8 group names
3894 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3895 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
3896 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
3897 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is nil.
3901 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3902 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3907 @node Scanning New Messages
3908 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3909 @cindex new messages
3910 @cindex scanning new news
3916 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3917 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3918 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3919 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3920 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3921 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3926 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3927 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3928 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3929 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3930 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3931 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3932 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3934 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3935 @cindex activating groups
3937 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3938 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3943 @findex gnus-group-restart
3944 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3945 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3946 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
3950 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3951 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3953 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3954 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3958 @node Group Information
3959 @subsection Group Information
3960 @cindex group information
3961 @cindex information on groups
3968 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3969 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3972 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3973 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3974 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3975 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3976 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3977 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3978 for fetching the file.
3980 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
3981 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3985 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3987 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3988 @cindex describing groups
3989 @cindex group description
3990 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3991 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3992 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3996 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3997 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3998 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4005 @findex gnus-version
4006 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4010 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4011 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4014 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4017 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4018 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4022 @node Group Timestamp
4023 @subsection Group Timestamp
4025 @cindex group timestamps
4027 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4028 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4029 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4032 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4035 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4037 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4038 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4041 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4042 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4045 This will result in lines looking like:
4048 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4049 0: custom 19961002T012713
4052 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4053 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4057 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4058 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4063 @subsection File Commands
4064 @cindex file commands
4070 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4071 @vindex gnus-init-file
4072 @cindex reading init file
4073 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4074 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4078 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4079 @cindex saving .newsrc
4080 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4081 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4082 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4085 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4086 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4087 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4092 @node Sieve Commands
4093 @subsection Sieve Commands
4094 @cindex group sieve commands
4096 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4097 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4098 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4099 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4100 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4102 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4103 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4104 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4105 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4106 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4107 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4108 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4109 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4110 regenerate the Sieve script.
4112 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4113 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4114 is generated. If it is non-nil (the default) articles is placed in
4115 all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article is only
4116 placed in the group with the first matching rule. For example, the
4117 group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4118 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4119 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is nil. (When
4120 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-nil, it looks the same except that
4121 the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4124 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4125 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4130 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4136 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4137 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4138 @cindex generating sieve script
4139 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4140 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4144 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4145 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4146 @cindex updating sieve script
4147 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4148 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4149 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4154 @node Summary Buffer
4155 @chapter Summary Buffer
4156 @cindex summary buffer
4158 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4159 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4161 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4162 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4164 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4167 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4168 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4169 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4170 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4171 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4172 * Delayed Articles::
4173 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4174 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4175 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4176 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4177 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4178 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4179 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4180 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4181 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4182 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4183 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4184 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4185 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4186 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4187 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4188 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4189 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4190 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4191 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4192 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4193 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4194 or reselecting the current group.
4195 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4196 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4197 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4198 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4202 @node Summary Buffer Format
4203 @section Summary Buffer Format
4204 @cindex summary buffer format
4208 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4209 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4210 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4216 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4217 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4218 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4219 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4222 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4223 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4224 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4225 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4226 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4227 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4228 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4229 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4230 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4231 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4232 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4235 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4236 'mail-extract-address-components)
4239 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4240 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4241 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4242 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4245 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4246 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4248 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4249 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4250 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4251 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4252 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4254 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4255 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4256 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4257 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4258 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4260 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%) %s\n}.
4262 The following format specification characters and extended format
4263 specification(s) are understood:
4269 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4270 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4272 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4273 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4274 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4276 Full @code{From} header.
4278 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4280 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
4281 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
4283 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4284 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4285 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4286 may be more thorough.
4288 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4291 Number of lines in the article.
4293 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4294 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4296 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4298 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4301 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4302 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4304 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4305 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4307 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4308 for adopted articles.
4310 One space for each thread level.
4312 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4317 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4318 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4322 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4324 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4325 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4326 default level. If the difference between
4327 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4328 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4336 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4338 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4344 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4345 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4347 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4348 article has any children.
4354 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4355 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4357 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4358 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4359 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4360 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4361 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4362 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4365 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4366 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4367 There can only be one such area.
4369 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4370 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4371 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4372 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4373 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4374 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4376 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4377 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4379 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4382 @node To From Newsgroups
4383 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4387 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4388 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4389 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4390 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4391 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4395 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4396 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4397 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4401 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4402 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4405 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4406 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4409 @findex gnus-extra-header
4410 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4411 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4412 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4415 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4419 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4420 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4421 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4422 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4423 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4424 headers are used instead.
4428 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4429 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4430 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4431 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4434 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4435 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4436 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4437 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4439 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4443 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4445 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4446 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4447 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4448 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4452 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4453 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4460 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4461 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4464 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4465 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4467 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4468 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4469 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4470 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4472 Here are the elements you can play with:
4478 Unprefixed group name.
4480 Current article number.
4482 Current article score.
4486 Number of unread articles in this group.
4488 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4491 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4492 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4493 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4494 and no unselected ones.
4496 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4497 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4499 Subject of the current article.
4501 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4503 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4505 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4507 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4509 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4511 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4515 @node Summary Highlighting
4516 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4520 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4521 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4522 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4523 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4524 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4526 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4527 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4528 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4529 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4531 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4532 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4533 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4534 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4536 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4537 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4538 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4539 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4540 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4541 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4544 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4545 ((> score default) . bold))
4547 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4548 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4552 @node Summary Maneuvering
4553 @section Summary Maneuvering
4554 @cindex summary movement
4556 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4557 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4559 None of these commands select articles.
4564 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4565 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4566 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4567 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4568 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4572 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4573 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4574 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4575 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4576 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4579 @kindex G g (Summary)
4580 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4581 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4582 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4585 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4586 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4587 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4588 to the group buffer.
4590 Variables related to summary movement:
4594 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4595 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4596 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4597 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4598 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4599 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4600 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4601 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4602 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
4603 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4604 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4605 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4606 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4607 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4609 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4610 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4611 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4612 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4613 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4614 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4615 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4617 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4619 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4620 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4621 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4622 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4623 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4625 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4626 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4627 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4628 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4629 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4630 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4631 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4632 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4635 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4636 the given number of lines from the top.
4641 @node Choosing Articles
4642 @section Choosing Articles
4643 @cindex selecting articles
4646 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4647 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4651 @node Choosing Commands
4652 @subsection Choosing Commands
4654 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4655 and they all select and display an article.
4657 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4658 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4662 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4663 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4664 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4665 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4670 @kindex G n (Summary)
4671 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4672 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4673 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4678 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4679 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4680 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4685 @kindex G N (Summary)
4686 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4687 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4692 @kindex G P (Summary)
4693 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4694 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4697 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4698 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4699 Go to the next article with the same subject
4700 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4703 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4704 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4705 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4706 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4710 @kindex G f (Summary)
4712 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4713 Go to the first unread article
4714 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4718 @kindex G b (Summary)
4720 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4721 Go to the article with the highest score
4722 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4727 @kindex G l (Summary)
4728 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4729 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4732 @kindex G o (Summary)
4733 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4735 @cindex article history
4736 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4737 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4738 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4739 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4740 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4741 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4746 @kindex G j (Summary)
4747 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4748 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4749 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4754 @node Choosing Variables
4755 @subsection Choosing Variables
4757 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4760 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4761 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4762 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4763 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4764 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4765 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4767 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4768 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4769 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4770 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4772 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4773 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4774 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4775 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4776 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4777 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4778 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4779 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4780 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4781 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4782 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4783 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4784 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4785 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4790 @node Paging the Article
4791 @section Scrolling the Article
4792 @cindex article scrolling
4797 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4798 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4799 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4800 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4801 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4804 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4805 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4806 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4809 @kindex RET (Summary)
4810 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4811 Scroll the current article one line forward
4812 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4815 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4816 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4817 Scroll the current article one line backward
4818 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4822 @kindex A g (Summary)
4824 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4825 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4826 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4827 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4828 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4829 the way it came from the server.
4831 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4832 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4833 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4836 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4841 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4846 @kindex A < (Summary)
4847 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4848 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4849 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4854 @kindex A > (Summary)
4855 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4856 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4860 @kindex A s (Summary)
4862 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4863 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4864 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4868 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4869 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4874 @node Reply Followup and Post
4875 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4878 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4879 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4880 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4881 * Canceling and Superseding::
4885 @node Summary Mail Commands
4886 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4888 @cindex composing mail
4890 Commands for composing a mail message:
4896 @kindex S r (Summary)
4898 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4899 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4900 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4901 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4902 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4907 @kindex S R (Summary)
4908 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4909 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4910 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4911 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4912 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4915 @kindex S w (Summary)
4916 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4917 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4918 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4919 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4920 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4923 @kindex S W (Summary)
4924 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4925 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4926 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4927 the process/prefix convention.
4930 @kindex S v (Summary)
4931 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
4932 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
4933 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
4934 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4935 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
4936 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
4940 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4941 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
4942 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4943 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4944 Forward the current article to some other person
4945 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
4946 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
4947 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
4948 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
4949 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
4950 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
4951 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
4952 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
4953 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
4958 @kindex S m (Summary)
4959 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4960 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4961 Send a mail to some other person
4962 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4965 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4966 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4967 @cindex bouncing mail
4968 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4969 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4970 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4971 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4972 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4973 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
4974 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4975 very well fail, though.
4978 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4979 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4980 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4981 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4982 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4983 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4984 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4985 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4986 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4987 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4989 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4990 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4991 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4992 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4993 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4995 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4996 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4999 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5000 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5001 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5002 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5003 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5006 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5007 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5008 @cindex crossposting
5009 @cindex excessive crossposting
5010 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5011 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5013 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5014 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5015 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5016 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5017 command understands the process/prefix convention
5018 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5022 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5023 Manual}, for more information.
5026 @node Summary Post Commands
5027 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5029 @cindex composing news
5031 Commands for posting a news article:
5037 @kindex S p (Summary)
5038 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5039 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5040 Post an article to the current group
5041 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
5046 @kindex S f (Summary)
5047 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5048 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5049 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5053 @kindex S F (Summary)
5055 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5056 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5057 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5058 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5059 process/prefix convention.
5062 @kindex S n (Summary)
5063 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5064 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5065 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5068 @kindex S N (Summary)
5069 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5070 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5071 message through mail and include the original message
5072 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5073 the process/prefix convention.
5076 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5077 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5078 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5079 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5080 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5081 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5082 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5083 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5084 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5085 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5086 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5087 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5088 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
5091 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5092 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5094 @cindex making digests
5095 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5096 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
5097 process/prefix convention.
5100 @kindex S u (Summary)
5101 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5102 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5103 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5104 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5107 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5108 Manual}, for more information.
5111 @node Summary Message Commands
5112 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5116 @kindex S y (Summary)
5117 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5118 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5119 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5120 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5121 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5126 @node Canceling and Superseding
5127 @subsection Canceling Articles
5128 @cindex canceling articles
5129 @cindex superseding articles
5131 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5132 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5134 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5136 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5138 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5139 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5140 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5141 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5142 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5143 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5145 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5146 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5149 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5150 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5151 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5153 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5154 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5155 your original article.
5157 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5159 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5160 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5161 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5164 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5165 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5166 have posted almost the same article twice.
5168 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5169 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5170 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5171 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5172 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5173 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5174 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5175 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5176 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5177 canceled/superseded.
5179 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5181 @node Delayed Articles
5182 @section Delayed Articles
5183 @cindex delayed sending
5184 @cindex send delayed
5186 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5187 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5188 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5189 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5192 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5195 @findex gnus-delay-article
5196 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5197 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5198 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5199 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5203 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5204 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5205 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5206 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5209 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5210 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5211 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5214 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5215 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5216 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5217 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5218 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5219 that means a time tomorrow.
5222 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5223 couple of variables:
5226 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5227 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5228 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5229 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5231 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5232 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5233 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5234 formats described above.
5236 @item gnus-delay-group
5237 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5238 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5239 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5240 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5242 @item gnus-delay-header
5243 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5244 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5245 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5246 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5249 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5250 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5251 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5252 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5253 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5255 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5256 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts}
5257 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5258 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5259 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5260 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts} function.
5263 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5264 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5265 By default, this function installs the @kbd{C-c C-j} key binding in
5266 Message mode and @code{gnus-delay-send-drafts} in
5267 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts two optional arguments,
5268 @code{no-keymap} and @code{no-check}. If @code{no-keymap} is non-nil,
5269 the @kbd{C-c C-j} binding is not intalled. If @code{no-check} is
5270 non-nil, @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed.
5272 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to change the
5273 keymap but not to change @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. Presumably, you
5274 want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles. Just don't
5275 forget to set that up :-)
5279 @node Marking Articles
5280 @section Marking Articles
5281 @cindex article marking
5282 @cindex article ticking
5285 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5287 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5288 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5289 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5291 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5294 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5295 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5296 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5300 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5304 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5305 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5306 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5310 @node Unread Articles
5311 @subsection Unread Articles
5313 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5318 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5319 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5321 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5322 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5323 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5324 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5325 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5326 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5327 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5330 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5331 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5333 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5334 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5335 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5336 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5340 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5341 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5343 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5348 @subsection Read Articles
5349 @cindex expirable mark
5351 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5356 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5357 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5358 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5361 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5362 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5365 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5366 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5367 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5370 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5371 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5374 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5375 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5378 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5379 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5382 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5383 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5386 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5387 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5390 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5391 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5394 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5395 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5399 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5400 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5401 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5405 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5406 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5408 One more special mark, though:
5412 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5413 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5415 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5416 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5417 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5418 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5424 @subsection Other Marks
5425 @cindex process mark
5428 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5434 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5435 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5436 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5437 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5438 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5441 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5442 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5443 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5444 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5446 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5447 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5448 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5450 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5451 Articles that are ``recently'' arrived in the group will be marked
5452 with an @samp{N} in the second column (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Most
5453 back end doesn't support the mark, in which case it's not shown.
5456 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5457 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5458 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5461 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5462 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5463 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5464 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5467 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5468 Articles that according to the back end haven't been seen by the user
5469 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5470 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all back ends support this
5471 mark, in which case it simply never appear.
5474 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5475 Articles that haven't been seen by the user before are marked with a
5476 @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5479 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5480 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5481 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5482 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5483 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5486 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5487 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5488 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5489 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5490 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5491 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5495 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5496 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5497 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5499 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5500 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5501 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5505 @subsection Setting Marks
5506 @cindex setting marks
5508 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5513 @kindex M c (Summary)
5514 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5515 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5516 @cindex mark as unread
5517 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5518 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5524 @kindex M t (Summary)
5525 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5526 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5527 @xref{Article Caching}.
5532 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5533 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5534 Mark the current article as dormant
5535 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5539 @kindex M d (Summary)
5541 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5542 Mark the current article as read
5543 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5547 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5548 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5549 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5554 @kindex M k (Summary)
5555 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5556 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5557 and then select the next unread article
5558 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5562 @kindex M K (Summary)
5563 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5564 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5565 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5566 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5569 @kindex M C (Summary)
5570 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5571 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5572 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5575 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5576 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5577 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5578 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5581 @kindex M H (Summary)
5582 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5583 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5584 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5587 @kindex M h (Summary)
5588 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5589 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5590 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5593 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5594 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5595 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5596 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5599 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5600 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5601 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5602 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5606 @kindex M e (Summary)
5608 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5609 Mark the current article as expirable
5610 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5613 @kindex M b (Summary)
5614 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5615 Set a bookmark in the current article
5616 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5619 @kindex M B (Summary)
5620 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5621 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5622 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5625 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5626 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5627 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5628 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5631 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5632 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5633 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5634 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5637 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5638 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5639 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5640 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5641 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5644 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5645 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5646 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5647 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5648 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5649 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5650 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5651 The default is @code{t}.
5654 @node Generic Marking Commands
5655 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5657 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5658 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5659 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5660 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5661 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5664 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5665 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5668 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5669 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5670 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5671 to list in this manual.
5673 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5674 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5675 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5676 article, you could say something like:
5679 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5680 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5681 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5687 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5688 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5692 @node Setting Process Marks
5693 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5694 @cindex setting process marks
5701 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5702 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5703 Mark the current article with the process mark
5704 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5705 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5709 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5710 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5711 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5712 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5715 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5716 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5717 Remove the process mark from all articles
5718 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5721 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5722 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5723 Invert the list of process marked articles
5724 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5727 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5728 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5729 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5730 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5733 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5734 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5735 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5736 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5739 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5740 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5741 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5744 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5745 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5746 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5747 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5750 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5751 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5752 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5753 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5756 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5757 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5758 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5759 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5762 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5763 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5764 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5767 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5768 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5769 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5770 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5773 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5774 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5775 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5778 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5779 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5780 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5781 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5784 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5785 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5786 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5787 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5790 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5791 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5792 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5793 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5796 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5797 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5798 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5799 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5803 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5804 set process marks based on article body contents.
5811 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5812 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5813 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5816 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5817 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5818 additional articles.
5824 @kindex / / (Summary)
5825 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5826 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5827 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
5830 @kindex / a (Summary)
5831 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5832 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5833 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
5836 @kindex / x (Summary)
5837 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5838 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5839 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5840 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}).
5844 @kindex / u (Summary)
5846 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5847 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5848 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5849 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5850 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5853 @kindex / m (Summary)
5854 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5855 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5856 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5859 @kindex / t (Summary)
5860 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5861 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5862 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5863 articles younger than that number of days.
5866 @kindex / n (Summary)
5867 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5868 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5869 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5870 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5873 @kindex / w (Summary)
5874 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5875 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5876 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5880 @kindex / v (Summary)
5881 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5882 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5883 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5886 @kindex / p (Summary)
5887 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter
5888 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
5889 group parameter predicate
5890 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-parameter}). See @pxref{Group
5891 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
5895 @kindex M S (Summary)
5896 @kindex / E (Summary)
5897 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5898 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5899 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5902 @kindex / D (Summary)
5903 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5904 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5905 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5908 @kindex / * (Summary)
5909 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5910 Include all cached articles in the limit
5911 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5914 @kindex / d (Summary)
5915 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5916 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5917 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5920 @kindex / M (Summary)
5921 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5922 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5925 @kindex / T (Summary)
5926 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5927 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5930 @kindex / c (Summary)
5931 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5932 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5933 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5936 @kindex / C (Summary)
5937 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5938 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5939 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5940 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5943 @kindex / N (Summary)
5944 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
5945 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
5946 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
5949 @kindex / o (Summary)
5950 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
5951 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
5952 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
5960 @cindex article threading
5962 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
5963 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
5964 hierarchical fashion.
5966 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
5967 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
5968 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
5969 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
5970 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
5971 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
5972 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
5974 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
5978 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
5981 A tree-like article structure.
5984 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
5987 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
5988 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
5989 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
5990 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
5991 called loose threads.
5993 @item thread gathering
5994 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
5996 @item sparse threads
5997 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
5998 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6004 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6005 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6009 @node Customizing Threading
6010 @subsection Customizing Threading
6011 @cindex customizing threading
6014 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6015 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6016 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6017 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
6022 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6025 @cindex loose threads
6028 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6029 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6030 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6031 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6032 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6033 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6035 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6036 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6037 There are four possible values:
6041 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6042 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6043 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6044 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6045 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6050 @cindex adopting articles
6055 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6056 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6057 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6058 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6061 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6062 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6063 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6064 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6065 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6066 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6067 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6070 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6071 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6072 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6076 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6077 display them after one another.
6080 Don't gather loose threads.
6083 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6084 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6085 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6086 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6087 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6088 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6089 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6090 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6091 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6092 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6093 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6095 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6096 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6097 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6100 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6101 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6102 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6103 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6104 simplification is used.
6106 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6107 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6108 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6109 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6111 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6113 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6119 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6120 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6121 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6122 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6127 (mapconcat 'identity
6128 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6130 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6133 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6136 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6137 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6138 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6139 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6140 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6141 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6143 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6146 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6147 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6148 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6150 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6151 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6154 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6155 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6156 Remove excessive whitespace.
6159 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6162 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6163 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6164 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6165 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6166 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6167 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6168 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6169 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6171 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6172 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6173 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6174 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6175 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6176 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6177 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6178 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6179 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6183 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6184 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6185 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6186 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6188 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6189 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6190 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6193 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6197 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6198 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6204 @node Filling In Threads
6205 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6208 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6209 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6210 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6211 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6212 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6213 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6214 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6215 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6216 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6217 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
6218 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
6219 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
6221 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6222 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6223 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6225 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6226 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6227 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6228 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6229 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6230 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6231 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6232 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6233 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6234 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6235 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6236 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6237 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6238 @code{nil} by default.
6240 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6241 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6242 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6243 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6244 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6245 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6246 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6248 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6249 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6250 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6255 @node More Threading
6256 @subsubsection More Threading
6259 @item gnus-show-threads
6260 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6261 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6262 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6263 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6264 slower and more awkward.
6266 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6267 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6268 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6271 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6272 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6273 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6274 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6275 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6276 threads are expunged.
6278 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6279 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6280 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6283 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6284 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6285 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6286 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6287 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6288 result in a new thread.
6290 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6291 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6292 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6295 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6296 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6297 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6298 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6299 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6300 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6301 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6302 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6303 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6304 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6305 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6310 @node Low-Level Threading
6311 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6315 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6316 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6317 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6319 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6320 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6321 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6322 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6323 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6324 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6325 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6326 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6327 meaningful. Here's one example:
6330 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6332 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6333 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6335 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6337 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6344 @node Thread Commands
6345 @subsection Thread Commands
6346 @cindex thread commands
6352 @kindex T k (Summary)
6353 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6354 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6355 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6356 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6357 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6362 @kindex T l (Summary)
6363 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6364 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6365 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6366 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6369 @kindex T i (Summary)
6370 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6371 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6372 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6375 @kindex T # (Summary)
6376 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6377 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6378 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6381 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6382 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6383 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6384 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6387 @kindex T T (Summary)
6388 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6389 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6392 @kindex T s (Summary)
6393 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6394 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6395 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6398 @kindex T h (Summary)
6399 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6400 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6403 @kindex T S (Summary)
6404 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6405 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6408 @kindex T H (Summary)
6409 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6410 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6413 @kindex T t (Summary)
6414 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6415 Re-thread the current article's thread
6416 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6417 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6420 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6421 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6422 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6423 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6427 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6428 understand the numeric prefix.
6433 @kindex T n (Summary)
6435 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6437 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6438 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6439 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6442 @kindex T p (Summary)
6444 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6446 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6447 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6448 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6451 @kindex T d (Summary)
6452 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6453 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6456 @kindex T u (Summary)
6457 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6458 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6461 @kindex T o (Summary)
6462 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6463 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6466 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6467 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6468 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6469 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6470 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6471 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6472 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6473 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6474 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6475 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6476 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6477 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6481 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6482 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6484 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6485 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6486 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6487 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6488 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6489 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6490 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6491 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6492 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6493 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6494 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6496 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6497 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6498 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6499 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
6500 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6502 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6503 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6504 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6506 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6507 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6508 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6509 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6510 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6511 ascending article order.
6513 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6514 by number, you could do something like:
6517 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6518 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6519 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6520 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6523 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6524 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6525 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6526 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6527 which the articles arrived.
6529 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6533 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6535 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6536 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6539 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6540 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6541 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6542 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6545 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6546 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6547 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6548 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6549 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6550 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6551 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6552 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6553 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6554 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6555 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6556 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6557 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6559 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6563 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6564 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6565 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6570 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6571 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6572 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6573 @cindex article pre-fetch
6576 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6577 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6578 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6579 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6580 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6582 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6583 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
6585 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6586 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6587 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6588 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6589 connection is blocked.
6591 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6592 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6593 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6594 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
6596 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6597 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6598 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6599 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6602 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6605 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6606 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6607 happen automatically.
6609 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6610 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6611 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6612 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6613 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6614 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6615 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6617 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6618 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6619 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6620 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6621 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6622 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6623 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6624 data structure as the only parameter.
6626 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6629 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6630 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6631 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6632 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6635 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6638 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6639 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
6640 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6642 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6643 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6644 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6645 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6649 Remove articles when they are read.
6652 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6655 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6657 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6658 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6659 @c from the next group.
6662 @node Article Caching
6663 @section Article Caching
6664 @cindex article caching
6667 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6668 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6669 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6670 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6671 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6673 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6675 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6676 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6677 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6678 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6679 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6680 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6681 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6682 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6684 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6685 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6686 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6687 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6688 as dormant, and don't worry.
6690 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6692 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6693 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6694 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6695 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6696 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6697 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6698 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6699 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6700 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6701 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6703 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6704 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6705 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6706 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6707 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6708 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6709 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6710 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6711 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6712 not then be downloaded by this command.
6714 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6715 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6716 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6717 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6718 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6719 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6721 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6722 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6723 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6724 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6725 variables, the group is not cached.
6727 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6728 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6729 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6730 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6731 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6732 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
6733 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6734 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6735 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6739 @node Persistent Articles
6740 @section Persistent Articles
6741 @cindex persistent articles
6743 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6744 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6745 useful in my opinion.
6747 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6748 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6749 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6750 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6751 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6752 the expiry going on at the news server.
6754 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6755 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6756 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6762 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6763 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6766 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6767 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6768 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6769 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6773 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6775 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6776 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6777 interested in persistent articles:
6780 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6784 @node Article Backlog
6785 @section Article Backlog
6787 @cindex article backlog
6789 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6790 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6791 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
6792 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6793 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6794 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6795 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
6796 increase memory usage some.
6798 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6799 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
6800 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6801 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
6802 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6803 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6804 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6806 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6809 @node Saving Articles
6810 @section Saving Articles
6811 @cindex saving articles
6813 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6814 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6815 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6816 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6817 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6819 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6820 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
6821 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6823 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6824 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6825 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6826 deleted before saving.
6832 @kindex O o (Summary)
6834 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6835 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6836 Save the current article using the default article saver
6837 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6840 @kindex O m (Summary)
6841 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6842 Save the current article in mail format
6843 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6846 @kindex O r (Summary)
6847 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6848 Save the current article in rmail format
6849 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6852 @kindex O f (Summary)
6853 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6854 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6855 Save the current article in plain file format
6856 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6859 @kindex O F (Summary)
6860 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6861 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6862 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6865 @kindex O b (Summary)
6866 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6867 Save the current article body in plain file format
6868 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6871 @kindex O h (Summary)
6872 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6873 Save the current article in mh folder format
6874 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6877 @kindex O v (Summary)
6878 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6879 Save the current article in a VM folder
6880 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6884 @kindex O p (Summary)
6886 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6887 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6888 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6891 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6892 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6893 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6894 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6895 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6896 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6897 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6898 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6899 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6900 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6901 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6902 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6906 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6907 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6908 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6909 functions below, or you can create your own.
6913 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6914 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6915 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6916 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6917 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6918 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6919 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6921 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6922 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6923 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6924 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6925 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6926 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6928 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6929 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6930 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6931 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6932 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6933 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6934 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6936 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6937 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6938 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6939 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6940 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6942 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6943 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6944 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
6945 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
6946 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
6949 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
6950 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
6951 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
6952 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
6953 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
6955 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6956 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6957 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
6958 reader to use this setting.
6961 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
6962 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
6963 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
6964 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
6967 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
6968 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
6969 available functions that generate names:
6973 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
6974 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
6975 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6977 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
6978 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6979 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6981 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
6982 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
6983 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6985 @item gnus-plain-save-name
6986 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6987 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6989 @item gnus-sender-save-name
6990 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
6991 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
6994 @vindex gnus-split-methods
6995 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
6996 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
6997 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
6998 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7002 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7003 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7004 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7005 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7008 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7009 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7010 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7011 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7012 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7013 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7014 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7015 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7016 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7018 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7019 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7020 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7021 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7023 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7024 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7025 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7028 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7029 lots of mail groups called things like
7030 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7031 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7032 following will do just that:
7035 (defun my-save-name (group)
7036 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7037 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7039 (setq gnus-split-methods
7040 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7045 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7046 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7047 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7048 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7049 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7050 all the files in the top level directory
7051 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7052 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7053 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7054 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7056 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7057 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7058 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7059 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7060 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7063 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7067 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7068 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7069 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7072 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7073 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7074 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7075 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7078 @node Decoding Articles
7079 @section Decoding Articles
7080 @cindex decoding articles
7082 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7083 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7086 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7087 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7088 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7089 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7090 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7091 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7095 @cindex article series
7096 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7097 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7098 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7099 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7100 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7102 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7103 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7104 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7106 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7107 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7108 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7110 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7111 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7112 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7115 @node Uuencoded Articles
7116 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7118 @cindex uuencoded articles
7123 @kindex X u (Summary)
7124 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7125 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7126 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7129 @kindex X U (Summary)
7130 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7131 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7132 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7135 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7136 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7137 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7140 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7141 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7142 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7143 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7147 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7148 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7149 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7150 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7151 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7153 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7154 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7155 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7156 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7159 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7160 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7161 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7162 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7163 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7164 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7168 @node Shell Archives
7169 @subsection Shell Archives
7171 @cindex shell archives
7172 @cindex shared articles
7174 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7175 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7176 some commands to deal with these:
7181 @kindex X s (Summary)
7182 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7183 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7186 @kindex X S (Summary)
7187 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7188 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7191 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7192 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7193 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7196 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7197 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7198 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7199 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7203 @node PostScript Files
7204 @subsection PostScript Files
7210 @kindex X p (Summary)
7211 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7212 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7215 @kindex X P (Summary)
7216 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7217 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7218 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7221 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7222 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7223 View the current PostScript series
7224 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7227 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7228 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7229 View and save the current PostScript series
7230 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7235 @subsection Other Files
7239 @kindex X o (Summary)
7240 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7241 Save the current series
7242 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7245 @kindex X b (Summary)
7246 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7247 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7248 doesn't really work yet.
7252 @node Decoding Variables
7253 @subsection Decoding Variables
7255 Adjective, not verb.
7258 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7259 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7260 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7264 @node Rule Variables
7265 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7266 @cindex rule variables
7268 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7269 variables are of the form
7272 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7279 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7280 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7282 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7283 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7286 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7287 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7290 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7291 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7292 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7293 user and default view rules.
7295 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7296 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7297 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7302 @node Other Decode Variables
7303 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7306 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7308 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7309 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7310 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7311 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7312 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7316 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7317 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7320 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7321 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7322 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7325 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7326 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7327 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7328 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7329 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7332 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7333 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7334 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7336 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7337 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7338 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7339 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7340 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7343 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7344 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7345 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7347 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7348 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7349 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7350 looking for files to display.
7352 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7353 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7354 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7357 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7358 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7359 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7362 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7363 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7364 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7367 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7368 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7369 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7372 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7373 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7374 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7375 decoded articles as unread.
7377 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7378 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7379 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7380 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7382 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7383 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7384 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7386 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7387 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7389 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7390 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7391 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7392 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7394 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7395 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7396 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7397 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7398 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7399 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7400 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7401 simply dropped them.
7406 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7407 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7411 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7412 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7413 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7414 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7415 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7416 for you when you post the article.
7418 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7419 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7420 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7421 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7423 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7424 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7425 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7426 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7427 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7428 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7429 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7431 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7432 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7433 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7434 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7435 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7436 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7437 Default is @code{t}.
7443 @subsection Viewing Files
7444 @cindex viewing files
7445 @cindex pseudo-articles
7447 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7448 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7449 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7450 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7451 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7452 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7453 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7455 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7456 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7457 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7458 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7460 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7461 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7462 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7464 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7465 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7466 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7467 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7468 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7470 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7471 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7472 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7473 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7474 a list of parameters to that command.
7476 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7477 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7478 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7480 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7481 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7482 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7485 @node Article Treatment
7486 @section Article Treatment
7488 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7489 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7490 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7491 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7492 these articles easier.
7495 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7496 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7497 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7498 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7499 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7500 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7501 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7502 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7506 @node Article Highlighting
7507 @subsection Article Highlighting
7508 @cindex highlighting
7510 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7511 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7516 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7517 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7518 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7519 Do much highlighting of the current article
7520 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7521 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7524 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7525 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7526 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7527 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7528 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7529 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7530 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7531 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7532 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7533 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7534 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7535 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7538 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7539 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7540 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7542 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7545 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7547 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7548 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7549 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7551 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7552 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7553 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7555 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7556 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7557 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7558 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7559 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7560 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7562 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7563 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7564 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7566 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7567 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7568 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7570 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7571 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7572 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7573 that it's a citation.
7575 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7576 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7577 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7579 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7580 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7581 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7583 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7584 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7585 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7586 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7592 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7593 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7594 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7595 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7596 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7597 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7598 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7599 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7604 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7607 @node Article Fontisizing
7608 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7610 @cindex article emphasis
7612 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7613 @kindex W e (Summary)
7614 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7615 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7616 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7617 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7619 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7620 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7621 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7622 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7623 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7624 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7625 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7626 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7630 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7631 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7632 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7641 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7642 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7643 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7644 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7645 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7646 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7647 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7648 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7649 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7650 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7651 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7652 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7653 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7655 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7656 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7657 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7661 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7664 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7666 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7667 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7668 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7669 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7671 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7674 @node Article Hiding
7675 @subsection Article Hiding
7676 @cindex article hiding
7678 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7679 too much cruft in most articles.
7684 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7685 @findex gnus-article-hide
7686 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7687 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7688 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7691 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7692 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
7693 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7697 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7698 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7699 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7700 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7703 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7704 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7705 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7709 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7710 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7711 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7712 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7713 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7714 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7715 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7716 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7720 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7721 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7722 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7723 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7728 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7729 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7730 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7731 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7732 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7733 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7734 articles that have signatures in them do:
7736 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7738 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7740 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7741 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7743 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7746 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7751 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7752 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7753 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7754 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7757 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7758 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7761 @cindex stripping advertisements
7762 @cindex advertisements
7763 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7764 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7765 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7766 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7767 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7768 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7769 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7770 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7771 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7772 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7776 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7777 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7778 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7779 customizing the hiding:
7783 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7784 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7785 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7786 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7787 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7788 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7789 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7794 Starting point of the hidden text.
7796 Ending point of the hidden text.
7798 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7800 Number of lines of hidden text.
7803 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7804 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7805 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7806 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7807 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7812 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7813 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7815 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7816 following two variables:
7819 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7820 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7821 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7822 50), hide the cited text.
7824 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7825 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7826 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7831 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7832 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7833 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7834 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7835 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7836 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7840 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7841 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7842 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7844 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7845 citation customization.
7847 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7851 @node Article Washing
7852 @subsection Article Washing
7854 @cindex article washing
7856 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7857 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7859 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7860 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7863 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
7864 articles by default.
7869 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
7870 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
7874 @kindex W l (Summary)
7875 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7876 Remove page breaks from the current article
7877 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7881 @kindex W r (Summary)
7882 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7883 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7884 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7885 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7886 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7887 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7889 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7890 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7891 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7892 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7896 @kindex W t (Summary)
7898 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
7899 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7900 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
7903 @kindex W v (Summary)
7904 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7905 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7906 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7909 @kindex W o (Summary)
7910 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7911 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7914 @kindex W d (Summary)
7915 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7916 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7918 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
7920 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7921 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7922 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7923 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7926 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
7927 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
7928 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
7929 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
7932 @kindex W w (Summary)
7933 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7934 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7936 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7940 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7941 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7942 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
7945 @kindex W C (Summary)
7946 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
7947 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
7948 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
7951 @kindex W c (Summary)
7952 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
7953 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
7954 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
7955 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
7956 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
7959 @kindex W q (Summary)
7960 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
7961 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
7962 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
7963 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
7964 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
7965 readable to me. Note that the this is usually done automatically by
7966 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
7967 header that says that this encoding has been done.
7968 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
7971 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
7972 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
7973 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
7974 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
7975 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
7976 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
7977 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
7979 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
7982 @kindex W Z (Summary)
7983 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
7984 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
7985 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
7986 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
7989 @kindex W h (Summary)
7990 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
7991 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
7992 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
7993 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
7995 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
7998 @kindex W f (Summary)
8000 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8001 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
8002 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
8003 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
8010 Look for and display any X-Face headers
8011 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
8012 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
8013 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
8014 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
8015 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
8016 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
8017 The default action under Emacs is to fork off the @code{display}
8018 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
8019 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
8020 like `compface' or `faces-xface' on a GNU/Linux system.} to view the
8021 face. Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the
8022 default action is to display the face before the @code{From} header.
8023 (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face support---that will
8024 make display somewhat faster. If there's no native X-Face support, Gnus
8025 will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using external programs
8026 from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux
8027 system look for packages with names like @code{netpbm} or
8028 @code{libgr-progs}.}) If you want to have this function in the display
8029 hook, it should probably come last.
8030 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not @code{xface}).
8033 @kindex W b (Summary)
8034 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8035 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8036 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8039 @kindex W B (Summary)
8040 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8041 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8042 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8045 @kindex W p (Summary)
8046 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8047 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8048 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8049 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8050 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8051 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8052 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8055 @kindex W W H (Summary)
8056 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
8057 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8058 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
8061 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8062 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8063 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8064 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8067 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8068 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8069 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8070 lines with a single empty line.
8071 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8074 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8075 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8076 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8077 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8080 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8081 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8082 Do all the three commands above
8083 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8086 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8087 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8088 Remove all blank lines
8089 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8092 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8093 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8094 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8095 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8098 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8099 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8100 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8101 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8105 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8108 @node Article Buttons
8109 @subsection Article Buttons
8112 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8113 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8114 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8115 button on these references.
8117 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8118 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
8119 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
8124 @item gnus-button-alist
8125 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8126 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8129 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8135 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
8136 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
8137 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
8140 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8141 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8142 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8145 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8146 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8147 avoid false matches.
8150 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8153 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8154 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8158 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8161 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8164 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8165 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8166 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8167 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8168 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8171 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8174 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8176 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8177 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8178 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8179 default values of the variables above.
8181 @item gnus-article-button-face
8182 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8183 Face used on buttons.
8185 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8186 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8187 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8191 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8195 @subsection Article Date
8197 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8198 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8199 when the article was sent.
8204 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8205 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8206 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8207 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8210 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8211 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8213 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8214 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8217 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8218 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8219 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8222 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8223 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8224 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8225 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8228 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8229 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8230 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8231 @findex format-time-string
8232 Display the date using a user-defined format
8233 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8234 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8235 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8236 for a list of possible format specs.
8239 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8240 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8241 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8242 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8243 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8244 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8247 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8250 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8251 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8254 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8255 into wonderful absurdities.
8257 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8260 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8263 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8264 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8268 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8269 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8270 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8271 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8272 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8273 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8274 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8278 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8279 preferred format automatically.
8282 @node Article Signature
8283 @subsection Article Signature
8285 @cindex article signature
8287 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8288 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8289 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8290 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8291 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8292 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8293 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8294 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8295 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8298 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8299 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8300 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8301 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8302 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8303 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8304 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8305 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8308 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8311 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8312 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8313 signature when displaying articles.
8317 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8320 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8323 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8324 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8326 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8327 in question is not a signature.
8330 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8331 listed above. Here's an example:
8334 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8335 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8338 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8339 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8340 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8341 signature after all.
8344 @node Article Miscellania
8345 @subsection Article Miscellania
8349 @kindex A t (Summary)
8350 @findex gnus-article-babel
8351 Translate the article from one language to another
8352 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8358 @section @sc{mime} Commands
8359 @cindex MIME decoding
8361 @cindex viewing attachments
8363 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8364 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8370 @kindex K v (Summary)
8371 View the @sc{mime} part.
8374 @kindex K o (Summary)
8375 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8378 @kindex K c (Summary)
8379 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8382 @kindex K e (Summary)
8383 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8386 @kindex K i (Summary)
8387 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8390 @kindex K | (Summary)
8391 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8394 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8399 @kindex K b (Summary)
8400 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8401 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8405 @kindex K m (Summary)
8406 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8407 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8408 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8409 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8410 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8413 @kindex X m (Summary)
8414 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8415 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8416 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8417 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8420 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8421 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
8422 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8423 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8426 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8427 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8428 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8431 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8432 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8433 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8435 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8436 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8437 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8438 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
8439 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
8440 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8443 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8444 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8445 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8452 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8453 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8454 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8455 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8458 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8461 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8465 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8466 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8467 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8468 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8469 displayed or this variable is overriden by
8470 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8473 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8474 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8475 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8476 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8477 displayed. This variable overrides
8478 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8480 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8481 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8482 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} to the default value.
8484 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8485 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8486 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8487 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8488 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8489 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8490 save all jpegs into some directory).
8492 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8495 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8496 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8498 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8499 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8500 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8501 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8502 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8505 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8506 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8507 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8509 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8510 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8511 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8512 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8514 Ready-made functions include@*
8515 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8516 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8517 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8518 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8519 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8520 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8521 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8522 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8523 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8524 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8525 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8526 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8528 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8529 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8531 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8532 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8533 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8536 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8537 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8538 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8539 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
8543 to your @file{.gnus} file.
8552 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8553 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8554 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8555 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8556 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8557 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8558 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8560 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8561 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8562 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
8563 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8565 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8566 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
8567 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
8568 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
8569 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
8570 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
8571 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
8572 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
8574 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8575 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8576 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8577 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8578 quoted-printable header encoding.
8580 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8581 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8582 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8586 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8589 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8590 means encode all charsets),
8592 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8593 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8594 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8601 @cindex coding system aliases
8602 @cindex preferred charset
8604 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8606 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8607 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8610 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8611 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8614 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8615 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8617 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8620 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8623 This will almost do the right thing.
8625 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8629 (codepage-setup 1251)
8630 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8634 @node Article Commands
8635 @section Article Commands
8642 @kindex A P (Summary)
8643 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8644 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8645 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8646 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
8647 run just before printing the buffer.
8652 @node Summary Sorting
8653 @section Summary Sorting
8654 @cindex summary sorting
8656 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8657 can't really see why you'd want that.
8662 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8663 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8664 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8667 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8668 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8669 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8672 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8673 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8674 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8677 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8678 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8679 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8682 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8683 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8684 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8687 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8688 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8689 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8692 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8693 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8694 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8697 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
8698 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
8699 Sort using the default sorting method
8700 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
8703 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8704 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8705 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8706 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8707 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8711 @node Finding the Parent
8712 @section Finding the Parent
8713 @cindex parent articles
8714 @cindex referring articles
8719 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8720 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8721 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8722 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8723 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8724 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8725 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8726 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8727 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8729 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8730 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8731 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
8732 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8733 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8737 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8738 @kindex A R (Summary)
8739 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8740 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8743 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8744 @kindex A T (Summary)
8745 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8746 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8747 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8748 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8749 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8750 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8751 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8753 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8754 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8755 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8756 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8757 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8758 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8761 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8762 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8764 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8765 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8766 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8767 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8768 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8769 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8770 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8773 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8774 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8775 by giving this command a prefix.
8777 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8778 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
8779 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8780 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8781 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8782 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8785 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8786 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8787 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8790 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8791 then ask Deja if that fails:
8794 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8796 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8799 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
8800 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox}
8801 and @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8802 @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder} and @code{nnimap}1 are only able to locate
8803 articles that have been posted to the current group. (Anything else
8804 would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at
8808 @node Alternative Approaches
8809 @section Alternative Approaches
8811 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8812 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8815 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8816 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8821 @subsection Pick and Read
8822 @cindex pick and read
8824 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8825 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8826 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8827 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8829 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8830 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8831 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8832 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8833 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8834 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8836 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8841 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8842 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8843 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8844 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8845 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8846 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8847 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8848 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8851 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8852 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8853 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8854 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8858 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8859 Unpick the thread or article
8860 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8861 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8862 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8863 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8864 the thread or article at that line.
8868 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8869 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8870 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8871 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8872 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8873 will still be visible when you are reading.
8877 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8878 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8879 which is mapped to the same function
8880 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8882 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8885 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8888 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8889 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8891 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8892 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8893 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8895 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8896 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8897 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8898 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8899 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8900 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8901 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8905 @subsection Binary Groups
8906 @cindex binary groups
8908 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8909 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8910 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8911 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8912 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8913 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8914 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8917 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8918 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8919 command, when you have turned on this mode
8920 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8922 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8923 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8927 @section Tree Display
8930 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8931 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
8932 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8933 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8936 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
8939 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
8940 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
8941 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
8943 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8944 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8945 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
8946 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
8947 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
8949 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
8950 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
8951 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
8952 default is @code{modeline}.
8954 @item gnus-tree-line-format
8955 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
8956 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
8957 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
8958 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
8959 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
8960 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
8966 The name of the poster.
8968 The @code{From} header.
8970 The number of the article.
8972 The opening bracket.
8974 The closing bracket.
8979 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
8981 Variables related to the display are:
8984 @item gnus-tree-brackets
8985 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
8986 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
8987 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
8988 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
8989 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
8991 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8992 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8993 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
8994 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
8998 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
8999 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9000 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
9001 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
9002 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9003 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9004 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9005 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9006 other windows displayed next to it.
9008 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9009 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9010 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9011 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9012 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9013 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9014 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9018 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9021 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9031 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9035 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9036 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9038 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9040 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9045 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9046 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9047 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9050 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9051 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9052 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9053 (gnus-add-configuration
9057 (summary 0.75 point)
9062 @xref{Window Layout}.
9065 @node Mail Group Commands
9066 @section Mail Group Commands
9067 @cindex mail group commands
9069 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9070 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9072 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9073 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9078 @kindex B e (Summary)
9079 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9080 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9081 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9082 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9083 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9086 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9087 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9088 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9089 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9090 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9091 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9094 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9095 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9096 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9097 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9098 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9099 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9102 @kindex B m (Summary)
9104 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9105 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9106 Move the article from one mail group to another
9107 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9108 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9111 @kindex B c (Summary)
9113 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9114 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9115 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9116 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9117 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9120 @kindex B B (Summary)
9121 @cindex crosspost mail
9122 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9123 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9124 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9125 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9126 be properly updated.
9129 @kindex B i (Summary)
9130 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9131 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9132 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9133 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9136 @kindex B r (Summary)
9137 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9138 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9139 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9140 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9141 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9142 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9143 (which is the default).
9147 @kindex B w (Summary)
9149 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9150 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9151 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9152 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9153 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9154 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9157 @kindex B q (Summary)
9158 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9159 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9160 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9161 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9164 @kindex B t (Summary)
9165 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9166 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9167 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9170 @kindex B p (Summary)
9171 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9172 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9173 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9174 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9175 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9176 article from your news server (or rather, from
9177 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9178 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9179 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9180 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9181 just not have arrived yet.
9185 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9186 @cindex moving articles
9187 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
9188 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9189 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9190 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9191 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9192 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9193 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9196 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9197 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9198 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9199 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9203 @node Various Summary Stuff
9204 @section Various Summary Stuff
9207 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9208 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9209 * Summary Generation Commands::
9210 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9214 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9215 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9216 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9218 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9219 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9220 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9221 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9222 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9223 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9226 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9227 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9228 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9229 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9230 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9232 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9233 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9234 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9237 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9238 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9239 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9240 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9241 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9242 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9243 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
9244 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9245 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9246 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9248 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9249 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9250 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9251 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9252 list of articles to be selected.
9254 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9255 the list in one particular group:
9258 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9259 (if (string= group "some.group")
9260 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9267 @node Summary Group Information
9268 @subsection Summary Group Information
9273 @kindex H f (Summary)
9274 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9275 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9276 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9277 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9278 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9279 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9280 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9281 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9282 be used for fetching the file.
9285 @kindex H d (Summary)
9286 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9287 Give a brief description of the current group
9288 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9289 rereading the description from the server.
9292 @kindex H h (Summary)
9293 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9294 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9295 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9298 @kindex H i (Summary)
9299 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9300 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9304 @node Searching for Articles
9305 @subsection Searching for Articles
9310 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9311 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9312 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9313 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9316 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9317 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9318 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9319 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9323 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9324 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9325 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9326 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9327 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9328 search backward instead.
9330 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9331 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9334 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9335 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9336 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9337 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9340 @node Summary Generation Commands
9341 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9346 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9347 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9348 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9351 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9352 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9353 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9354 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9359 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9360 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9366 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9367 @kindex A D (Summary)
9368 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9369 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9370 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9371 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9372 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9373 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9374 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9375 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9379 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
9380 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9381 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9382 several documents into one biiig group
9383 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9384 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9385 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9386 command understands the process/prefix convention
9387 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9390 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9391 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9392 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9393 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9394 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9395 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9399 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9400 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9401 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9404 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
9405 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9406 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9407 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9410 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
9411 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9412 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9413 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9418 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9419 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9420 @cindex summary exit
9421 @cindex exiting groups
9423 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9424 group and return you to the group buffer.
9430 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9432 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9433 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9434 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9435 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9436 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9437 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9438 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9439 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9440 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9441 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9442 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9446 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9448 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9449 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9450 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9454 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9456 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9457 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9458 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9459 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9462 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9463 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9464 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9465 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9468 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9469 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9470 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9471 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9474 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9475 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9476 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9477 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9478 all articles, both read and unread.
9482 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9483 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9484 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9485 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9486 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9487 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9488 articles, both read and unread.
9491 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9492 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9493 Exit the group and go to the next group
9494 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9497 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9498 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9499 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9500 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9503 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9504 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9505 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9506 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9507 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9508 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9511 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9512 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9513 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9514 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9516 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9517 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
9518 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
9519 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
9520 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
9521 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
9522 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
9523 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
9524 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
9525 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
9526 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
9527 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
9529 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
9531 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
9532 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
9533 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
9534 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
9535 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
9536 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
9537 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
9538 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
9539 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
9542 @node Crosspost Handling
9543 @section Crosspost Handling
9547 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
9548 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
9549 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
9550 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
9551 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
9552 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
9555 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
9556 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
9557 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
9558 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
9559 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
9561 @cindex cross-posting
9564 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
9565 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
9566 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
9567 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
9568 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
9569 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
9570 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
9571 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
9572 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
9573 the cross reference mechanism.
9575 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
9576 @cindex overview.fmt
9577 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
9578 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
9579 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
9580 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
9581 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
9582 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9585 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9586 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9587 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9592 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9595 @node Duplicate Suppression
9596 @section Duplicate Suppression
9598 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9599 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9600 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9601 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9606 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9607 is evil and not very common.
9610 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9611 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9614 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9615 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9618 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9621 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9622 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9624 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9625 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9626 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9627 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9628 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9629 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9630 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9633 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9634 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9635 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9636 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9637 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9641 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9642 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9643 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9645 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9646 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9647 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9648 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9649 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
9650 session are suppressed.
9652 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9653 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9654 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9655 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9657 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9658 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9659 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9660 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9663 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
9664 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9665 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9666 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9667 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
9668 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9669 to you to figure out, I think.
9674 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
9675 The formats that are supported are PGP and S/MIME, however you need
9676 some external programs to get things to work:
9680 To verify or decrypt PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or
9681 gpg.el as well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG). @xref{Using GPG}.
9684 To verify or decrypt S/MIME message, you need to install OpenSSL.
9685 OpenSSL 0.9.6 or newer is recommended.
9689 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
9690 manual. @xref{Security, ,Security, message, The Message Manual}.
9693 @item mm-verify-option
9694 @vindex mm-verify-option
9695 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9696 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9697 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9699 @item mm-decrypt-option
9700 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9701 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9702 @code{always}, always decrypt @code{known}, only decrypt known
9703 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9708 @section Mailing List
9710 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
9711 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
9712 possibly using @kbd{A M} in the summary buffer, or say:
9715 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
9718 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
9723 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
9724 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
9725 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
9728 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
9729 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
9730 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
9733 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
9734 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
9735 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
9739 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
9740 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
9741 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
9744 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
9745 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9746 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
9749 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
9750 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9751 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
9755 @node Article Buffer
9756 @chapter Article Buffer
9757 @cindex article buffer
9759 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
9760 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
9761 tell Gnus otherwise.
9764 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
9765 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
9766 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
9767 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
9768 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
9772 @node Hiding Headers
9773 @section Hiding Headers
9774 @cindex hiding headers
9775 @cindex deleting headers
9777 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9778 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9780 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9781 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9782 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9783 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9784 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9785 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9786 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9787 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9788 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9790 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
9794 @item gnus-visible-headers
9795 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
9796 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
9797 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
9798 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
9800 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
9801 the article and the subject, you'd say:
9804 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
9807 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9810 @item gnus-ignored-headers
9811 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
9812 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
9813 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
9814 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
9815 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
9817 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
9818 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
9821 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
9824 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9827 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
9828 variable will have no effect.
9832 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
9833 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
9834 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
9835 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
9836 the headers are to be displayed.
9838 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
9839 and then the subject, you might say something like:
9842 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
9845 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
9846 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
9848 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9849 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
9850 You can hide further boring headers by setting
9851 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
9852 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
9853 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
9854 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
9857 These conditions are:
9860 Remove all empty headers.
9862 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
9863 @code{Newsgroups} header.
9865 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
9868 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
9871 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
9872 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
9874 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
9877 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
9879 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
9882 To include these three elements, you could say something like;
9885 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
9886 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9889 This is also the default value for this variable.
9896 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9897 while people stand around yawning.
9899 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9900 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9902 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9903 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9904 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9906 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
9907 @findex gnus-display-mime
9908 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
9909 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
9910 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
9911 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
9913 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
9917 @findex gnus-article-press-button
9919 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
9920 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
9921 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}).
9923 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
9924 @item M-RET (Article)
9926 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
9927 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
9929 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
9931 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
9932 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
9934 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
9936 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
9937 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
9939 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
9941 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
9942 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
9944 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
9946 Prompt for a file name, then save the @sc{mime} object and strip it from
9947 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
9948 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
9949 like. The stripped @sc{mime} object will be referred via the
9950 message/external-body @sc{mime} type.
9951 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
9953 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
9955 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
9956 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
9958 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
9960 Insert the contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
9961 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
9962 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
9963 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
9964 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @pxref{Paging the
9967 @findex gnus-mime-internalize-part
9969 View the @sc{mime} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
9970 viewer is available, use an external viewer
9971 (@code{gnus-mime-internalize-part}).
9973 @findex gnus-mime-externalize-part
9975 View the @sc{mime} object with an external viewer.
9976 (@code{gnus-mime-externalize-part}).
9978 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
9980 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
9982 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
9984 Interactively run an action on the @sc{mime} object
9985 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
9989 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
9990 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs MIME
9993 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
9994 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
9995 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
9996 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
9997 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
9998 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
9999 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
10000 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
10001 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
10003 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10005 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10008 @node Customizing Articles
10009 @section Customizing Articles
10010 @cindex article customization
10012 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10013 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
10014 called automatically when you select the articles.
10016 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10017 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10018 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10019 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10021 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10022 for sensible values.
10026 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10029 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10032 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10035 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10038 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10042 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10043 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10044 regexps in the list.
10047 A list where the first element is not a string:
10049 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10050 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10051 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10055 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10060 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10061 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10062 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10063 considered to contain just a single part.
10065 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10066 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10067 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10068 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10069 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10070 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10071 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10073 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10074 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10075 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10076 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10079 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10080 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10081 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10082 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10083 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10084 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10085 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10086 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10087 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10088 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10089 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
10090 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10091 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10092 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10093 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10094 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10095 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10096 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10097 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10098 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10099 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10100 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10101 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10102 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10103 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10104 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10105 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10106 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10107 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10108 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10109 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10110 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
10111 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10112 @item gnus-treat-translate
10113 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10116 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10117 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10118 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10119 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10120 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10124 @node Article Keymap
10125 @section Article Keymap
10127 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10128 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10129 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10130 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10133 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10138 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10139 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10140 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10143 @kindex DEL (Article)
10144 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10145 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10148 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10149 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10150 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10151 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10152 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10155 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10156 @findex gnus-article-mail
10157 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10158 given a prefix, include the mail.
10161 @kindex s (Article)
10162 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10163 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10164 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10167 @kindex ? (Article)
10168 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10169 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10170 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10173 @kindex TAB (Article)
10174 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10175 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10176 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10179 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10180 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10181 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10187 @section Misc Article
10191 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10192 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10193 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10194 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10197 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10198 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10200 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10201 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10203 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10204 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10205 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10206 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10207 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10208 the contents of the article buffer.
10210 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10211 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10212 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10214 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10215 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10216 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10217 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10219 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10220 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10221 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10222 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10223 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10229 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10230 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10231 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10236 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10239 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10242 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10243 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10244 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10247 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10250 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10253 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10258 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10262 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10264 @item gnus-break-pages
10265 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10266 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10267 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10268 paging will not be done.
10270 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10271 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10272 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10277 @node Composing Messages
10278 @chapter Composing Messages
10279 @cindex composing messages
10282 @cindex sending mail
10288 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10289 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10290 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10291 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
10292 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10293 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10296 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10297 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
10298 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10299 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10300 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10301 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10302 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10303 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
10306 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10307 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10313 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10316 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10317 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10318 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10319 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
10321 @item gnus-add-to-list
10322 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10323 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10324 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10329 @node Posting Server
10330 @section Posting Server
10332 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10333 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10335 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10337 @vindex gnus-post-method
10339 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will post using the same
10340 select method as you're reading from (which might be convenient if
10341 you're reading lots of groups from different private servers).
10342 However. If the server you're reading from doesn't allow posting,
10343 just reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
10344 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
10345 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10348 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10351 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10352 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10353 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10354 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10356 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10357 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10359 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10360 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10363 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10364 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
10367 @node Mail and Post
10368 @section Mail and Post
10370 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10374 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10375 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10376 @cindex mailing lists
10378 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
10379 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
10380 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
10381 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
10382 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
10383 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
10384 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
10385 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
10386 still a pain, though.
10390 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
10391 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
10392 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
10395 @findex ispell-message
10397 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
10400 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
10401 you're in, you could say something like the following:
10404 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
10408 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
10409 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
10411 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
10414 Modify to suit your needs.
10417 @node Archived Messages
10418 @section Archived Messages
10419 @cindex archived messages
10420 @cindex sent messages
10422 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
10423 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
10424 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
10425 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
10428 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
10429 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
10430 use to store sent messages. The default is:
10433 (nnfolder "archive"
10434 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
10435 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
10436 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
10437 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
10440 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
10441 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
10442 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
10443 directory chosen, you could say something like:
10446 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
10447 '(nnfolder "archive"
10448 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
10449 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
10450 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
10453 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
10455 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
10456 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
10457 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
10459 This variable can be used to do the following:
10464 Messages will be saved in that group.
10466 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
10467 message will not be stored in the select method given by
10468 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
10469 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
10470 has the default value shown above. Then setting
10471 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
10472 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
10473 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
10477 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
10479 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
10480 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
10483 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
10488 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
10490 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
10493 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
10495 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
10498 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
10500 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10501 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
10502 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
10503 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
10506 More complex stuff:
10508 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10509 '((if (message-news-p)
10514 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
10515 messages in one file per month:
10518 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10519 '((if (message-news-p)
10521 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
10524 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
10525 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
10527 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
10528 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
10529 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
10530 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
10531 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
10532 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
10533 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
10534 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
10535 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
10536 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
10538 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
10539 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
10540 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
10541 this will disable archiving.
10544 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
10545 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
10546 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
10547 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
10548 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
10551 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
10552 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
10553 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
10556 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
10557 but the latter is the preferred method.
10559 @item gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10560 @vindex gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10561 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
10566 @node Posting Styles
10567 @section Posting Styles
10568 @cindex posting styles
10571 All them variables, they make my head swim.
10573 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
10574 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
10575 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
10578 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
10579 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
10580 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
10581 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
10582 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
10587 (signature "Peace and happiness")
10588 (organization "What me?"))
10590 (signature "Death to everybody"))
10591 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
10592 (organization "Emacs is it")))
10595 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
10596 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
10597 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
10598 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
10599 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
10600 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
10601 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
10602 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
10604 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
10605 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
10606 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header (the
10607 next element in the match) in the original article , and compare that to
10608 the last regexp in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function
10609 will be called with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the
10610 variable will be referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be
10611 @code{eval}ed. In any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value,
10612 then the style is said to @dfn{match}.
10614 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
10615 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
10616 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
10617 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
10618 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
10619 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
10620 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
10621 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
10622 result is thrown away.
10624 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
10625 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
10626 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
10627 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
10628 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
10629 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
10631 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
10632 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
10633 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
10635 @findex message-mail-p
10636 @findex message-news-p
10638 So here's a new example:
10641 (setq gnus-posting-styles
10643 (signature-file "~/.signature")
10645 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
10646 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
10648 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
10649 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
10650 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
10652 (signature my-news-signature))
10653 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
10654 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
10655 ((posting-from-work-p)
10656 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
10657 (address "user@@bar.foo")
10658 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
10659 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
10661 (From (save-excursion
10662 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
10663 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
10665 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
10668 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
10669 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
10670 if you fill many roles.
10677 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
10678 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
10679 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
10680 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
10681 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
10683 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
10684 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
10685 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
10686 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
10687 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
10691 @vindex nndraft-directory
10692 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
10693 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
10694 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
10695 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
10696 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
10697 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
10699 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
10700 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
10703 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
10704 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
10705 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
10706 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
10707 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
10708 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
10709 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
10710 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
10711 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
10712 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
10713 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
10714 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
10715 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
10716 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
10718 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
10719 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
10720 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
10722 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
10723 @kindex D e (Draft)
10724 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
10725 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
10726 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
10728 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
10731 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
10732 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
10733 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
10734 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
10735 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
10736 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
10737 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
10740 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
10741 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
10742 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
10745 @node Rejected Articles
10746 @section Rejected Articles
10747 @cindex rejected articles
10749 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
10750 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
10751 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
10752 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
10754 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
10755 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
10756 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
10757 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
10758 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
10760 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
10761 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
10762 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
10768 Gnus has an ALPHA support to GPG that's provided by @file{gpg.el}. See
10769 @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} to enable Gnus to
10770 verify or decrypt messages accordingly.
10772 To use this correctly with GPG, you'll need the following lisp code in your
10773 @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10777 (setq mml2015-use 'gpg)
10778 (setq gpg-temp-directory (expand-file-name "~/.gnupg/tmp"))
10781 The @code{gpg-temp-directory} need to point to a directory with permissions set
10782 to 700, for your own safety.
10784 If you want to benefit of PGP2.6 compatibility, you might create a script named
10785 @file{gpg-2comp} with these instructions:
10789 exec gpg --rfc1991 "$@@"
10792 If you don't want to use such compatibility, you can add the following line to
10793 your @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10796 (setq gpg-command-default-alist (quote ((gpg . "gpg") (gpg-2comp . "gpg"))))
10799 To sign or encrypt your message you may choose to use the MML Security
10800 menu or @kbd{C-c C-m s p} to sign your message using PGP/MIME,
10801 @kbd{C-c C-m s s} to sign your message using S/MIME. There's also
10802 @kbd{C-c C-m c p} to encrypt your message with PGP/MIME and @kbd{C-c
10803 C-m c s} to encrypt using S/MIME. @xref{Security, ,Security, message,
10804 The Message Manual}.
10806 Gnus will ask for your passphrase and then it will send your message, if
10807 you've typed it correctly.
10809 @node Select Methods
10810 @chapter Select Methods
10811 @cindex foreign groups
10812 @cindex select methods
10814 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
10815 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
10816 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
10817 personal mail group.
10819 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
10820 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
10821 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
10822 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
10823 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
10824 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
10826 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
10827 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
10829 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
10832 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
10833 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
10834 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
10835 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
10836 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
10838 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
10841 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
10842 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
10843 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
10844 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
10845 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
10846 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
10847 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
10848 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
10852 @node Server Buffer
10853 @section Server Buffer
10855 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
10856 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
10857 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
10858 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
10859 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
10860 back end represents a virtual server.
10862 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
10863 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
10864 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
10865 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
10867 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
10868 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
10869 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
10870 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
10871 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
10872 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
10873 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
10875 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
10876 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
10879 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
10880 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
10881 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
10882 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
10883 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
10884 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
10885 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
10888 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
10889 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
10892 @node Server Buffer Format
10893 @subsection Server Buffer Format
10894 @cindex server buffer format
10896 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
10897 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
10898 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
10899 variable, with some simple extensions:
10904 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
10907 The name of this server.
10910 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
10913 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
10916 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
10917 The mode line can also be customized by using the
10918 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
10919 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
10929 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
10932 @node Server Commands
10933 @subsection Server Commands
10934 @cindex server commands
10940 @findex gnus-server-add-server
10941 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
10945 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
10946 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
10949 @kindex SPACE (Server)
10950 @findex gnus-server-read-server
10951 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
10955 @findex gnus-server-exit
10956 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
10960 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
10961 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
10965 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
10966 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
10970 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
10971 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
10975 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
10976 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
10980 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
10981 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
10982 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
10987 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
10988 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
10989 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
10990 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
10995 @node Example Methods
10996 @subsection Example Methods
10998 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11001 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11004 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11010 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11011 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11014 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11015 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11017 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11018 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11022 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11025 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11026 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11028 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11029 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11030 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11034 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11037 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11040 Here's the method for a public spool:
11044 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11045 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11051 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11052 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11053 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11054 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11055 should probably look something like this:
11059 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11060 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11061 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11062 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11065 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11066 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11067 configuration to the example above:
11070 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11073 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11074 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11075 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11079 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11080 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11081 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11082 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11085 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11086 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11087 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11088 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11091 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11092 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11094 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11095 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11097 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11098 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11099 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11101 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11103 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11104 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11105 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11106 will contain the following:
11116 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11117 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11118 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11121 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11122 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11123 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11126 @node Server Variables
11127 @subsection Server Variables
11129 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11130 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11131 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11132 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11133 won't change the "derived" variables.
11135 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11136 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11137 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11138 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11139 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11140 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11141 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11142 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11143 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11147 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11148 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11149 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11153 @node Servers and Methods
11154 @subsection Servers and Methods
11156 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11157 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11158 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11159 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11163 @node Unavailable Servers
11164 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11166 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11167 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11168 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11169 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11170 actually the case or not.
11172 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11173 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11174 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11175 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11176 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11177 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11178 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11179 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11181 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11182 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11184 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11185 with the following commands:
11191 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11192 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11193 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11197 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11198 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11199 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11203 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11204 Mark the current server as unreachable
11205 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11208 @kindex M-o (Server)
11209 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11210 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11211 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11214 @kindex M-c (Server)
11215 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11216 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11217 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11221 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11222 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11223 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11229 @section Getting News
11230 @cindex reading news
11231 @cindex news back ends
11233 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11234 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11235 or it can read from a local spool.
11238 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11239 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11244 @subsection @sc{nntp}
11247 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11248 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11249 server as the, uhm, address.
11251 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11252 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11253 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11254 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11256 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11257 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11258 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11260 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11265 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11266 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11267 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11269 @cindex authentification
11270 @cindex nntp authentification
11271 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11272 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11273 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11274 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11275 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11276 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11277 present in this hook.
11279 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11280 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11281 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11282 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11283 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11284 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11285 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11286 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11287 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11288 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11289 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11290 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11294 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11297 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11299 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11300 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
11301 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
11302 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
11303 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
11304 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
11305 @samp{force} is explained below.
11309 Here's an example file:
11312 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
11313 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
11316 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
11317 have to be first, for instance.
11319 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
11320 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
11321 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
11322 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
11323 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
11324 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
11325 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
11327 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
11328 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
11334 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
11335 previously mentioned.
11337 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
11339 @item nntp-server-action-alist
11340 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
11341 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
11342 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
11343 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
11346 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
11347 '(("innd" (ding))))
11350 You probably don't want to do that, though.
11352 The default value is
11355 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
11356 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
11357 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
11360 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
11361 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
11363 @item nntp-maximum-request
11364 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
11365 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
11366 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
11367 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
11368 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
11369 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
11370 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
11372 @item nntp-connection-timeout
11373 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
11374 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
11375 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
11376 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
11377 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
11378 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
11379 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
11380 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
11381 no timeouts are done.
11383 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
11384 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
11385 @c @cindex PPP connections
11386 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
11387 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
11388 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
11389 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
11390 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
11391 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
11392 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
11393 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
11394 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
11395 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
11397 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
11398 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
11399 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
11400 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
11401 @c described above.
11403 @item nntp-server-hook
11404 @vindex nntp-server-hook
11405 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
11408 @item nntp-buggy-select
11409 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
11410 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
11412 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
11413 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
11414 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
11415 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
11418 @item nntp-xover-commands
11419 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
11422 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
11423 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
11427 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
11428 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
11429 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
11430 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
11431 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
11432 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
11433 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
11434 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
11435 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
11436 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
11437 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
11439 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
11440 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
11441 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
11443 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11444 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11445 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
11446 server closes connection.
11448 @item nntp-record-commands
11449 @vindex nntp-record-commands
11450 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
11451 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
11452 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
11453 that doesn't seem to work.
11455 @item nntp-open-connection-function
11456 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
11457 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
11458 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
11459 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
11460 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
11461 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
11462 indirect ones (two pre-made).
11464 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
11465 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
11466 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
11467 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
11468 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
11469 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
11470 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
11473 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
11478 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
11479 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
11480 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
11484 @node Direct Functions
11485 @subsubsection Direct Functions
11486 @cindex direct connection functions
11488 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
11489 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
11490 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
11491 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11494 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
11495 @item nntp-open-network-stream
11496 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
11499 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
11500 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
11501 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
11502 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
11503 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
11504 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
11505 define a server as follows:
11508 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
11510 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
11512 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
11513 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
11514 (nntp-port-number "snews")
11515 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
11518 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
11519 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
11520 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
11521 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
11522 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
11523 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
11524 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
11525 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
11529 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11530 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
11531 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
11534 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
11535 session, which is not a good idea.
11539 @node Indirect Functions
11540 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
11541 @cindex indirect connection functions
11543 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
11544 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
11545 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
11546 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
11547 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
11548 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11551 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11552 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11553 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
11554 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
11555 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
11557 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11560 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
11561 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
11562 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
11563 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
11566 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11567 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11568 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
11569 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
11571 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11574 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
11575 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
11576 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
11579 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
11580 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
11581 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
11582 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
11584 @item nntp-via-user-password
11585 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
11586 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
11588 @item nntp-via-envuser
11589 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
11590 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
11591 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
11592 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
11594 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
11595 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
11596 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
11597 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
11604 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
11609 @item nntp-via-user-name
11610 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
11611 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
11613 @item nntp-via-address
11614 @vindex nntp-via-address
11615 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
11620 @node Common Variables
11621 @subsubsection Common Variables
11623 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
11624 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
11629 @item nntp-pre-command
11630 @vindex nntp-pre-command
11631 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
11632 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
11633 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
11634 wrapper for instance.
11637 @vindex nntp-address
11638 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
11640 @item nntp-port-number
11641 @vindex nntp-port-number
11642 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
11644 @item nntp-end-of-line
11645 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
11646 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
11647 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
11648 using a non native connection function.
11650 @item nntp-telnet-command
11651 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
11652 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
11653 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
11654 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
11656 @item nntp-telnet-switches
11657 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
11658 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
11665 @subsection News Spool
11669 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
11670 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
11671 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
11674 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
11675 anything else) as the address.
11677 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
11678 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
11679 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
11680 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
11684 @item nnspool-inews-program
11685 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
11686 Program used to post an article.
11688 @item nnspool-inews-switches
11689 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
11690 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
11692 @item nnspool-spool-directory
11693 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
11694 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
11695 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
11697 @item nnspool-nov-directory
11698 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
11699 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
11700 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
11702 @item nnspool-lib-dir
11703 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
11704 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
11706 @item nnspool-active-file
11707 @vindex nnspool-active-file
11708 The path to the active file.
11710 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
11711 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
11712 The path to the group descriptions file.
11714 @item nnspool-history-file
11715 @vindex nnspool-history-file
11716 The path to the news history file.
11718 @item nnspool-active-times-file
11719 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
11720 The path to the active date file.
11722 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
11723 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
11724 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
11727 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11728 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11730 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
11731 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
11732 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
11738 @section Getting Mail
11739 @cindex reading mail
11742 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
11746 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
11747 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
11748 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
11749 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
11750 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
11751 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
11752 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
11753 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
11754 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
11755 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
11756 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
11757 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
11758 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
11759 * Archiving Mail:: How to backup your mail.
11763 @node Mail in a Newsreader
11764 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
11766 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
11767 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
11768 of a culture shock.
11770 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
11771 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
11773 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
11774 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
11775 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
11776 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
11778 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
11780 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
11781 deleted? How awful!
11783 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
11784 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
11785 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
11786 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
11789 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
11790 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
11791 they want to treat a message.
11793 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
11794 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
11795 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
11796 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
11797 archived somewhere else.
11799 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
11800 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
11801 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
11802 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
11803 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
11805 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
11806 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
11807 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
11809 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
11810 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
11813 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
11814 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
11815 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
11816 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
11817 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
11819 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
11820 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
11821 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
11822 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
11823 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
11824 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
11828 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
11829 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
11831 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
11832 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
11833 and things will happen automatically.
11835 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
11836 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
11839 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
11842 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
11843 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
11844 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
11845 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
11846 like any other group.
11848 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
11851 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11852 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11853 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11857 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
11858 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
11859 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
11862 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
11863 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
11864 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
11867 @node Splitting Mail
11868 @subsection Splitting Mail
11869 @cindex splitting mail
11870 @cindex mail splitting
11872 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
11873 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
11874 to be split into groups.
11877 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11878 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11879 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11880 ("mail.other" "")))
11883 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
11884 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
11885 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
11886 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
11887 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
11888 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
11889 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
11892 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
11895 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
11896 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
11897 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
11898 mail belongs in that group.
11900 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
11901 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
11902 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
11903 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
11904 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
11905 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
11907 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
11908 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
11909 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
11910 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
11911 thinks should carry this mail message.
11913 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
11914 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
11915 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
11916 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
11918 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
11919 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
11920 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
11921 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
11922 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
11924 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
11927 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
11928 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
11929 links. If that's the case for you, set
11930 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
11931 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
11933 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
11934 @kindex nnmail-split-history
11935 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
11936 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
11937 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
11938 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
11941 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
11942 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
11943 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
11944 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
11945 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
11946 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
11947 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
11948 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
11949 month's rent money.
11953 @subsection Mail Sources
11955 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
11956 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
11960 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
11961 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
11962 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
11966 @node Mail Source Specifiers
11967 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
11969 @cindex mail server
11972 @cindex mail source
11974 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
11975 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
11980 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
11983 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
11984 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
11985 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
11988 The following mail source types are available:
11992 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
11998 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
11999 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
12002 An example file mail source:
12005 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12008 Or using the default path:
12014 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12015 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12016 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12019 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12023 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12026 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12030 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12033 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12035 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12038 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12042 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
12043 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
12044 That is, mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in the
12045 group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12046 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12047 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus
12048 to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you
12049 want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12055 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12059 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12063 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12064 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12065 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12066 predicate are considered.
12070 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12074 An example directory mail source:
12077 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
12082 Get mail from a POP server.
12088 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
12089 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12092 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
12093 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
12094 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
12095 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
12096 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
12099 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
12103 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
12107 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
12108 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
12111 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12114 The valid format specifier characters are:
12118 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12119 included in this string.
12122 The name of the server.
12125 The port number of the server.
12128 The user name to use.
12131 The password to use.
12134 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12135 corresponding keywords.
12138 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12139 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12142 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12143 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12146 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
12147 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
12150 @item :authentication
12151 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
12152 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
12157 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
12158 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
12160 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
12161 default user name, and default fetcher:
12167 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
12170 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
12171 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
12174 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
12177 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
12181 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
12182 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
12183 contains exactly one mail.
12189 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12190 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12193 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12194 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12196 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12197 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12198 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
12201 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
12202 from locking problems).
12206 Two example maildir mail sources:
12209 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
12210 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
12214 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
12219 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
12220 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
12221 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
12222 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
12225 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
12226 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
12232 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
12233 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12236 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12237 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
12240 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
12244 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
12248 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
12249 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
12250 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
12251 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
12253 @item :authentication
12254 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
12255 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
12256 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
12257 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
12260 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
12261 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
12262 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
12268 The valid format specifier characters are:
12272 The name of the server.
12275 User name from `imap-default-user'.
12278 The port number of the server.
12281 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12282 corresponding keywords.
12285 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
12286 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
12289 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
12290 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
12291 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
12292 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
12293 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
12294 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
12297 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
12298 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
12299 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
12300 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
12303 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
12304 after finishing the fetch.
12308 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
12311 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
12313 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
12317 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
12318 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
12320 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
12323 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
12324 required for url "4.0pre.46".
12326 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
12332 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
12333 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
12336 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
12340 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
12344 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
12345 folder after finishing the fetch.
12349 An example webmail source:
12352 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
12354 :password "secret")
12359 @item Common Keywords
12360 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
12366 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
12367 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
12371 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
12376 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
12377 useful when you use local mail and news.
12382 @subsubsection Function Interface
12384 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
12385 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
12386 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
12387 consider the following mail-source setting:
12390 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
12391 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
12394 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
12395 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
12396 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
12397 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
12398 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
12400 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
12403 @node Mail Source Customization
12404 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
12406 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
12407 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
12411 @item mail-source-crash-box
12412 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
12413 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
12414 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
12416 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
12417 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
12418 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
12420 @item mail-source-directory
12421 @vindex mail-source-directory
12422 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
12423 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
12424 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
12427 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12428 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12429 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
12430 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
12431 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
12432 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
12434 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
12435 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
12436 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
12438 @item mail-source-movemail-program
12439 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
12440 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
12441 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
12446 @node Fetching Mail
12447 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
12449 @vindex mail-sources
12450 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
12451 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
12452 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
12453 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
12455 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
12456 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
12459 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
12460 mail server, you'd say something like:
12465 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12466 :password "secret")))
12469 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
12473 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
12474 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12477 :password "secret")))
12481 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
12482 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
12483 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
12484 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
12485 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
12486 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
12490 @node Mail Back End Variables
12491 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
12493 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
12497 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12498 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12499 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
12500 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
12502 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
12503 @item nnmail-split-hook
12504 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
12505 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
12506 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
12507 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
12508 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
12509 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
12510 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
12511 in the buffer will show up in any files.
12512 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
12515 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12516 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12517 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12518 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12519 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
12520 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
12521 starting to handle the new mail) and
12522 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
12523 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
12524 default file modes the new mail files get:
12527 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12528 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
12530 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12531 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
12534 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
12535 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
12536 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
12537 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
12538 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
12539 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
12540 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
12542 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
12543 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
12544 @findex delete-file
12545 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
12547 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12548 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12549 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
12550 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
12551 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
12556 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
12557 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
12558 @cindex mail splitting
12559 @cindex fancy mail splitting
12561 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
12562 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
12563 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
12564 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
12565 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
12566 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
12568 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
12571 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
12572 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
12573 ;; from real errors.
12574 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
12576 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
12577 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
12578 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
12579 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
12580 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
12581 ;; Other mailing lists...
12582 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
12583 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
12584 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
12585 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
12586 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
12587 ;; message was really cross-posted.
12588 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
12589 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
12591 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
12592 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
12596 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
12597 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
12598 the five possible split syntaxes:
12603 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
12604 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
12608 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
12609 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
12610 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
12611 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
12612 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
12613 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
12614 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
12615 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
12618 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12619 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
12620 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
12621 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
12624 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12625 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
12628 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
12629 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
12632 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
12633 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
12634 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
12635 function should return a @var{split}.
12638 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
12639 body of the messages:
12642 (defun split-on-body ()
12644 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
12645 (goto-char (point-min))
12646 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
12650 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
12651 when the @code{:} function is run.
12654 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12655 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
12656 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
12660 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
12664 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
12665 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
12666 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
12667 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
12668 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
12670 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
12671 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
12672 are expanded as specified by the variable
12673 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
12674 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
12677 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
12678 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
12679 when all this splitting is performed.
12681 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
12682 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
12683 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
12686 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
12689 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
12690 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
12692 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
12693 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
12694 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
12695 groupings 1 through 9.
12697 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
12698 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
12699 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
12700 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
12701 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
12702 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
12703 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
12704 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
12705 it once per thread.
12707 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
12708 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
12709 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
12712 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12713 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
12714 ;; other splits go here
12718 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
12719 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
12720 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
12721 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
12722 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
12723 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
12724 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
12725 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
12726 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
12727 unless the group name matches the regexp
12728 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
12729 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
12730 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
12731 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
12732 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12733 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
12734 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
12735 messages goes into the new group.
12738 @node Group Mail Splitting
12739 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
12740 @cindex mail splitting
12741 @cindex group mail splitting
12743 @findex gnus-group-split
12744 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
12745 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
12746 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
12747 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
12748 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
12749 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
12750 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
12751 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
12753 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
12754 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
12755 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
12756 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
12758 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
12759 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
12760 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
12761 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
12762 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
12763 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
12764 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
12766 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
12767 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
12768 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
12769 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
12770 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
12771 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
12772 @code{gnus-group-split}.
12774 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
12775 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
12776 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
12777 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
12778 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
12779 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
12780 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
12781 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
12782 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
12783 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
12784 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
12785 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
12786 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
12788 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
12793 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
12794 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
12796 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
12797 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
12798 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
12799 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
12801 ((split-spec . catch-all))
12804 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
12805 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
12806 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
12809 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
12810 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
12811 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
12815 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
12816 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
12817 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
12821 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
12824 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
12825 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
12826 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
12827 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
12828 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
12829 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
12830 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
12831 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
12832 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
12834 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
12835 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
12836 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
12837 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
12838 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
12839 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
12840 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
12841 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
12842 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
12844 @findex gnus-group-split-update
12845 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
12846 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
12847 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
12848 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
12849 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
12852 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
12855 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
12856 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
12857 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
12858 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
12859 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
12862 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
12863 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
12864 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
12865 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
12867 @node Incorporating Old Mail
12868 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
12869 @cindex incorporating old mail
12870 @cindex import old mail
12872 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
12873 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
12874 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
12877 Doing so can be quite easy.
12879 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
12880 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
12881 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
12882 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
12883 your @code{nnml} groups.
12889 Go to the group buffer.
12892 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
12893 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12896 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
12899 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
12900 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
12903 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
12904 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
12907 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
12908 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
12909 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
12910 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
12911 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
12913 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
12914 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
12915 using the new mail back end.
12918 @node Expiring Mail
12919 @subsection Expiring Mail
12920 @cindex article expiry
12922 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
12923 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
12924 different approach to mail reading.
12926 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
12927 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
12928 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
12929 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
12930 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
12931 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
12934 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
12935 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
12936 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
12937 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
12938 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
12939 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
12940 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
12941 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
12943 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12944 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
12945 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
12946 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
12947 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
12948 column in the summary buffer.
12950 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
12951 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
12952 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
12953 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
12956 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
12958 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
12959 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
12960 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
12963 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
12964 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
12965 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
12966 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
12967 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
12969 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
12970 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
12973 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12974 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
12977 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
12978 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
12980 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
12981 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
12982 don't really mix very well.
12984 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
12985 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
12986 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
12987 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
12990 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
12991 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
12992 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
12993 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
12996 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12998 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13000 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13002 ((string= group "mail.junk")
13004 ((string= group "important")
13010 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
13011 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
13013 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
13014 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
13015 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
13018 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
13019 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13021 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
13022 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
13023 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them to
13024 other groups instead of deleting them. The variable @code{nnmail-expiry-target}
13025 (and the @code{expiry-target} group parameter) controls this. The
13026 variable supplies a default value for all groups, which can be
13027 overridden for specific groups by the group parameter.
13028 default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a string (which
13029 should be the name of the group the message should be moved to), or a
13030 function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to the message in
13031 question, and with the name of the group being moved from as its
13032 parameter) which should return a target -- either a group name or
13035 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
13037 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
13041 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
13042 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
13043 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
13044 easier for procmail users.
13046 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
13047 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
13048 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
13049 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
13050 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
13051 caution. Even more dangerous is the
13052 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
13053 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
13054 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
13055 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
13056 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
13057 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
13058 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
13061 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
13063 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
13064 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
13065 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
13066 auto-expire turned on.
13070 @subsection Washing Mail
13071 @cindex mail washing
13072 @cindex list server brain damage
13073 @cindex incoming mail treatment
13075 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
13076 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
13077 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
13078 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
13079 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
13080 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
13082 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
13083 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
13084 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
13087 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
13088 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
13089 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
13090 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
13093 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13094 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13095 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
13096 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
13097 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
13100 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13101 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13102 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
13103 Emacs running on MS machines.
13107 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13108 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13109 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
13110 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
13113 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13114 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13115 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
13116 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
13118 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13119 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13120 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
13121 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
13122 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
13123 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
13124 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
13127 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
13128 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
13131 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
13132 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
13135 This can also be done non-destructively with
13136 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
13138 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
13139 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
13140 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
13142 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13143 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13145 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
13146 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
13147 @code{References} headers.
13151 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13152 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13153 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
13157 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
13158 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
13159 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
13166 @subsection Duplicates
13168 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
13169 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
13170 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
13171 @cindex duplicate mails
13172 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
13173 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
13174 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
13175 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
13176 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
13177 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
13178 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
13179 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
13180 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
13181 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
13182 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
13183 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
13184 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
13186 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
13187 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
13188 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
13189 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
13191 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
13194 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
13195 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
13199 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13200 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
13201 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
13202 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
13203 (any mail "mail.misc")
13210 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13211 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
13216 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
13217 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
13218 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
13219 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
13220 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
13223 @node Not Reading Mail
13224 @subsection Not Reading Mail
13226 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
13227 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
13228 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
13230 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
13231 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
13232 mail, which should help.
13234 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13235 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13236 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13237 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13238 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13239 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
13240 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
13241 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
13242 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
13243 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
13244 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
13246 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
13247 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
13251 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
13252 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
13254 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
13255 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
13256 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
13258 There are five different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
13259 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
13260 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
13261 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
13264 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
13265 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
13266 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
13267 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
13268 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
13269 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
13273 @node Unix Mail Box
13274 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
13276 @cindex unix mail box
13278 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13279 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13280 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
13281 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
13282 which group it belongs in.
13284 Virtual server settings:
13287 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
13288 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
13289 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
13292 @item nnmbox-active-file
13293 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
13294 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
13295 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
13297 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
13298 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
13299 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
13300 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
13305 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
13309 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13310 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13311 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
13312 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
13313 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
13315 Virtual server settings:
13318 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
13319 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
13320 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
13322 @item nnbabyl-active-file
13323 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
13324 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
13325 @file{~/.rmail-active}
13327 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13328 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
13329 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
13335 @subsubsection Mail Spool
13337 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
13339 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
13340 format. It should be used with some caution.
13342 @vindex nnml-directory
13343 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
13344 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
13345 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
13346 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
13348 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
13351 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
13352 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
13353 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
13354 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
13355 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
13356 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
13357 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
13358 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
13360 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
13361 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
13362 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
13363 back end when it comes to reading mail.
13365 @cindex self contained nnml servers
13366 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
13367 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13368 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13369 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
13370 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
13371 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
13372 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
13373 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
13376 Virtual server settings:
13379 @item nnml-directory
13380 @vindex nnml-directory
13381 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
13382 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
13385 @item nnml-active-file
13386 @vindex nnml-active-file
13387 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
13388 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
13390 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
13391 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
13392 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13393 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
13395 @item nnml-get-new-mail
13396 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
13397 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
13400 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
13401 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
13402 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13403 default is @code{nil}.
13405 @item nnml-nov-file-name
13406 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
13407 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
13409 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13410 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
13411 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
13413 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
13414 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
13415 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13416 default is @code{nil}.
13418 @item nnml-marks-file-name
13419 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
13420 The name of the @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
13424 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
13425 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
13426 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
13427 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
13428 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
13429 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
13430 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
13435 @subsubsection MH Spool
13437 @cindex mh-e mail spool
13439 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
13440 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
13441 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
13442 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
13444 Virtual server settings:
13447 @item nnmh-directory
13448 @vindex nnmh-directory
13449 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
13450 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13453 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
13454 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13455 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
13459 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
13460 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
13461 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
13462 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
13463 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
13464 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
13465 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
13470 @subsubsection Mail Folders
13472 @cindex mbox folders
13473 @cindex mail folders
13475 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
13476 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
13477 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
13480 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
13481 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
13482 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
13483 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
13484 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
13485 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
13486 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
13487 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
13488 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
13489 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
13490 @code{nnfolder} directory).
13492 Virtual server settings:
13495 @item nnfolder-directory
13496 @vindex nnfolder-directory
13497 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
13498 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13501 @item nnfolder-active-file
13502 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
13503 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
13505 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13506 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13507 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13508 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
13510 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
13511 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13512 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
13515 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13516 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13517 @cindex backup files
13518 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
13519 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
13520 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
13521 your @file{.emacs} file:
13524 (defun turn-off-backup ()
13525 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
13527 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
13530 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13531 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13532 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
13533 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
13534 extract some information from it before removing it.
13536 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13537 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13538 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13539 default is @code{nil}.
13541 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13542 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
13543 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
13545 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
13546 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
13547 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
13548 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
13550 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13551 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
13552 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
13553 default is @code{nil}.
13555 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13556 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
13557 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
13559 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
13560 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
13561 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
13562 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
13567 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
13568 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
13569 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
13570 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
13571 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
13572 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
13575 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
13576 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
13578 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
13579 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
13580 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
13581 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
13582 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
13584 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
13585 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
13586 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
13587 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
13588 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
13589 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
13590 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
13591 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
13594 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
13595 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
13596 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
13597 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
13602 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
13603 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
13604 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
13605 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
13606 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
13607 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
13608 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
13609 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
13610 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
13611 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
13612 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
13613 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
13614 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
13619 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
13620 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
13621 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
13622 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
13623 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
13624 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
13625 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
13626 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
13627 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
13628 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
13629 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
13630 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
13631 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
13632 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
13634 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
13635 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
13640 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
13641 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
13642 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
13643 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
13644 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
13645 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
13646 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
13647 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
13648 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
13649 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
13650 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
13651 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
13652 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
13653 provided by the active file and overviews.
13655 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
13656 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
13657 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
13658 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
13659 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
13662 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
13663 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
13668 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
13669 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
13670 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
13671 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
13672 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
13673 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
13674 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
13678 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
13679 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
13680 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
13681 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
13682 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
13683 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
13684 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
13685 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
13686 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
13688 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
13689 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
13690 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
13691 friendly mail back end all over.
13696 @node Browsing the Web
13697 @section Browsing the Web
13699 @cindex browsing the web
13703 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
13704 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
13705 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
13706 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
13707 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
13708 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
13709 even know what a news group is.
13711 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
13712 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
13713 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
13714 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
13715 you mad in the end.
13717 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
13720 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
13721 interfaces to these sources.
13724 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
13725 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
13726 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
13727 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
13728 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
13729 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
13732 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
13734 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
13735 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
13736 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
13737 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
13738 though, you should be ok.
13740 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
13741 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
13742 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
13743 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
13744 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
13746 @node Archiving Mail
13747 @subsection Archiving Mail
13748 @cindex archiving mail
13749 @cindex backup of mail
13751 Some of the back ends, notably nnml and nnfolder, now actually store
13752 the article marks with each group. For these servers, archiving and
13753 restoring a group while preserving marks is fairly simple.
13755 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
13756 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @code{.newsrc.eld} deity
13759 To archive an entire @code{nnml} or @code{nnfolder} server, take a
13760 recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need to shut down
13761 Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or similar. You
13762 restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and adding a server
13763 definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The @ref{Article
13764 Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things might interfer
13765 with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus before you
13768 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml} or
13769 @code{nnfolder} groups, while preserving marks. For @code{nnml}, you
13770 copy all files in the group's directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need
13771 to copy both the base folder file itself (@code{FOO}, say), and the
13772 marks file (@code{FOO.mrk} in this example). Restoring the group is
13773 done with @kbd{G m} from the Group buffer. The last step makes Gnus
13774 notice the new directory.
13777 @subsection Web Searches
13781 @cindex InReference
13782 @cindex Usenet searches
13783 @cindex searching the Usenet
13785 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
13786 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
13787 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
13788 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
13789 searches without having to use a browser.
13791 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
13792 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
13793 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
13794 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
13795 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
13797 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
13798 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
13799 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
13800 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
13801 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
13802 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
13803 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
13804 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
13805 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
13806 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
13809 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
13810 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
13811 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
13812 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
13813 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
13814 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
13816 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
13817 to use @code{nnweb}.
13819 Virtual server variables:
13824 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
13825 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
13829 @vindex nnweb-search
13830 The search string to feed to the search engine.
13832 @item nnweb-max-hits
13833 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
13834 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
13837 @item nnweb-type-definition
13838 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
13839 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
13840 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
13845 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
13849 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
13852 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
13855 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
13859 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
13866 @subsection Slashdot
13870 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
13871 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
13872 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
13874 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
13875 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
13878 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
13879 '((nnslashdot "")))
13882 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
13883 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
13884 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
13885 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
13886 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
13889 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
13890 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13892 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
13893 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
13894 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
13895 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
13896 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
13897 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
13900 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
13903 @item nnslashdot-threaded
13904 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
13905 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
13906 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
13907 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
13908 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
13909 but much, much slower than untreaded.
13911 @item nnslashdot-login-name
13912 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
13913 The login name to use when posting.
13915 @item nnslashdot-password
13916 @vindex nnslashdot-password
13917 The password to use when posting.
13919 @item nnslashdot-directory
13920 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
13921 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
13922 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
13924 @item nnslashdot-active-url
13925 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
13926 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
13927 news articles and comments. The default is
13928 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
13930 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
13931 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
13932 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
13934 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
13936 @item nnslashdot-article-url
13937 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
13938 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
13940 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
13942 @item nnslashdot-threshold
13943 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
13944 The score threshold. The default is -1.
13946 @item nnslashdot-group-number
13947 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
13948 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
13949 updated. The default is 0.
13956 @subsection Ultimate
13958 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
13960 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
13961 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
13962 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
13963 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
13965 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
13966 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
13967 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
13968 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
13969 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
13970 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
13971 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
13973 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
13976 @item nnultimate-directory
13977 @vindex nnultimate-directory
13978 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
13979 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
13984 @subsection Web Archive
13986 @cindex Web Archive
13988 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
13989 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
13990 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
13991 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13994 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
13995 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
13996 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
13997 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
13998 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
13999 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
14000 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
14002 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
14005 @item nnwarchive-directory
14006 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
14007 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
14008 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
14010 @item nnwarchive-login
14011 @vindex nnwarchive-login
14012 The account name on the web server.
14014 @item nnwarchive-passwd
14015 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
14016 The password for your account on the web server.
14024 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
14025 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
14026 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14029 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
14030 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
14033 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
14036 @item nnrss-directory
14037 @vindex nnrss-directory
14038 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
14039 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
14043 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
14044 the summary buffer.
14047 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
14048 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
14050 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
14052 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
14053 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
14056 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
14059 (require 'browse-url)
14061 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
14063 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
14066 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
14067 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
14069 (browse-url (cdr url))
14070 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
14072 (eval-after-load "gnus"
14073 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
14074 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
14075 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
14078 @node Customizing w3
14079 @subsection Customizing w3
14085 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
14086 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
14087 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
14089 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
14090 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
14091 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
14094 (eval-after-load "w3"
14096 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
14097 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
14098 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
14099 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
14101 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
14104 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
14105 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
14113 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
14114 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
14115 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
14116 specify the network address of the server.
14118 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
14119 POP can, it can hence be viewed as POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
14120 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
14121 protocol. (@sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp} because news
14122 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.)
14124 If you want to use @sc{imap} as POP++, use an imap entry in
14125 mail-sources. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the @sc{imap}
14126 server and store them on the local disk. This is not the usage
14127 described in this section. @xref{Mail Sources}.
14129 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
14130 entry in gnus-secondary-select-methods. With this, Gnus will
14131 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
14132 usage explained in this section.
14134 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
14135 might look something like this:
14138 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14139 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
14140 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
14142 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14143 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
14144 ; a UW server running on localhost
14146 (nnimap-server-port 143)
14147 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14148 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
14149 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
14150 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
14151 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
14152 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
14153 (nnimap-stream network))
14154 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
14156 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
14157 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
14158 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
14161 (Note that for SSL/TLS to work, you need the external library
14162 @samp{ssl.el}, see below.)
14164 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
14169 @item nnimap-address
14170 @vindex nnimap-address
14172 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
14173 server name if not specified.
14175 @item nnimap-server-port
14176 @vindex nnimap-server-port
14177 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
14179 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
14182 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14183 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
14186 @item nnimap-list-pattern
14187 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
14188 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
14189 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
14190 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
14191 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
14192 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
14194 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
14195 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
14196 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
14199 Example server specification:
14202 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14203 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
14204 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
14207 @item nnimap-stream
14208 @vindex nnimap-stream
14209 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
14210 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
14211 of SSL/TLS. (IMAP over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
14212 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
14214 Example server specification:
14217 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14218 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14221 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
14225 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Requires the
14226 @samp{imtest} program.
14228 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
14230 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
14231 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
14234 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
14235 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
14236 library @samp{ssl.el}.
14238 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
14240 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
14243 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
14244 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
14245 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
14246 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
14247 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
14248 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
14249 restrictions on IMAP commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
14250 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
14251 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
14254 @vindex imap-ssl-program
14255 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
14256 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
14257 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
14258 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
14259 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
14260 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
14261 to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
14262 distribution, for instance).
14264 @vindex imap-shell-program
14265 @vindex imap-shell-host
14266 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
14267 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
14269 @item nnimap-authenticator
14270 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
14272 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
14273 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
14275 Example server specification:
14278 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14279 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
14282 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
14286 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
14287 external program @code{imtest}.
14289 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
14292 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
14293 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14295 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14297 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14299 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14302 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14304 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14305 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14306 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14307 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14308 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14309 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
14312 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14313 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14314 running in circles yet?
14316 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14317 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14320 The possible options are:
14325 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14328 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14329 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14330 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14331 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14333 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14338 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
14339 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
14341 If non-nil, marks dormant articles as ticked (as well), for other IMAP
14342 clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will naturally still (only) be
14343 marked as ticked. This is to make dormant articles stand out, just
14344 like ticked articles, in other IMAP clients. (In other words, Gnus has
14345 two ``Tick'' marks and IMAP has only one.)
14347 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
14348 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
14351 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
14352 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14353 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
14354 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14357 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
14358 as ticked for other users.
14360 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
14362 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
14364 This variable contain the IMAP search command sent to server when
14365 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
14366 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
14367 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
14369 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
14370 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
14371 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
14372 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
14374 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
14375 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
14377 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
14378 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
14379 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14385 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14386 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14387 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14392 @node Splitting in IMAP
14393 @subsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
14394 @cindex splitting imap mail
14396 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14397 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14398 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14399 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14400 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14404 Here are the variables of interest:
14408 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14409 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14411 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14413 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14414 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14416 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14418 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14419 @cindex splitting, inbox
14421 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14423 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14424 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14428 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14429 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14432 No nnmail equivalent.
14434 @item nnimap-split-rule
14435 @cindex Splitting, rules
14436 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14438 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14441 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14442 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14443 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14444 Neither did I, we need examples.
14447 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14449 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14450 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14451 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14454 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14455 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14456 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
14458 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14459 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14463 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14466 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14467 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14468 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14469 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14471 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14472 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14473 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14474 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
14475 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14476 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14478 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
14479 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
14480 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
14482 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
14483 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
14484 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14486 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
14488 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
14489 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
14490 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
14493 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14494 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
14495 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
14496 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
14497 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
14498 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
14501 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
14502 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
14503 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
14504 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
14505 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
14506 group/function elements.
14508 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
14510 @item nnimap-split-predicate
14512 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
14514 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
14515 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
14517 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
14518 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
14519 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
14522 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14523 @cindex splitting, fancy
14524 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
14525 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
14527 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14528 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
14529 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14531 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
14532 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14533 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
14534 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14539 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
14540 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
14543 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14547 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
14548 @subsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14549 @cindex editing imap acls
14550 @cindex Access Control Lists
14551 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14553 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
14555 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
14556 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
14557 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
14560 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
14561 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
14562 editing window with detailed instructions.
14564 Some possible uses:
14568 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
14569 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
14570 follow the list without subscribing to it.
14572 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
14573 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
14574 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
14578 @node Expunging mailboxes
14579 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
14583 @cindex Manual expunging
14585 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
14587 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
14588 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
14589 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
14591 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
14596 @node Other Sources
14597 @section Other Sources
14599 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
14600 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
14604 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
14605 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
14606 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
14607 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
14608 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
14612 @node Directory Groups
14613 @subsection Directory Groups
14615 @cindex directory groups
14617 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
14618 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
14621 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
14622 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
14623 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
14624 back end to read directories. Big deal.
14626 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
14627 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
14628 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
14629 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
14630 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
14632 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
14634 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
14635 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
14636 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
14637 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
14640 @node Anything Groups
14641 @subsection Anything Groups
14644 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
14645 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
14646 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
14649 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
14650 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
14651 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
14652 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
14653 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
14654 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
14655 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
14656 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
14657 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
14658 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
14661 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
14662 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
14663 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
14664 in the article buffer, just as usual.
14666 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
14667 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
14668 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
14669 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
14671 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
14672 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
14673 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
14674 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
14675 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
14676 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
14677 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
14678 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
14683 @item nneething-map-file-directory
14684 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
14685 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
14686 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
14688 @item nneething-exclude-files
14689 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
14690 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
14691 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
14693 @item nneething-include-files
14694 @vindex nneething-include-files
14695 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
14696 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
14698 @item nneething-map-file
14699 @vindex nneething-map-file
14700 Name of the map files.
14704 @node Document Groups
14705 @subsection Document Groups
14707 @cindex documentation group
14710 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
14711 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
14718 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
14723 The standard Unix mbox file.
14725 @cindex MMDF mail box
14727 The MMDF mail box format.
14730 Several news articles appended into a file.
14733 @cindex rnews batch files
14734 The rnews batch transport format.
14735 @cindex forwarded messages
14738 Forwarded articles.
14741 Netscape mail boxes.
14744 MIME multipart messages.
14746 @item standard-digest
14747 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
14750 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
14753 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
14754 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
14755 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
14758 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
14759 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
14760 group. And that's it.
14762 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
14763 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
14764 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
14765 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
14766 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
14767 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
14768 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
14769 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
14770 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
14771 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
14773 Virtual server variables:
14776 @item nndoc-article-type
14777 @vindex nndoc-article-type
14778 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
14779 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
14780 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
14781 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail},
14782 @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman} or @code{guess}.
14784 @item nndoc-post-type
14785 @vindex nndoc-post-type
14786 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
14787 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
14792 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
14796 @node Document Server Internals
14797 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
14799 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
14800 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
14801 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
14802 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
14804 First, here's an example document type definition:
14808 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
14809 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
14812 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
14813 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
14814 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
14815 types can be defined with very few settings:
14818 @item first-article
14819 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
14820 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
14823 @item article-begin
14824 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
14825 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
14827 @item head-begin-function
14828 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
14831 @item nndoc-head-begin
14832 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
14835 @item nndoc-head-end
14836 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
14837 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
14839 @item body-begin-function
14840 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
14844 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
14847 @item body-end-function
14848 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
14852 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
14855 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
14856 regexp will be totally ignored.
14860 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
14861 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
14862 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
14863 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
14864 something that's palatable for Gnus:
14867 @item prepare-body-function
14868 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
14869 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
14870 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
14872 @item article-transform-function
14873 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
14874 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
14875 body of the article.
14877 @item generate-head-function
14878 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
14879 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
14880 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
14881 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
14885 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
14890 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
14891 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
14892 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
14893 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
14894 (head-end . "^ ?$")
14895 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
14896 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
14897 (subtype digest guess))
14900 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
14901 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
14902 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
14903 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
14904 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
14906 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
14907 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
14908 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
14909 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
14910 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
14911 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
14912 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
14913 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
14914 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
14915 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
14923 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
14924 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
14925 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
14927 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
14928 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
14929 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
14932 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
14933 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
14934 that interested in doing things properly.
14936 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
14937 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
14940 First some terminology:
14945 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
14946 get news and/or mail from.
14949 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
14950 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
14953 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
14957 @item message packets
14958 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
14959 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
14960 default, where @var{x} is a number.
14962 @item response packets
14963 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
14964 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
14965 default, where @var{x} is a number.
14975 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
14976 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
14977 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
14978 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
14981 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
14984 You put the packet in your home directory.
14987 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
14988 the native or secondary server.
14991 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
14992 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
14995 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
14999 You transfer this packet to the server.
15002 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
15005 You then repeat until you die.
15009 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
15010 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
15013 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
15014 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
15015 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
15019 @node SOUP Commands
15020 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
15022 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
15026 @kindex G s b (Group)
15027 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
15028 Pack all unread articles in the current group
15029 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
15030 process/prefix convention.
15033 @kindex G s w (Group)
15034 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
15035 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
15038 @kindex G s s (Group)
15039 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
15040 Send all replies from the replies packet
15041 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
15044 @kindex G s p (Group)
15045 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
15046 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
15049 @kindex G s r (Group)
15050 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
15051 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
15054 @kindex O s (Summary)
15055 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
15056 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
15057 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
15058 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15063 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
15068 @item gnus-soup-directory
15069 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
15070 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
15071 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
15073 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
15074 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
15075 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
15076 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
15078 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
15079 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
15080 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
15081 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
15083 @item gnus-soup-packer
15084 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
15085 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15086 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
15088 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
15089 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
15090 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
15091 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15093 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
15094 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
15095 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
15097 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15098 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
15099 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
15100 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
15106 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
15109 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
15110 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
15111 you can read them at leisure.
15113 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
15117 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
15118 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
15119 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
15120 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
15122 @item nnsoup-directory
15123 @vindex nnsoup-directory
15124 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
15125 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
15127 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
15128 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
15129 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
15130 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
15132 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
15133 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
15134 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
15135 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
15136 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
15138 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
15139 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
15140 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
15141 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
15143 @item nnsoup-active-file
15144 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
15145 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
15146 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
15147 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
15148 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
15150 @item nnsoup-packer
15151 @vindex nnsoup-packer
15152 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
15153 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
15155 @item nnsoup-unpacker
15156 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
15157 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
15158 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
15160 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
15161 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
15162 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
15165 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
15166 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
15167 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
15170 @item nnsoup-always-save
15171 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
15172 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
15178 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
15180 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
15181 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
15182 more for that to happen.
15184 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
15185 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
15186 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
15189 In specific, this is what it does:
15192 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
15193 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
15196 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
15197 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
15198 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
15201 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
15202 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
15203 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
15206 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
15207 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
15208 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
15210 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
15216 @item nngateway-address
15217 @vindex nngateway-address
15218 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
15220 @item nngateway-header-transformation
15221 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
15222 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
15223 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
15224 transformation should be called, and defaults to
15225 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
15226 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
15229 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
15230 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
15231 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
15234 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
15237 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
15240 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
15243 The following pre-defined functions exist:
15245 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15248 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
15249 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15250 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
15252 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15254 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
15255 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
15256 @code{nngateway-address}.
15261 (setq gnus-post-method
15263 "mail2news@@replay.com"
15264 (nngateway-header-transformation
15265 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
15273 So, to use this, simply say something like:
15276 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
15281 @node Combined Groups
15282 @section Combined Groups
15284 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
15288 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
15289 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
15293 @node Virtual Groups
15294 @subsection Virtual Groups
15296 @cindex virtual groups
15297 @cindex merging groups
15299 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
15302 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
15303 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
15304 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
15306 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
15307 regexp to match component groups.
15309 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
15310 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
15311 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
15312 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
15313 the virtual group.)
15315 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
15316 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
15319 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
15322 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
15323 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
15325 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
15326 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
15327 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
15328 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
15331 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
15334 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
15335 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
15336 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
15338 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
15339 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
15340 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
15341 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
15342 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
15344 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
15345 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
15346 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
15348 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
15349 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
15350 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
15351 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
15352 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
15353 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
15354 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
15355 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
15356 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
15357 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
15358 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
15360 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
15361 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
15362 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
15363 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
15364 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
15365 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
15366 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
15368 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
15369 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
15373 @node Kibozed Groups
15374 @subsection Kibozed Groups
15378 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
15379 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
15380 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
15381 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
15383 @kindex G k (Group)
15384 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
15387 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
15388 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
15389 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
15390 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
15392 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
15393 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
15394 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
15396 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
15397 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
15398 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
15399 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
15400 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
15401 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
15402 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
15403 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
15405 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
15406 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
15407 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
15408 Stranger things have happened.
15410 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
15411 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
15413 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
15414 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
15415 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
15416 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
15417 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
15418 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
15420 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
15421 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
15424 @node Gnus Unplugged
15425 @section Gnus Unplugged
15430 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
15432 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
15433 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
15434 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
15435 read news. Believe it or not.
15437 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
15438 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
15439 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
15440 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
15441 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
15443 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
15444 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
15445 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
15446 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
15447 reading news on a machine.
15449 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
15453 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
15454 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
15458 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
15459 @file{.gnus.el} file:
15466 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
15468 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
15471 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
15472 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
15473 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
15474 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
15475 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
15476 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
15477 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
15478 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
15479 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
15480 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
15485 @subsection Agent Basics
15487 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
15489 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
15490 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
15491 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
15492 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
15494 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
15495 connected to the net continuously.
15497 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
15498 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
15500 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
15505 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
15506 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
15507 already fetched while in this mode.
15510 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
15511 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
15512 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
15513 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
15514 Source Specifiers}).
15517 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
15518 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
15519 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
15520 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
15521 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
15524 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
15525 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
15526 then you read the news offline.
15529 And then you go to step 2.
15532 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
15538 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
15539 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
15540 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
15541 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
15542 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
15543 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
15546 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
15553 @node Agent Categories
15554 @subsection Agent Categories
15556 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
15557 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
15558 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
15559 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
15560 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
15561 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
15562 you're interested in the articles anyway.
15564 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
15565 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
15566 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
15567 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
15568 managing categories.
15571 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
15572 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
15573 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
15577 @node Category Syntax
15578 @subsubsection Category Syntax
15580 A category consists of two things.
15584 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
15585 are eligible for downloading; and
15588 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
15589 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
15590 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
15593 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
15594 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
15595 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
15596 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
15598 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
15599 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
15600 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
15602 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
15603 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
15604 operators sprinkled in between.
15606 Perhaps some examples are in order.
15608 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
15609 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
15615 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
15616 short (for some value of ``short'').
15618 Here's a more complex predicate:
15627 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
15628 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
15631 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
15632 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
15633 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
15635 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
15636 you want to do, you can write your own.
15640 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
15641 lines; default 100.
15644 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
15645 lines; default 200.
15648 True iff the article has a download score less than
15649 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
15652 True iff the article has a download score greater than
15653 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
15656 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
15657 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
15658 checksum and sees whether articles match.
15667 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
15668 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
15669 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
15672 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
15673 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
15674 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
15675 something along the lines of the following:
15678 (defun my-article-old-p ()
15679 "Say whether an article is old."
15680 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
15681 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
15684 with the predicate then defined as:
15687 (not my-article-old-p)
15690 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
15691 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
15692 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
15693 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
15696 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
15697 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
15698 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
15701 and simply specify your predicate as:
15707 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
15708 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
15709 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
15710 just don't give a damn.
15712 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
15713 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
15714 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
15715 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
15716 parameters like so:
15719 (agent-predicate . short)
15722 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
15723 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
15724 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
15726 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
15729 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
15732 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
15733 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
15734 predicate is assumed to be a list.
15737 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
15738 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
15739 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
15740 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
15741 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
15742 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
15744 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
15745 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
15746 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
15747 if it's to be specific to that group.
15749 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
15756 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
15757 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
15763 Category specification
15767 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
15773 Group Parameter specification
15776 (agent-score ("from"
15777 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
15782 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
15788 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
15795 Category specification
15798 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
15804 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
15808 Group Parameter specification
15811 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
15814 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
15819 Use @code{normal} score files
15821 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
15822 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
15823 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
15824 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
15826 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
15827 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
15828 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
15829 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
15833 Category Specification
15840 Group Parameter specification
15843 (agent-score . file)
15848 @node Category Buffer
15849 @subsubsection Category Buffer
15851 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
15852 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
15853 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
15855 The following commands are available in this buffer:
15859 @kindex q (Category)
15860 @findex gnus-category-exit
15861 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
15864 @kindex k (Category)
15865 @findex gnus-category-kill
15866 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
15869 @kindex c (Category)
15870 @findex gnus-category-copy
15871 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
15874 @kindex a (Category)
15875 @findex gnus-category-add
15876 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
15879 @kindex p (Category)
15880 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
15881 Edit the predicate of the current category
15882 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
15885 @kindex g (Category)
15886 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
15887 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
15888 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
15891 @kindex s (Category)
15892 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
15893 Edit the download score rule of the current category
15894 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
15897 @kindex l (Category)
15898 @findex gnus-category-list
15899 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
15903 @node Category Variables
15904 @subsubsection Category Variables
15907 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
15908 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
15909 Hook run in category buffers.
15911 @item gnus-category-line-format
15912 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
15913 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
15914 Variables}). Valid elements are:
15918 The name of the category.
15921 The number of groups in the category.
15924 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
15925 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
15926 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
15928 @item gnus-agent-short-article
15929 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
15930 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
15932 @item gnus-agent-long-article
15933 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
15934 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
15936 @item gnus-agent-low-score
15937 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
15938 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
15941 @item gnus-agent-high-score
15942 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
15943 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
15949 @node Agent Commands
15950 @subsection Agent Commands
15952 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
15953 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
15954 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
15958 * Group Agent Commands::
15959 * Summary Agent Commands::
15960 * Server Agent Commands::
15963 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
15964 following incantation:
15966 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
15968 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
15973 @node Group Agent Commands
15974 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
15978 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
15979 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
15980 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
15981 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
15984 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
15985 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
15986 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
15989 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
15990 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
15991 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
15992 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
15995 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
15996 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
15997 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
15998 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
16001 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
16002 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
16003 Add the current group to an Agent category
16004 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
16005 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16008 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
16009 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
16010 Remove the current group from its category, if any
16011 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
16012 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16015 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
16016 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16017 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
16023 @node Summary Agent Commands
16024 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
16028 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
16029 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
16030 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
16033 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
16034 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
16035 Remove the downloading mark from the article
16036 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
16039 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
16040 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
16041 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
16044 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
16045 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
16046 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
16049 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
16050 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
16051 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
16052 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
16057 @node Server Agent Commands
16058 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
16062 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
16063 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
16064 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
16065 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
16068 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
16069 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
16070 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
16071 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
16077 @subsection Agent Expiry
16079 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
16080 @findex gnus-agent-expire
16081 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
16082 @cindex Agent expiry
16083 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
16086 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
16087 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
16088 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
16089 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
16090 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
16091 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
16093 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
16094 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
16095 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
16096 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
16097 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
16100 @node Agent and IMAP
16101 @subsection Agent and IMAP
16103 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
16104 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
16105 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
16106 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
16108 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
16109 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
16110 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
16111 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
16113 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
16114 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
16115 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
16116 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
16117 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
16119 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16120 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
16121 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
16122 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
16123 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
16124 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
16126 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
16127 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
16128 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
16129 in the group buffer by default.
16131 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
16132 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
16137 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
16140 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
16144 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
16145 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
16146 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
16147 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
16148 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
16149 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
16150 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
16151 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
16154 @node Outgoing Messages
16155 @subsection Outgoing Messages
16157 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
16158 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
16159 after posting, and edit them at will.
16161 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
16162 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
16163 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
16164 messages in the draft group.
16168 @node Agent Variables
16169 @subsection Agent Variables
16172 @item gnus-agent-directory
16173 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
16174 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
16175 @file{~/News/agent/}.
16177 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
16178 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
16179 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
16180 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
16181 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
16184 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16185 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
16186 Hook run when connecting to the network.
16188 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16189 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
16190 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
16195 @node Example Setup
16196 @subsection Example Setup
16198 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
16199 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
16200 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
16203 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
16204 ;;; from your ISP's server.
16205 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
16207 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
16208 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
16209 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
16211 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
16212 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
16214 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
16218 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
16219 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
16222 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
16223 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
16224 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
16225 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
16226 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
16229 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
16230 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
16231 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
16232 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
16233 back all the killed groups.)
16235 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
16236 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
16237 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
16240 @node Batching Agents
16241 @subsection Batching Agents
16243 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
16244 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
16245 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
16249 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
16253 @node Agent Caveats
16254 @subsection Agent Caveats
16256 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
16257 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
16261 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
16266 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
16267 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
16273 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
16274 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
16281 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
16282 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
16283 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
16286 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
16287 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
16288 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
16289 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
16290 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
16292 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
16293 before generating the summary buffer.
16295 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
16296 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
16297 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
16299 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
16300 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
16301 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
16302 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
16305 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
16306 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
16307 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
16308 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
16309 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
16310 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
16311 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
16312 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
16313 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
16314 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
16315 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
16316 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
16317 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
16318 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
16319 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
16320 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
16321 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
16325 @node Summary Score Commands
16326 @section Summary Score Commands
16327 @cindex score commands
16329 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
16330 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
16331 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
16332 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
16333 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
16335 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
16336 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
16337 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
16338 score file the current one.
16340 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
16345 @kindex V s (Summary)
16346 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
16347 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
16350 @kindex V S (Summary)
16351 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
16352 Display the score of the current article
16353 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
16356 @kindex V t (Summary)
16357 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
16358 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
16359 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
16362 @kindex V R (Summary)
16363 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
16364 Run the current summary through the scoring process
16365 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
16366 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
16367 effect you're having.
16370 @kindex V c (Summary)
16371 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
16372 Make a different score file the current
16373 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
16376 @kindex V e (Summary)
16377 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
16378 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
16379 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
16383 @kindex V f (Summary)
16384 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
16385 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
16386 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
16389 @kindex V F (Summary)
16390 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16391 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
16392 after editing score files.
16395 @kindex V C (Summary)
16396 @findex gnus-score-customize
16397 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
16398 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
16402 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
16407 @kindex V m (Summary)
16408 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
16409 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
16410 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
16413 @kindex V x (Summary)
16414 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
16415 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
16416 expunge all articles below this score
16417 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
16420 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
16421 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
16424 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
16425 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
16429 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
16430 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
16432 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
16433 keys are available:
16437 Score on the author name.
16440 Score on the subject line.
16443 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
16446 Score on the @code{References} line.
16452 Score on the number of lines.
16455 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
16458 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
16459 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
16460 @file{ADAPT} files.)
16469 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
16475 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
16476 what headers you are scoring on.
16488 Substring matching.
16491 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
16520 Greater than number.
16525 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
16526 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
16527 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
16531 Temporary score entry.
16534 Permanent score entry.
16537 Immediately scoring.
16542 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
16543 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
16544 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
16545 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
16547 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
16548 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
16549 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
16550 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
16551 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
16553 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
16554 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
16555 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
16556 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
16557 current score file.
16559 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
16560 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
16561 pretend they are keymaps or not.
16564 @node Group Score Commands
16565 @section Group Score Commands
16566 @cindex group score commands
16568 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
16573 @kindex W f (Group)
16574 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16575 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
16576 all the time. This command will flush the cache
16577 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
16581 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
16583 @findex gnus-batch-score
16584 @cindex batch scoring
16586 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
16590 @node Score Variables
16591 @section Score Variables
16592 @cindex score variables
16596 @item gnus-use-scoring
16597 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
16598 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
16599 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
16601 @item gnus-kill-killed
16602 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
16603 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
16604 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
16605 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
16606 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
16607 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
16608 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
16610 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
16611 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
16612 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
16613 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
16614 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
16616 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
16617 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
16618 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
16619 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
16621 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16622 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16623 @cindex score cache
16624 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
16625 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
16626 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
16627 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
16628 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
16629 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
16632 @item gnus-save-score
16633 @vindex gnus-save-score
16634 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
16635 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
16636 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
16638 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
16639 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
16640 across group visits.
16642 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16643 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16644 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
16645 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
16646 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
16647 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
16648 manually entered data.
16650 @item gnus-summary-default-score
16651 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
16652 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
16654 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
16655 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
16656 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
16657 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
16658 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
16659 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
16661 @item gnus-score-over-mark
16662 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
16663 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
16664 default. Default is @samp{+}.
16666 @item gnus-score-below-mark
16667 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
16668 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
16669 default. Default is @samp{-}.
16671 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16672 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16673 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
16674 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
16676 Predefined functions available are:
16679 @item gnus-score-find-single
16680 @findex gnus-score-find-single
16681 Only apply the group's own score file.
16683 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
16684 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
16685 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
16686 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
16687 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
16688 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
16689 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
16690 then a regexp match is done.
16692 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
16693 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
16695 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
16696 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
16697 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
16698 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
16700 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16701 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16702 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
16703 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
16704 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
16708 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
16709 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
16710 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
16711 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
16712 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
16713 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
16714 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
16717 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
16718 overall score file, you could use the value
16720 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
16721 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
16724 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
16725 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
16726 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
16727 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
16728 are expired. It's 7 by default.
16730 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16731 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16732 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
16733 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
16734 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
16735 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
16736 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
16739 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16740 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16741 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
16743 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
16744 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
16745 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
16746 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
16747 threading---according to the current value of
16748 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
16749 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
16750 simplified in this manner.
16755 @node Score File Format
16756 @section Score File Format
16757 @cindex score file format
16759 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
16760 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
16761 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
16763 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
16767 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
16769 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
16771 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
16773 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
16778 (mark-and-expunge -10)
16782 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
16783 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
16784 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
16785 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
16789 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
16790 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
16792 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
16793 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
16794 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
16796 Six keys are supported by this alist:
16801 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
16802 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
16803 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
16804 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
16805 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
16806 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
16807 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
16808 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
16809 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
16810 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
16811 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
16812 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
16813 to articles that matches these score entries.
16815 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
16816 score entry has one to four elements.
16820 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
16821 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
16825 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
16826 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
16827 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
16828 is successful. If this element is not present, the
16829 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
16830 instead. This is 1000 by default.
16833 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
16834 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
16835 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
16836 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
16837 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
16840 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
16841 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
16842 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
16843 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
16846 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
16847 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
16848 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
16849 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
16850 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
16851 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
16852 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
16853 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
16854 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
16855 instead, if you feel like.
16858 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
16859 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
16861 These predicates are true if
16864 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
16867 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
16868 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
16875 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
16876 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
16877 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
16878 it's not. I think.)
16880 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
16881 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
16882 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
16883 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
16886 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
16887 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
16888 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
16889 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
16890 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
16891 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
16892 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
16896 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
16897 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
16898 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
16899 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
16900 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
16901 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
16902 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
16903 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
16906 @item Head, Body, All
16907 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
16911 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
16912 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
16913 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
16914 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
16915 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
16916 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
16917 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
16921 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
16922 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
16923 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
16924 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
16925 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
16926 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
16927 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
16928 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
16929 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
16930 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
16931 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
16935 @cindex Score File Atoms
16937 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16938 lower than this number will be marked as read.
16941 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16942 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
16944 @item mark-and-expunge
16945 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16946 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
16949 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
16950 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
16951 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
16952 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
16953 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
16956 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
16957 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
16960 @item exclude-files
16961 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
16962 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
16966 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
16967 ignored when handling global score files.
16970 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
16971 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
16972 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
16973 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
16976 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
16977 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
16978 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
16979 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
16981 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
16985 (mark-and-expunge -100)
16988 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
16989 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
16990 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
16991 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
16992 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
16994 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
16995 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
16996 scoring rules exist.
16999 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
17000 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
17001 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
17002 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
17003 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
17004 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
17005 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17006 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
17007 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
17008 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
17009 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
17013 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
17014 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
17015 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
17016 file for a number of groups.
17019 @cindex local variables
17020 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
17021 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
17022 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
17023 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
17024 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
17028 @node Score File Editing
17029 @section Score File Editing
17031 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
17032 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
17033 with a mode for that.
17035 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
17036 additional commands:
17041 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
17042 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
17043 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
17044 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
17047 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
17048 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
17049 Insert the current date in numerical format
17050 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
17051 you were wondering.
17054 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
17055 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
17056 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
17057 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
17058 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
17063 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
17065 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
17066 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
17068 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
17069 e} to begin editing score files.
17072 @node Adaptive Scoring
17073 @section Adaptive Scoring
17074 @cindex adaptive scoring
17076 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
17077 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
17078 stupidity, to be precise.
17080 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
17081 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
17082 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
17083 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
17084 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
17085 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
17086 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
17087 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
17088 variable to @code{(word line)}.
17090 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17091 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
17092 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
17093 might look something like this:
17096 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
17097 '((gnus-unread-mark)
17098 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
17099 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
17100 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
17101 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
17102 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
17103 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
17104 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
17105 (gnus-ancient-mark)
17106 (gnus-low-score-mark)
17107 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
17110 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
17111 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
17112 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
17113 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
17114 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
17115 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
17118 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
17119 will be applied to each article.
17121 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
17122 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
17123 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
17124 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
17126 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
17127 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
17128 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
17129 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
17131 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
17132 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
17133 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
17134 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
17136 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
17137 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
17138 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
17139 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
17140 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
17141 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
17143 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
17144 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
17145 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
17146 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
17147 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
17148 aspirins afterwards.)
17150 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
17151 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
17152 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
17154 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
17155 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
17156 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
17158 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
17159 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
17160 let you use different rules in different groups.
17162 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
17163 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
17164 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
17167 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
17168 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
17169 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
17170 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
17171 the length of the match is less than
17172 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
17173 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
17176 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17177 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
17178 headers. If you adapt on words, the
17179 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
17180 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
17183 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
17184 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
17185 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
17186 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
17187 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
17190 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
17191 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
17192 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
17193 score with 30 points.
17195 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
17196 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
17197 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
17198 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
17199 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
17201 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
17202 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
17203 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
17204 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
17205 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
17207 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
17208 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
17209 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
17210 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
17212 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
17213 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
17214 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
17215 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
17217 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
17218 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
17219 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
17220 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
17221 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
17223 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
17224 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
17225 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
17227 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
17228 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
17229 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
17230 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
17233 @node Home Score File
17234 @section Home Score File
17236 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
17237 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
17238 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
17239 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
17241 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
17242 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
17243 could perhaps use the same home score file.
17245 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
17246 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
17251 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
17255 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
17256 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
17260 A list. The elements in this list can be:
17264 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
17265 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
17268 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
17269 the home score file.
17272 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
17275 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
17280 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
17283 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17284 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
17287 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
17288 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
17290 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
17292 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17293 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
17296 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
17297 Other functions include
17300 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
17301 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
17302 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
17303 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
17307 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
17308 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
17309 their own home score files:
17312 (setq gnus-home-score-file
17313 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
17314 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
17315 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
17316 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
17319 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
17320 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
17321 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
17322 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
17323 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
17325 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
17326 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
17327 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
17328 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
17329 precedence over this variable.
17332 @node Followups To Yourself
17333 @section Followups To Yourself
17335 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
17336 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
17337 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
17338 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
17339 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
17340 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
17344 @item gnus-score-followup-article
17345 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
17346 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
17349 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
17350 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
17351 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
17355 @vindex message-sent-hook
17356 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
17357 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
17359 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
17363 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
17364 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
17368 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17369 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
17372 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
17373 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
17378 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
17382 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
17383 is system-dependent.
17386 @node Scoring On Other Headers
17387 @section Scoring On Other Headers
17388 @cindex scoring on other headers
17390 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
17391 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
17392 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
17393 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
17394 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
17396 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
17397 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
17398 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
17399 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
17400 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
17402 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
17405 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
17406 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
17409 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
17410 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
17411 time if you have much mail.
17413 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
17414 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
17420 @section Scoring Tips
17421 @cindex scoring tips
17427 @cindex scoring crossposts
17428 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
17429 the @code{Xref} header.
17431 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
17434 @item Multiple crossposts
17435 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
17436 more than, say, 3 groups:
17439 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
17443 @item Matching on the body
17444 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
17445 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
17446 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
17447 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
17448 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
17449 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
17450 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
17453 @item Marking as read
17454 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
17455 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
17456 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
17460 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
17462 @item Negated character classes
17463 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
17464 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
17465 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
17469 @node Reverse Scoring
17470 @section Reverse Scoring
17471 @cindex reverse scoring
17473 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
17474 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
17475 like this in your score file:
17479 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
17484 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
17485 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
17488 @node Global Score Files
17489 @section Global Score Files
17490 @cindex global score files
17492 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
17493 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
17494 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
17496 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
17497 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
17498 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
17500 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
17501 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
17502 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
17503 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
17504 files are applicable to which group.
17506 To use the score file
17507 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
17508 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
17512 (setq gnus-global-score-files
17513 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
17514 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
17517 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
17519 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
17520 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
17521 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
17522 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
17524 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
17525 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
17527 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
17528 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
17529 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
17530 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
17531 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
17532 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
17534 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
17540 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
17542 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
17544 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
17546 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
17547 lowered out of existence.
17549 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
17550 articles completely.
17553 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
17554 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
17555 old articles for a long time.
17558 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
17559 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
17560 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
17561 holding our breath yet?
17565 @section Kill Files
17568 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
17569 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
17570 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
17572 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
17573 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
17574 files into score files.
17576 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
17577 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
17578 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
17579 that isn't a very good idea.
17581 Normal kill files look like this:
17584 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17585 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
17589 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
17590 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
17592 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
17593 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
17596 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
17601 @kindex M-k (Summary)
17602 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
17603 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
17606 @kindex M-K (Summary)
17607 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
17608 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
17611 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
17616 @kindex M-k (Group)
17617 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
17618 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
17621 @kindex M-K (Group)
17622 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
17623 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
17626 Kill file variables:
17629 @item gnus-kill-file-name
17630 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
17631 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
17632 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
17633 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
17634 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
17635 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
17637 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17638 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17639 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
17640 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
17643 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
17644 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
17645 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
17646 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
17647 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
17648 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
17649 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
17650 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
17651 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
17653 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17654 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17655 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
17660 @node Converting Kill Files
17661 @section Converting Kill Files
17663 @cindex converting kill files
17665 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
17666 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
17667 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
17670 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
17671 You can fetch it from
17672 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
17674 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
17675 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
17676 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
17684 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
17685 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
17686 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
17687 news articles generated every day.
17689 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
17690 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
17691 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
17692 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
17693 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
17694 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
17695 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
17696 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
17699 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
17700 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
17703 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
17704 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
17705 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
17706 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
17710 @node Using GroupLens
17711 @subsection Using GroupLens
17713 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
17715 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
17716 better bit in town at the moment.
17718 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
17722 @item gnus-use-grouplens
17723 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
17724 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
17725 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
17727 @item grouplens-pseudonym
17728 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
17729 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
17730 with the Better Bit Bureau.
17732 @item grouplens-newsgroups
17733 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
17734 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
17738 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
17739 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
17740 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
17741 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
17742 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
17743 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
17746 @node Rating Articles
17747 @subsection Rating Articles
17749 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
17750 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
17751 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
17752 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
17755 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
17760 @kindex r (GroupLens)
17761 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
17762 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
17765 @kindex k (GroupLens)
17766 @findex grouplens-score-thread
17767 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
17768 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
17769 threads in rec.humor.
17773 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
17774 the score of the article you're reading.
17779 @kindex n (GroupLens)
17780 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
17781 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
17784 @kindex , (GroupLens)
17785 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
17786 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
17790 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
17791 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
17794 @node Displaying Predictions
17795 @subsection Displaying Predictions
17797 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
17798 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
17799 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
17800 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
17801 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
17803 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
17804 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
17805 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
17806 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
17807 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
17808 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
17809 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
17810 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
17811 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
17812 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
17813 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
17814 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
17815 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
17817 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
17818 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
17819 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
17820 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
17822 The following are valid values for that variable.
17825 @item prediction-spot
17826 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
17829 @item confidence-interval
17830 A numeric confidence interval.
17832 @item prediction-bar
17833 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
17835 @item confidence-bar
17836 Numerical confidence.
17838 @item confidence-spot
17839 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
17841 @item prediction-num
17842 Plain-old numeric value.
17844 @item confidence-plus-minus
17845 Prediction +/- confidence.
17850 @node GroupLens Variables
17851 @subsection GroupLens Variables
17855 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
17856 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
17857 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
17858 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
17861 @item grouplens-bbb-host
17862 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
17865 @item grouplens-bbb-port
17866 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
17868 @item grouplens-score-offset
17869 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
17870 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
17873 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
17874 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
17875 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
17880 @node Advanced Scoring
17881 @section Advanced Scoring
17883 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
17884 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
17885 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
17886 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
17887 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
17889 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
17893 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
17894 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
17895 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
17899 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
17900 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
17902 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
17903 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
17904 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
17905 non-@code{nil} value.
17907 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
17908 operator, and various match operators.
17915 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
17916 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
17917 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
17922 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
17923 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
17924 then this operator will return @code{false}.
17929 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
17930 logical negation of the value of its argument.
17934 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
17935 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
17936 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
17937 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
17938 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
17939 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
17940 the ancestry you want to go.
17942 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
17943 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
17944 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
17945 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
17946 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
17949 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
17950 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
17952 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
17953 when he's talking about Gnus:
17957 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17958 ("subject" "Gnus"))
17964 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
17968 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17975 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
17976 really don't want to read what he's written:
17980 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17981 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
17985 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
17986 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
17987 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
17994 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
17995 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
17996 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
17997 ("body" "white.*socks"))
18001 The possibilities are endless.
18004 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
18005 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
18007 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
18008 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
18009 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
18010 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
18011 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
18012 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
18013 @samp{subject}) first.
18015 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
18016 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
18027 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
18028 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
18034 ("subject" "Gnus")))
18041 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
18042 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
18047 @section Score Decays
18048 @cindex score decays
18051 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
18052 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
18053 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
18054 use them in any sensible way.
18056 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
18057 @findex gnus-decay-score
18058 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
18059 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
18060 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
18061 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
18062 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
18063 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
18064 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
18065 definition of that function:
18068 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
18070 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
18071 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
18074 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
18076 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
18078 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
18081 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
18082 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
18083 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
18084 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
18088 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
18091 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
18094 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
18098 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
18099 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
18100 the new score, which should be an integer.
18102 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
18103 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
18108 @include message.texi
18109 @chapter Emacs MIME
18110 @include emacs-mime.texi
18112 @include sieve.texi
18120 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
18121 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
18122 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
18123 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
18124 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
18125 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
18126 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
18127 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
18128 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
18129 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
18130 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
18131 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
18132 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
18133 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
18134 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
18135 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
18136 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
18137 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
18141 @node Process/Prefix
18142 @section Process/Prefix
18143 @cindex process/prefix convention
18145 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
18146 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
18148 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
18149 command to be performed on.
18153 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
18154 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
18155 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
18156 with the current one.
18158 @vindex transient-mark-mode
18159 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
18160 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
18162 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
18163 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
18166 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
18167 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
18169 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
18172 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
18173 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
18174 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
18175 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
18177 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
18178 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
18179 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
18180 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
18181 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
18182 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
18183 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
18184 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
18186 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
18187 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
18188 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
18189 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
18190 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
18194 @section Interactive
18195 @cindex interaction
18199 @item gnus-novice-user
18200 @vindex gnus-novice-user
18201 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
18202 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
18203 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
18204 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
18207 @item gnus-expert-user
18208 @vindex gnus-expert-user
18209 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
18210 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
18211 matter how strange.
18213 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
18214 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
18215 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
18216 is @code{t} by default.
18218 @item gnus-interactive-exit
18219 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
18220 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
18225 @node Symbolic Prefixes
18226 @section Symbolic Prefixes
18227 @cindex symbolic prefixes
18229 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
18230 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
18231 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
18232 rule of 900 to the current article.
18234 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
18235 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
18236 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
18237 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
18238 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
18239 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
18240 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
18242 @kindex M-i (Summary)
18243 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
18244 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
18245 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
18246 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
18247 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
18248 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
18249 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
18250 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
18252 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
18253 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
18254 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
18256 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
18260 @node Formatting Variables
18261 @section Formatting Variables
18262 @cindex formatting variables
18264 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
18265 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
18266 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
18267 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
18268 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
18271 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
18272 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
18273 lots of percentages everywhere.
18276 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
18277 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
18278 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
18279 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
18280 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
18281 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
18282 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
18283 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
18286 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
18287 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
18288 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
18289 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
18290 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
18291 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
18292 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
18293 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
18295 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
18296 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
18298 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
18299 @findex gnus-update-format
18300 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
18301 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
18302 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
18303 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
18307 @node Formatting Basics
18308 @subsection Formatting Basics
18310 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
18311 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
18312 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
18314 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
18315 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
18316 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
18317 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
18318 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
18321 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
18322 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
18323 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
18324 less than 4 characters wide.
18326 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
18327 @samp{%&user-date;}.
18329 @node Mode Line Formatting
18330 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
18332 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
18333 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
18334 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
18335 with the following two differences:
18340 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
18343 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
18344 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
18345 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
18346 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
18347 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
18348 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
18349 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
18354 @node Advanced Formatting
18355 @subsection Advanced Formatting
18357 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
18358 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
18359 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
18360 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
18362 These are the valid modifiers:
18367 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
18371 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
18376 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
18379 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
18384 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
18387 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
18390 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
18393 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
18397 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
18398 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
18399 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
18400 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
18401 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
18402 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
18403 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
18405 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
18406 last operation, padding.
18408 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
18409 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
18410 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
18411 @xref{Compilation}.
18414 @node User-Defined Specs
18415 @subsection User-Defined Specs
18417 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
18418 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
18419 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
18420 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
18421 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
18422 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
18423 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
18424 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
18425 should protect against that.
18427 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
18428 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
18430 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
18431 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
18432 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
18433 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
18437 @node Formatting Fonts
18438 @subsection Formatting Fonts
18440 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
18441 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
18442 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
18443 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
18446 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
18447 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
18448 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
18449 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
18450 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
18451 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
18453 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
18454 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
18455 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
18456 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
18457 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
18458 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
18459 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
18460 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
18462 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
18465 ;; Create three face types.
18466 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
18467 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
18469 ;; We want the article count to be in
18470 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
18471 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
18472 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
18474 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
18475 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
18477 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
18478 (setq gnus-group-line-format
18479 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
18482 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
18483 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
18485 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
18486 mode-line variables.
18488 @node Positioning Point
18489 @subsection Positioning Point
18491 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
18492 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
18493 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
18495 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
18497 @findex gnus-goto-colon
18498 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
18499 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
18501 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
18502 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%C} specifier. If you
18503 put a @samp{%C} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
18508 @subsection Tabulation
18510 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
18511 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
18512 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
18513 about lining up the following text afterwards.
18515 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
18516 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
18518 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18519 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
18520 This is the soft tabulator.
18522 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
18523 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
18524 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
18527 @node Wide Characters
18528 @subsection Wide Characters
18530 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
18531 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
18532 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
18534 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
18535 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
18536 these coutries, that's not true.
18538 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
18539 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
18540 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
18541 prettieer. The default value is @code{t}.
18545 @node Window Layout
18546 @section Window Layout
18547 @cindex window layout
18549 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
18551 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
18552 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
18553 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
18554 @code{t} by default.
18556 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
18557 glitches. Use at your own peril.
18559 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
18560 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
18561 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
18564 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
18565 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
18566 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
18570 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
18571 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
18572 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
18573 possible names is listed below.
18575 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
18576 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
18579 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
18583 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
18584 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
18585 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
18586 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
18587 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
18588 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
18589 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
18590 size spec per split.
18592 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
18593 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
18594 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
18595 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
18596 present) gets focus.
18598 Here's a more complicated example:
18601 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
18602 (summary 0.25 point)
18603 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
18607 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
18608 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
18609 occupy, not a percentage.
18611 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
18612 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
18613 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
18614 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
18615 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
18618 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
18621 (article (horizontal 1.0
18626 (summary 0.25 point)
18631 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
18632 @code{horizontal} thingie?
18634 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
18635 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
18636 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
18637 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
18638 the screen is to be given to this strip.
18640 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
18641 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
18642 lines from the splits.
18644 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
18648 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
18649 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
18650 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
18651 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
18652 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
18653 size = number | frame-params
18654 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
18657 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
18658 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
18659 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
18660 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
18662 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
18663 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
18664 @cindex window height
18665 @cindex window width
18666 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
18667 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
18668 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
18669 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
18670 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
18671 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
18673 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
18674 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
18675 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
18676 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
18678 @findex gnus-configure-frame
18679 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
18680 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
18681 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
18682 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
18683 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
18684 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
18685 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
18686 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
18687 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
18688 configuration list.
18691 (gnus-configure-frame
18695 (article 0.3 point))
18703 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
18704 @code{frame} split:
18707 (gnus-configure-frame
18710 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
18712 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
18713 (user-position . t)
18714 (left . -1) (top . 1))
18719 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
18720 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
18721 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
18722 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
18723 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
18724 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
18725 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
18726 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
18728 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
18729 be found in its default value.
18731 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
18732 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
18733 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
18737 (message (horizontal 1.0
18738 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
18740 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
18745 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
18746 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
18747 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
18752 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
18753 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
18754 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
18755 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
18756 (name . "Message"))
18757 (message 1.0 point))))
18760 @findex gnus-add-configuration
18761 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
18762 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
18763 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
18764 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
18767 (gnus-add-configuration
18768 '(article (vertical 1.0
18770 (summary .25 point)
18774 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
18775 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
18776 Gnus has been loaded.
18778 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
18779 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
18780 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
18781 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
18782 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
18784 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
18785 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
18786 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
18789 @subsection Example Window Configurations
18793 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
18794 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
18809 (gnus-add-configuration
18812 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
18814 (summary 0.16 point)
18817 (gnus-add-configuration
18820 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
18821 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
18827 @node Faces and Fonts
18828 @section Faces and Fonts
18833 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
18834 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
18835 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
18840 @section Compilation
18841 @cindex compilation
18842 @cindex byte-compilation
18844 @findex gnus-compile
18846 Remember all those line format specification variables?
18847 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
18848 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
18849 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
18850 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
18851 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
18854 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
18855 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
18856 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
18857 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
18858 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
18859 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
18860 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
18864 @section Mode Lines
18867 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
18868 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
18869 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
18870 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
18871 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
18872 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
18873 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
18876 @cindex display-time
18878 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
18879 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
18880 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
18881 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
18882 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
18883 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
18884 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
18885 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
18888 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
18890 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
18891 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
18893 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
18894 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
18895 (length display-time-string)))))
18898 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
18899 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
18900 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
18901 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
18902 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
18905 @node Highlighting and Menus
18906 @section Highlighting and Menus
18908 @cindex highlighting
18911 @vindex gnus-visual
18912 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
18913 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
18914 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
18917 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
18918 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
18921 @item group-highlight
18922 Do highlights in the group buffer.
18923 @item summary-highlight
18924 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
18925 @item article-highlight
18926 Do highlights in the article buffer.
18928 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
18930 Create menus in the group buffer.
18932 Create menus in the summary buffers.
18934 Create menus in the article buffer.
18936 Create menus in the browse buffer.
18938 Create menus in the server buffer.
18940 Create menus in the score buffers.
18942 Create menus in all buffers.
18945 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
18946 buffers, you could say something like:
18949 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
18952 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
18955 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
18958 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
18959 in all Gnus buffers.
18961 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
18964 @item gnus-mouse-face
18965 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
18966 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
18967 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
18971 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
18975 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
18976 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
18977 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
18979 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
18980 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
18981 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
18983 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
18984 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
18985 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
18987 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
18988 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
18989 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
18991 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
18992 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
18993 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
18995 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
18996 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
18997 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
19008 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
19009 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
19010 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
19011 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
19012 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
19016 @vindex gnus-carpal
19017 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
19018 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
19019 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
19024 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19025 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
19026 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
19028 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
19029 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
19030 Face used on buttons.
19032 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
19033 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
19034 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
19036 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19037 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
19038 Buttons in the group buffer.
19040 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19041 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
19042 Buttons in the summary buffer.
19044 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19045 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
19046 Buttons in the server buffer.
19048 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19049 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
19050 Buttons in the browse buffer.
19053 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
19054 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
19055 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
19063 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
19064 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
19065 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
19066 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
19067 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
19069 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
19070 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
19071 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
19073 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
19074 been idle for thirty minutes:
19077 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
19080 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
19084 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
19087 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
19088 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
19089 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19091 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
19092 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
19093 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
19094 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
19096 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
19097 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
19098 @var{idle} minutes.
19100 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
19101 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
19104 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
19105 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
19106 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
19108 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
19109 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
19110 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
19111 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
19113 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
19114 your @file{.gnus} file:
19116 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
19118 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
19121 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
19122 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
19123 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
19124 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
19125 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
19126 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
19127 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
19128 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
19129 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
19130 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
19131 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
19133 @findex gnus-demon-init
19134 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
19135 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
19136 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
19137 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
19138 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
19140 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
19141 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
19142 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
19151 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
19152 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
19154 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
19155 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
19156 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
19157 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
19160 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
19161 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
19162 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
19163 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
19165 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
19166 this will make spam disappear.
19168 There are some variables to customize, of course:
19171 @item gnus-use-nocem
19172 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
19173 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
19176 @item gnus-nocem-groups
19177 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
19178 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
19179 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
19180 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
19182 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
19183 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
19184 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
19185 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
19186 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
19187 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
19189 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
19190 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
19192 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
19193 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
19194 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
19195 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
19196 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
19197 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
19198 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
19199 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
19200 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
19201 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
19203 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
19204 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
19207 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
19210 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
19211 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
19214 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
19217 The specs are applied left-to-right.
19220 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
19221 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
19223 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
19224 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
19225 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
19226 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
19228 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
19229 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
19232 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
19234 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
19242 This might be dangerous, though.
19244 @item gnus-nocem-directory
19245 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
19246 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
19247 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
19249 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19250 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
19251 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
19252 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
19253 might then see old spam.
19255 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
19256 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
19257 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
19258 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
19259 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
19262 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19263 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
19264 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
19265 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
19269 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
19270 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
19271 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
19272 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
19279 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
19280 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
19281 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
19283 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
19284 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
19285 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
19286 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
19287 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
19288 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
19289 @code{undo} function.
19291 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
19292 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
19293 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
19294 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
19295 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
19296 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
19297 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
19298 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
19299 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
19300 never be totally undoable.
19302 @findex gnus-undo-mode
19303 @vindex gnus-use-undo
19305 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
19306 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
19307 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
19308 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
19313 @section Moderation
19316 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
19317 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
19318 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
19321 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
19325 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
19328 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
19330 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
19335 You split your incoming mail by matching on
19336 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
19337 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
19340 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
19341 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
19344 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
19345 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
19349 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
19352 (setq gnus-moderated-list
19353 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
19357 @node XEmacs Enhancements
19358 @section XEmacs Enhancements
19361 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
19365 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
19366 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
19367 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
19368 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
19381 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
19382 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
19383 over your shoulder as you read news.
19386 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
19387 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
19388 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
19389 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
19390 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
19395 @subsubsection Picon Basics
19397 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
19406 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
19407 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
19408 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
19409 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
19410 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
19411 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
19412 @code{GIF} formats.
19415 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19416 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
19417 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
19418 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
19419 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
19421 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19422 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
19423 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
19424 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
19425 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
19426 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19429 @node Picon Requirements
19430 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
19432 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
19433 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
19434 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
19435 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
19437 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19438 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
19439 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
19440 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
19441 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
19442 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
19445 @subsubsection Easy Picons
19447 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
19448 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
19451 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
19452 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
19455 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
19456 containing the Picons databases.
19458 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
19461 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19462 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
19467 @subsubsection Hard Picons
19475 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
19476 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
19477 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
19478 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
19479 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
19484 @item gnus-picons-database
19485 @vindex gnus-picons-database
19486 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
19487 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
19488 subdirectories. This is only useful if
19489 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
19490 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
19492 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19493 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
19494 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
19495 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
19496 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
19497 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
19498 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
19500 @item gnus-picons-display-where
19501 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19502 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
19503 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
19504 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
19505 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
19506 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
19507 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
19509 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19510 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
19511 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
19516 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
19517 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
19519 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
19520 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
19523 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
19525 @item gnus-article-display-picons
19526 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
19527 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
19528 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
19530 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
19531 @findex gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
19532 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
19533 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the function name, not @code{xface})
19539 @node Picon Useless Configuration
19540 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
19548 The following variables offer further control over how things are
19549 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
19550 don't need to worry about.
19554 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
19555 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
19556 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
19557 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
19559 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
19560 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
19561 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
19562 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
19564 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
19565 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
19566 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
19567 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
19568 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
19570 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19571 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
19572 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
19573 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
19574 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
19575 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
19576 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
19577 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
19579 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
19580 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
19581 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
19582 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
19583 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
19585 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
19586 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
19587 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
19588 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
19589 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
19590 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
19591 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
19593 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
19594 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
19595 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
19596 Defaults to @code{nil}.
19598 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
19599 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
19600 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
19601 Defaults to @code{t}.
19603 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
19604 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
19605 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
19606 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
19608 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
19609 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
19610 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
19612 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
19613 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
19614 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
19615 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
19617 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
19618 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
19620 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
19621 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
19622 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
19623 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
19624 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
19625 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
19626 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
19627 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
19638 @subsection Smileys
19643 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
19648 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
19649 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
19651 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
19652 @file{.gnus.el} file:
19655 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
19658 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
19659 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
19660 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
19661 text and maps that to file names.
19663 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
19664 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
19665 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
19666 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
19667 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
19668 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
19670 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
19671 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
19673 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
19674 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
19675 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
19677 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
19678 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
19682 @item smiley-data-directory
19683 @vindex smiley-data-directory
19684 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
19686 @item smiley-flesh-color
19687 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
19688 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
19690 @item smiley-features-color
19691 @vindex smiley-features-color
19692 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19694 @item smiley-tongue-color
19695 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
19696 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
19698 @item smiley-circle-color
19699 @vindex smiley-circle-color
19700 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19702 @item smiley-mouse-face
19703 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
19704 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
19710 @subsection Toolbar
19720 @item gnus-use-toolbar
19721 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
19722 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
19723 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
19724 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
19726 @item gnus-group-toolbar
19727 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
19728 The toolbar in the group buffer.
19730 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
19731 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
19732 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
19734 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
19735 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
19736 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
19742 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
19745 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
19746 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
19747 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
19748 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
19749 unusual directory structure.
19751 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
19752 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
19753 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
19754 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
19756 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
19757 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
19758 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
19759 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
19760 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
19761 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
19763 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
19764 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
19765 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
19779 @node Fuzzy Matching
19780 @section Fuzzy Matching
19781 @cindex fuzzy matching
19783 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
19784 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
19786 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
19787 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
19788 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
19790 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
19791 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
19792 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
19793 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
19794 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
19797 @node Thwarting Email Spam
19798 @section Thwarting Email Spam
19802 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
19804 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
19805 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
19806 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
19807 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
19808 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
19809 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
19810 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
19811 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
19814 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
19815 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
19816 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
19817 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
19818 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
19819 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
19823 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
19824 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
19826 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
19827 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
19828 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
19829 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
19830 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
19831 part of the mail address.)
19834 (setq message-default-news-headers
19835 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
19838 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
19839 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
19844 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
19845 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
19846 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
19852 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
19853 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
19854 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
19855 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
19857 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
19858 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
19859 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
19860 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
19861 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
19862 your fancy split rule in this way:
19867 (to "larsi" "misc")
19871 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
19872 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
19873 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
19874 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
19875 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
19877 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
19878 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
19879 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
19880 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
19881 cosmic balance somewhat.
19883 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
19884 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
19885 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
19886 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
19889 @node Various Various
19890 @section Various Various
19896 @item gnus-home-directory
19897 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
19898 defaults to @file{~/}.
19900 @item gnus-directory
19901 @vindex gnus-directory
19902 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
19903 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
19904 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
19906 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
19907 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
19908 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
19909 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
19911 @item gnus-default-directory
19912 @vindex gnus-default-directory
19913 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
19914 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
19915 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
19916 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
19917 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
19918 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
19921 @vindex gnus-verbose
19922 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
19923 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
19924 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
19925 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
19926 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
19928 @item gnus-verbose-backends
19929 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
19930 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
19931 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
19933 @item nnheader-max-head-length
19934 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
19935 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
19936 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
19937 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
19938 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
19939 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
19940 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
19941 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
19942 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
19944 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
19945 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
19946 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
19947 read when doing the operation described above.
19949 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19950 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19952 @cindex invalid characters in file names
19953 @cindex characters in file names
19954 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
19955 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
19956 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
19959 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19963 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
19964 Windows (phooey) systems.
19966 @item gnus-hidden-properties
19967 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
19968 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
19969 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
19970 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
19972 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
19973 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
19974 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
19975 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
19976 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
19978 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
19979 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
19980 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
19982 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
19983 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
19985 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
19986 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
19987 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
19988 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
19991 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
19999 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
20000 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
20002 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
20004 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
20010 Not because of victories @*
20013 but for the common sunshine,@*
20015 the largess of the spring.
20019 but for the day's work done@*
20020 as well as I was able;@*
20021 not for a seat upon the dais@*
20022 but at the common table.@*
20027 @chapter Appendices
20030 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
20031 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
20032 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
20033 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
20034 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
20035 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
20036 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
20037 * Frequently Asked Questions::
20045 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
20046 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
20048 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
20049 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
20050 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
20051 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
20052 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
20054 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
20055 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
20056 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
20057 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
20058 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
20059 appropriate name, don't you think?)
20061 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
20062 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
20063 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
20064 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
20067 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
20068 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
20069 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
20070 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
20071 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
20072 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
20073 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
20074 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
20075 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
20079 @node Gnus Versions
20080 @subsection Gnus Versions
20081 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
20083 @cindex September Gnus
20084 @cindex Quassia Gnus
20086 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
20087 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
20088 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
20090 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
20091 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
20093 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
20094 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
20096 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
20097 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
20099 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
20100 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
20103 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
20105 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
20106 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
20107 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
20108 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
20109 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
20110 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
20113 @node Other Gnus Versions
20114 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
20117 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
20118 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
20119 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
20120 @sc{mime} capabilities.
20122 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
20123 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
20124 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
20125 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
20132 What's the point of Gnus?
20134 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
20135 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
20136 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
20137 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
20138 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
20139 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
20140 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
20141 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
20142 keep track of millions of people who post?
20144 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
20145 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
20146 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
20147 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
20148 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
20149 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
20150 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
20151 every one of you to explore and invent.
20153 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
20154 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
20157 @node Compatibility
20158 @subsection Compatibility
20160 @cindex compatibility
20161 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
20162 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
20163 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
20168 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
20172 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
20175 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
20178 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
20179 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
20180 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
20181 important variables have their values copied into their global
20182 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
20183 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
20185 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
20186 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
20187 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
20188 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
20189 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
20193 @cindex highlighting
20194 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
20195 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
20196 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
20197 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
20198 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
20199 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
20202 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
20203 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
20204 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
20205 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
20207 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
20208 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
20209 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
20210 to stop doing it the old way.
20212 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
20214 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
20216 @cindex reporting bugs
20218 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
20219 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
20220 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
20222 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
20223 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
20224 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
20225 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
20230 @subsection Conformity
20232 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
20233 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
20240 There are no known breaches of this standard.
20244 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
20246 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
20247 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
20248 We do have some breaches to this one.
20254 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
20255 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
20256 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
20257 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
20258 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
20263 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
20264 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
20265 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
20266 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
20270 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
20271 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
20276 @subsection Emacsen
20282 Gnus should work on :
20290 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
20294 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
20295 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
20298 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
20299 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
20300 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
20304 @node Gnus Development
20305 @subsection Gnus Development
20307 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
20308 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
20309 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
20310 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
20311 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
20312 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
20313 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
20314 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
20316 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
20317 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
20318 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
20319 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
20320 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
20323 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
20324 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
20325 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
20326 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
20327 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
20329 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
20330 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
20331 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
20332 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
20333 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
20334 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
20335 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
20336 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
20337 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
20338 can't be assumed to do so.
20343 @subsection Contributors
20344 @cindex contributors
20346 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
20347 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
20348 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
20349 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
20350 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
20351 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
20352 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
20353 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
20354 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
20355 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
20357 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
20363 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
20366 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
20367 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
20368 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
20369 functionality and stuff.
20372 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
20373 well as numerous other things).
20376 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
20379 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
20382 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
20385 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
20388 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
20389 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
20392 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
20395 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
20396 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
20399 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
20402 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
20405 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
20408 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
20411 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
20412 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
20415 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
20418 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
20421 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
20424 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
20428 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
20431 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
20434 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
20437 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
20438 well as autoconf support.
20442 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
20443 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
20445 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
20454 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
20458 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
20468 Alexei V. Barantsev,
20483 Massimo Campostrini,
20488 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
20489 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
20493 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
20496 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
20502 Michael Welsh Duggan,
20507 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
20511 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
20519 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
20521 Michelangelo Grigni,
20525 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
20527 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
20529 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
20536 François Felix Ingrand,
20537 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
20538 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
20540 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
20551 Peter Skov Knudsen,
20552 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
20554 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
20555 Thor Kristoffersen,
20558 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
20576 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
20577 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
20584 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
20589 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
20593 John McClary Prevost,
20599 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
20604 Christian von Roques,
20607 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
20614 Philippe Schnoebelen,
20616 Randal L. Schwartz,
20630 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
20635 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
20651 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
20656 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
20657 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
20658 (550kB and counting).
20660 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
20663 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
20664 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
20668 @subsection New Features
20669 @cindex new features
20672 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
20673 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
20674 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
20675 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
20676 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
20679 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
20680 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
20681 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
20684 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
20686 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
20691 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
20692 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
20695 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
20696 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
20699 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
20702 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
20703 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
20704 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
20707 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
20708 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
20709 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
20710 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
20713 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
20714 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20717 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
20718 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
20719 (@pxref{The Active File}).
20722 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
20723 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
20726 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
20727 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
20728 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
20731 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
20732 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
20733 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
20736 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
20737 the @file{.emacs} file.
20740 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
20741 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
20744 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
20745 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
20748 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
20749 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20752 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
20753 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
20756 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
20757 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
20760 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
20763 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
20764 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
20767 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
20768 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
20771 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
20772 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
20775 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
20778 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
20779 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
20782 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
20786 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
20790 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
20791 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
20794 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
20800 @node September Gnus
20801 @subsubsection September Gnus
20805 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
20809 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
20814 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
20815 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
20819 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
20820 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
20824 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
20828 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
20829 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
20832 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
20836 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
20839 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
20842 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
20845 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
20849 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
20850 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
20853 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
20857 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
20861 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
20865 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
20869 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
20872 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
20873 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
20876 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
20880 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
20881 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
20884 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
20887 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
20888 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
20889 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
20892 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
20896 The Gnus cache is much faster.
20899 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
20903 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
20904 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
20907 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
20908 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
20911 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
20912 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
20915 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
20916 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
20917 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
20920 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
20921 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
20924 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
20927 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
20930 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
20933 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
20936 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
20937 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
20940 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
20944 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
20947 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
20952 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
20955 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
20959 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20962 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
20966 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
20969 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
20972 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
20973 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
20976 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
20977 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
20981 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
20982 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
20985 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
20989 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
20990 buffer to allow easier treatment.
20993 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
20996 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
21000 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
21004 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
21005 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
21008 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
21012 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
21013 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
21016 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
21017 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
21020 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
21024 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
21027 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
21030 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
21036 @subsubsection Red Gnus
21038 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
21042 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
21049 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
21052 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
21053 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
21056 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
21057 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
21061 Article washing status can be displayed in the
21062 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
21065 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
21068 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
21069 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
21072 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
21076 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
21077 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
21081 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
21082 Server Internals}).
21085 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
21089 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
21092 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
21093 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
21096 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
21097 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
21098 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
21101 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
21102 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21105 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
21106 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
21109 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
21113 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
21114 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21117 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
21118 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
21121 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
21125 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
21128 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
21132 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
21133 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21136 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
21137 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
21140 A new command for reading collections of documents
21141 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
21142 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
21145 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
21149 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
21150 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
21153 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
21154 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
21155 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
21158 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
21159 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
21163 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
21167 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
21171 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
21176 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
21180 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
21184 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
21185 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
21188 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
21194 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
21196 New features in Gnus 5.6:
21201 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
21202 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
21203 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
21206 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
21207 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
21208 group, which is created automatically.
21211 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
21215 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
21218 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
21219 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
21222 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
21226 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
21229 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
21230 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
21233 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
21236 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
21237 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
21240 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
21241 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
21244 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
21245 control over simplification.
21248 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
21251 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
21255 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
21258 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
21261 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
21262 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
21263 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
21266 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
21267 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
21270 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
21274 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
21275 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
21278 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
21279 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
21282 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
21286 A history of where mails have been split is available.
21289 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
21292 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
21293 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
21296 A new function for citing in Message has been
21297 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
21300 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
21303 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
21307 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
21308 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
21311 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
21312 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
21315 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
21318 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
21322 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
21323 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
21325 New features in Gnus 5.8:
21330 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
21331 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
21333 If you used procmail like in
21336 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
21337 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
21338 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
21339 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
21342 this now has changed to
21346 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
21350 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
21351 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
21354 Gnus is now a MIME-capable reader. This affects many parts of
21355 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
21358 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
21359 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
21362 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
21363 called to position point.
21366 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
21367 summary buffers and NOV files.
21370 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
21371 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
21374 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
21375 subtly different manner.
21378 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
21379 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
21380 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
21383 Gnus can now read IMAP mail via @code{nnimap}.
21391 @section The Manual
21395 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
21396 either @code{texi2dvi}
21398 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
21399 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
21401 to get what you hold in your hands now.
21403 The following conventions have been used:
21408 This is a @samp{string}
21411 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
21414 This is a @file{file}
21417 This is a @code{symbol}
21421 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
21425 (setq flargnoze "yes")
21428 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
21431 (setq flumphel 'yes)
21434 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
21435 ever get them confused.
21439 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
21440 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
21441 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
21442 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
21443 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
21444 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
21445 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
21451 @node On Writing Manuals
21452 @section On Writing Manuals
21454 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
21455 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
21456 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
21457 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
21458 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
21459 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
21462 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
21463 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
21464 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
21467 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
21468 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
21473 @section Terminology
21475 @cindex terminology
21480 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
21481 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
21482 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
21483 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
21484 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
21488 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
21489 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
21490 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
21491 not posting, and replying is not following up.
21495 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
21499 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
21504 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of back ends, both news and mail
21505 back ends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
21506 is all done by the back ends.
21510 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
21511 default, way of getting news.
21515 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
21516 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
21521 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
21522 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
21526 A message that has been posted as news.
21529 @cindex mail message
21530 A message that has been mailed.
21534 A mail message or news article
21538 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
21543 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
21548 A line from the head of an article.
21552 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
21553 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
21557 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
21558 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
21559 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
21560 normal @sc{head} format.
21564 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
21565 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
21566 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
21567 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
21568 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
21569 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
21571 @item killed groups
21572 @cindex killed groups
21573 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
21574 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
21576 @item zombie groups
21577 @cindex zombie groups
21578 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
21581 @cindex active file
21582 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
21583 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
21584 is rather large, as you might surmise.
21587 @cindex bogus groups
21588 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
21589 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
21590 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
21593 @cindex activating groups
21594 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
21595 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
21596 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
21600 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
21602 @item select method
21603 @cindex select method
21604 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
21607 @item virtual server
21608 @cindex virtual server
21609 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
21610 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
21611 whole is a virtual server.
21615 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
21616 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
21619 @item ephemeral groups
21620 @cindex ephemeral groups
21621 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
21622 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
21623 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
21626 @cindex solid groups
21627 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
21628 group buffer are solid groups.
21630 @item sparse articles
21631 @cindex sparse articles
21632 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
21633 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
21637 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
21638 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
21642 @cindex thread root
21643 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
21644 articles in the thread.
21648 An article that has responses.
21652 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
21656 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
21657 specified by RFC 1153.
21663 @node Customization
21664 @section Customization
21665 @cindex general customization
21667 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
21668 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
21669 for some quite common situations.
21672 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
21673 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
21674 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
21675 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
21679 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
21680 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
21682 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
21683 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
21684 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
21688 @item gnus-read-active-file
21689 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
21690 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
21691 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21692 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
21693 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
21695 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
21696 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
21697 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
21698 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
21702 @node Slow Terminal Connection
21703 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
21705 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
21706 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
21707 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
21711 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
21712 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
21713 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
21714 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
21715 horizontal and vertical recentering.
21717 @item gnus-visible-headers
21718 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
21719 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
21720 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
21721 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
21723 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
21725 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
21726 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
21727 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
21730 @item gnus-use-full-window
21731 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
21732 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
21733 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
21734 want to read them anyway.
21736 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
21737 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
21740 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
21741 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
21742 lines, which might save some time.
21746 @node Little Disk Space
21747 @subsection Little Disk Space
21750 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
21751 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
21755 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
21756 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
21757 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21758 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21761 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
21762 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
21763 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21764 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21767 @item gnus-save-killed-list
21768 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
21769 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
21770 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
21771 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
21777 @subsection Slow Machine
21778 @cindex slow machine
21780 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
21781 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
21783 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21784 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
21786 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
21787 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
21788 summary buffer faster.
21792 @node Troubleshooting
21793 @section Troubleshooting
21794 @cindex troubleshooting
21796 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
21804 Make sure your computer is switched on.
21807 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
21808 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
21812 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
21813 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
21814 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
21815 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
21818 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
21822 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
21823 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
21824 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
21825 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
21826 something like that.
21829 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
21832 @cindex reporting bugs
21834 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21836 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
21837 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
21838 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
21839 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
21841 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
21842 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
21843 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
21844 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
21847 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
21848 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
21849 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
21850 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
21851 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
21852 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
21854 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
21855 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
21856 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
21860 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
21861 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
21863 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
21864 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
21866 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
21867 @cindex ding mailing list
21868 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
21869 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
21873 @node Gnus Reference Guide
21874 @section Gnus Reference Guide
21876 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
21877 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
21878 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
21879 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
21882 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
21883 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
21884 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
21885 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
21886 and general methods of operation.
21889 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
21890 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
21891 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
21892 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
21893 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
21894 * Group Info:: The group info format.
21895 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
21896 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
21897 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
21901 @node Gnus Utility Functions
21902 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
21903 @cindex Gnus utility functions
21904 @cindex utility functions
21906 @cindex internal variables
21908 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
21909 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
21910 Below is a list of the most common ones.
21914 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
21915 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
21916 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
21918 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
21919 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
21920 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
21922 @item gnus-group-real-name
21923 @findex gnus-group-real-name
21924 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
21927 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
21928 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
21929 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
21930 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
21932 @item gnus-get-info
21933 @findex gnus-get-info
21934 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
21936 @item gnus-group-unread
21937 @findex gnus-group-unread
21938 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
21942 @findex gnus-active
21943 The active entry for @var{group}.
21945 @item gnus-set-active
21946 @findex gnus-set-active
21947 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
21949 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21950 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21951 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
21954 @item gnus-continuum-version
21955 @findex gnus-continuum-version
21956 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
21957 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
21960 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
21961 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
21962 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
21964 @item gnus-news-group-p
21965 @findex gnus-news-group-p
21966 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
21968 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21969 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21970 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
21972 @item gnus-server-to-method
21973 @findex gnus-server-to-method
21974 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
21976 @item gnus-server-equal
21977 @findex gnus-server-equal
21978 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
21980 @item gnus-group-native-p
21981 @findex gnus-group-native-p
21982 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
21984 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
21985 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
21986 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
21988 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
21989 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
21990 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
21992 @item group-group-find-parameter
21993 @findex group-group-find-parameter
21994 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
21995 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
21997 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
21998 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
21999 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
22001 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
22002 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
22003 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
22005 @item gnus-check-backend-function
22006 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
22007 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
22008 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
22011 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
22015 @item gnus-read-method
22016 @findex gnus-read-method
22017 Prompts the user for a select method.
22022 @node Back End Interface
22023 @subsection Back End Interface
22025 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
22026 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
22027 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
22028 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
22029 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
22030 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
22032 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
22033 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
22034 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
22035 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
22036 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
22037 been opened, the function should fail.
22039 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
22040 name. Take this example:
22044 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
22045 (nntp-port-number 4324))
22048 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
22049 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
22051 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
22052 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
22053 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
22055 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
22056 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
22057 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
22059 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
22060 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
22061 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
22062 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
22063 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
22064 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
22067 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
22068 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
22069 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
22070 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
22073 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
22074 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
22075 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
22076 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
22077 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
22078 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
22079 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
22080 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
22081 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
22082 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
22084 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
22085 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
22086 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
22087 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
22088 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
22089 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
22090 of numbers as long as possible.
22092 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
22095 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
22098 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
22099 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
22100 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
22101 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
22102 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
22103 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
22107 @node Required Back End Functions
22108 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
22112 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
22114 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
22115 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
22116 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
22117 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
22119 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
22120 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
22121 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
22122 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
22124 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
22125 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
22126 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
22127 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
22128 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
22129 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
22130 number, do maximum fetches.
22132 Here's an example HEAD:
22135 221 1056 Article retrieved.
22136 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
22137 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
22138 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
22139 Subject: Re: Something very droll
22140 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
22141 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
22143 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
22144 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
22145 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
22149 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
22150 these in the data buffer.
22152 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
22156 head = error / valid-head
22157 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
22158 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
22159 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
22160 header = <text> eol
22163 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
22164 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
22168 nov-buffer = *nov-line
22169 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
22170 field = <text except TAB>
22173 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
22177 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
22179 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
22180 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
22182 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
22183 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
22184 server. In fact, it should do so.
22186 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
22187 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
22190 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
22192 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
22193 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
22196 There should be no data returned.
22199 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
22201 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
22202 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
22203 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
22204 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
22206 There should be no data returned.
22209 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
22211 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
22212 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
22213 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
22214 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
22216 There should be no data returned.
22219 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
22221 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
22223 There should be no data returned.
22226 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
22228 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
22229 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
22230 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
22231 it would be nice if that were possible.
22233 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
22234 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
22235 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
22236 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
22237 into its article buffer.
22239 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
22240 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
22241 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
22242 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
22243 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
22244 on successful article retrieval.
22247 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
22249 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
22250 making @var{group} the current group.
22252 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
22255 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
22258 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
22261 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
22262 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
22263 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
22264 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
22265 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
22266 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
22267 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
22268 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
22271 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
22272 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
22273 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
22277 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22279 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
22280 a no-op on most back ends.
22282 There should be no data returned.
22285 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
22287 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
22290 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
22293 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
22294 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
22297 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
22298 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
22301 active-file = *active-line
22302 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
22304 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
22307 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
22308 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
22309 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
22312 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
22314 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
22315 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
22316 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
22317 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
22318 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
22319 clear if the posting could not be completed.
22321 There should be no result data from this function.
22326 @node Optional Back End Functions
22327 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
22331 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
22333 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
22334 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
22335 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
22337 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
22338 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
22339 former is in the same format as the data from
22340 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
22341 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
22344 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
22348 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
22350 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
22351 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
22352 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
22353 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
22354 should return the (altered) group info.
22356 There should be no result data from this function.
22359 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
22361 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
22362 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
22363 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
22364 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
22365 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
22366 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
22367 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
22368 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
22370 There should be no result data from this function.
22373 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
22375 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
22376 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
22377 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
22378 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
22379 propagate the mark information to the server.
22381 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
22384 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
22387 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
22388 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
22389 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
22390 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
22391 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
22392 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
22393 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
22394 possible, not limit itself to these.
22396 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
22397 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
22398 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
22399 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
22401 An example action list:
22404 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
22405 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
22406 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
22409 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
22410 mark on (currently not used for anything).
22412 There should be no result data from this function.
22414 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
22416 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
22417 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
22418 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
22419 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
22420 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
22422 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
22423 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
22424 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
22427 There should be no result data from this function.
22430 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
22432 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
22433 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
22434 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
22435 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
22436 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
22437 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
22438 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
22440 There should be no result data from this function.
22443 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
22445 The result data from this function should be a description of
22449 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
22451 description = <text>
22454 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
22456 The result data from this function should be the description of all
22457 groups available on the server.
22460 description-buffer = *description-line
22464 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
22466 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
22467 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
22468 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
22469 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
22470 in the active buffer format.
22472 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
22473 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
22474 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
22475 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
22476 many groups, so nnml and the like are probably safe. But for back ends
22477 like nntp, where the groups have been created by the server, it is quite
22478 likely that there can be many groups.
22481 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22483 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
22485 There should be no return data.
22488 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
22490 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
22491 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
22492 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
22493 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
22494 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
22497 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
22500 There should be no result data returned.
22503 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
22506 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
22507 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
22509 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
22510 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
22511 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
22512 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
22513 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
22514 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
22516 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
22517 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
22520 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22521 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22523 There should be no data returned.
22526 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
22528 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
22529 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
22530 this function in short order.
22532 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22533 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22535 There should be no data returned.
22538 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
22540 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
22541 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
22543 There should be no data returned.
22546 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
22548 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
22549 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
22550 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
22552 There should be no data returned.
22555 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
22557 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
22558 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
22560 There should be no data returned.
22565 @node Error Messaging
22566 @subsubsection Error Messaging
22568 @findex nnheader-report
22569 @findex nnheader-get-report
22570 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
22571 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
22572 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
22573 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
22574 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
22575 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
22578 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
22580 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
22583 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
22584 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
22585 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
22586 takes one argument---the server symbol.
22588 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
22589 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
22590 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
22593 @node Writing New Back Ends
22594 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
22596 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
22597 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
22598 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
22599 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
22600 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
22603 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
22604 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
22605 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
22607 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
22608 package called @code{nnoo}.
22610 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
22611 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
22617 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
22618 parameters. For instance:
22621 (nnoo-declare nndir
22625 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
22626 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
22629 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
22630 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
22631 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
22633 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
22634 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
22635 a function in those back ends.
22638 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22639 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22640 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22643 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
22644 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
22645 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
22647 @item nnoo-define-basics
22648 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
22652 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22656 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
22657 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
22658 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
22660 @item nnoo-map-functions
22661 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
22662 functions from the parent back ends.
22665 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22666 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22667 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
22670 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
22671 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
22672 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
22673 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
22676 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
22677 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
22678 haven't already been defined.
22684 nnmh-request-newgroups)
22688 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
22689 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
22690 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
22695 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
22698 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
22699 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
22703 (require 'nnheader)
22707 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
22709 (nnoo-declare nndir
22712 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22713 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22714 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22716 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
22717 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
22720 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
22722 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
22723 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
22724 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
22726 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
22727 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
22729 ;;; Interface functions.
22731 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22733 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
22734 (setq nndir-directory
22735 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
22737 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
22738 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
22739 (push `(nndir-current-group
22740 ,(file-name-nondirectory
22741 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22743 (push `(nndir-top-directory
22744 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22746 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
22748 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22749 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22750 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22751 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
22752 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
22756 nnmh-status-message
22758 nnmh-request-newgroups))
22764 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
22765 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
22767 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
22768 @findex gnus-declare-backend
22769 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
22770 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
22771 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
22773 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
22774 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
22779 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
22782 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
22784 The abilities can be:
22788 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
22790 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
22792 This back end supports both mail and news.
22794 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
22797 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
22798 articles and groups.
22800 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
22801 true for almost all back ends.
22802 @item prompt-address
22803 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
22804 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
22805 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
22809 @node Mail-like Back Ends
22810 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
22812 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
22813 back ends is the heavy dependence by the mail back ends on common
22814 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
22815 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
22818 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
22819 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
22820 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
22823 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
22824 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
22827 This function takes four parameters.
22831 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
22834 @item exit-function
22835 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
22837 @item temp-directory
22838 Where the temporary files should be stored.
22841 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
22842 performed for one group only.
22845 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
22846 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
22847 find the article number assigned to this article.
22849 The function also uses the following variables:
22850 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
22851 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
22852 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
22853 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
22857 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
22858 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
22862 @node Score File Syntax
22863 @subsection Score File Syntax
22865 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
22866 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
22867 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
22869 Here's a typical score file:
22873 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
22880 BNF definition of a score file:
22883 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
22884 element = rule / atom
22885 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
22886 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
22887 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
22888 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
22890 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
22891 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
22892 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
22893 date-header = "date"
22894 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22895 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22896 score = "nil" / <integer>
22897 date = "nil" / <natural number>
22898 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
22899 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
22900 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
22901 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
22902 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22903 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22904 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
22905 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22906 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
22907 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
22908 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
22909 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
22910 exclude-files / read-only / touched
22911 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
22912 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
22913 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
22914 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
22915 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
22916 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
22917 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
22918 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
22919 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
22920 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
22921 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
22922 eval = "eval" space <form>
22923 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
22926 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
22929 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
22930 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
22931 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
22932 one looong line, then that's ok.
22934 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
22935 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
22939 @subsection Headers
22941 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
22942 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
22943 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
22944 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
22946 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
22947 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
22948 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
22949 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
22950 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
22951 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
22952 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
22954 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
22955 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
22956 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
22957 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
22958 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
22960 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
22961 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
22967 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
22968 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
22970 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
22971 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
22972 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
22973 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
22975 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
22979 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
22982 is transformed into
22985 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
22988 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
22989 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
22992 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
22995 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
22996 is slightly tricky:
22999 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
23005 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
23008 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
23014 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
23021 and is equal to the previous range.
23023 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
23024 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
23025 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
23029 range = simple-range / normal-range
23030 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
23031 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
23032 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
23033 number *[ " " contents ]
23036 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
23037 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
23038 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
23039 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
23040 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
23045 @subsection Group Info
23047 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
23048 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
23049 describes the group.
23051 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
23052 second is a more complex one:
23055 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
23057 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
23058 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
23060 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
23063 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
23064 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
23065 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
23066 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
23067 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
23068 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
23069 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
23070 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
23071 this section is about.
23073 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
23074 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
23075 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
23077 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
23080 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
23081 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
23082 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23083 group = quote <string> quote
23084 ralevel = rank / level
23085 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23086 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
23087 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23089 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
23090 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
23091 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
23092 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
23095 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
23096 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
23099 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
23100 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
23103 @item gnus-info-group
23104 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
23105 @findex gnus-info-group
23106 @findex gnus-info-set-group
23107 Get/set the group name.
23109 @item gnus-info-rank
23110 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
23111 @findex gnus-info-rank
23112 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
23113 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
23115 @item gnus-info-level
23116 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
23117 @findex gnus-info-level
23118 @findex gnus-info-set-level
23119 Get/set the group level.
23121 @item gnus-info-score
23122 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
23123 @findex gnus-info-score
23124 @findex gnus-info-set-score
23125 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
23127 @item gnus-info-read
23128 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
23129 @findex gnus-info-read
23130 @findex gnus-info-set-read
23131 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
23133 @item gnus-info-marks
23134 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
23135 @findex gnus-info-marks
23136 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
23137 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
23139 @item gnus-info-method
23140 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
23141 @findex gnus-info-method
23142 @findex gnus-info-set-method
23143 Get/set the group select method.
23145 @item gnus-info-params
23146 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
23147 @findex gnus-info-params
23148 @findex gnus-info-set-params
23149 Get/set the group parameters.
23152 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
23153 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
23155 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
23156 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
23157 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
23158 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
23161 @node Extended Interactive
23162 @subsection Extended Interactive
23163 @cindex interactive
23164 @findex gnus-interactive
23166 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
23167 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
23168 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
23171 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
23172 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
23177 The best thing to do would have been to implement
23178 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
23179 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
23180 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
23181 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
23182 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
23183 @code{interactive}.
23185 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
23190 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
23191 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
23195 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
23196 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
23197 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
23200 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
23204 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
23208 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
23214 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
23215 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
23219 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
23220 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
23221 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
23223 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
23224 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
23225 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
23226 Gnus, that's very useful.
23228 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
23229 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
23230 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
23231 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
23232 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
23233 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
23234 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
23235 following function:
23238 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
23242 (,function ,@@args))
23246 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
23247 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
23248 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
23251 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
23252 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
23253 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
23255 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
23256 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
23257 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
23260 @node Various File Formats
23261 @subsection Various File Formats
23264 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
23265 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
23269 @node Active File Format
23270 @subsubsection Active File Format
23272 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
23273 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
23276 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
23279 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
23280 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
23281 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
23282 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
23283 no.general 1000 900 y
23286 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
23289 active = *group-line
23290 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
23291 group = <non-white-space string>
23293 high-number = <non-negative integer>
23294 low-number = <positive integer>
23295 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
23298 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
23299 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
23302 @node Newsgroups File Format
23303 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
23305 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
23306 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
23307 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
23310 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
23311 Here's the definition:
23315 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
23316 group = <non-white-space string>
23318 description = <string>
23323 @node Emacs for Heathens
23324 @section Emacs for Heathens
23326 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
23327 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
23328 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
23329 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
23330 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
23331 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
23332 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
23336 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
23337 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
23342 @subsection Keystrokes
23346 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
23349 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
23352 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
23353 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
23354 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
23355 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
23356 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
23357 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
23359 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
23360 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
23361 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
23362 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
23363 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
23364 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
23365 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
23367 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
23368 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
23369 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
23370 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
23371 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
23372 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
23373 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
23375 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
23376 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
23377 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
23378 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
23379 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
23385 @subsection Emacs Lisp
23387 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
23388 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
23389 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
23390 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
23392 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
23393 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
23394 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
23395 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
23396 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
23397 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
23398 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
23401 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
23402 write the following:
23405 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
23408 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
23409 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
23410 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
23413 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
23414 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
23415 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
23416 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
23417 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
23419 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
23420 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
23421 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
23425 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
23429 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
23432 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
23433 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
23436 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
23439 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
23440 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
23443 @include gnus-faq.texi
23464 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
23465 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
23466 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
23467 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
23468 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref